There is a book that came out years ago called “What To Say When You Talk To Yourself”, by Shad Helmstetter. It talks about how our words are important and speaking negative comments to yourself can literally program the outcome of the event within you. Last week my pastor made a point about someone talking to himself by actually making a statement to others. Some unfortunate outcome in a situation happened to him and he said “Story of my life. It is not surprising. These things always happen to me.” With those words he was saying “there is nothing I can do about it…It is destined to happen and here I am the victim.” Is this the way we want to be remembered? When it is all said and done is the story of our life set in stone because of unfortunate things that have happened to us? The answer to that question is our life is not set in stone. We are not destined to have our life story turn out negative. Someone once said “it is not what happens to you but how you react that matters”. Helmstetter was right in his belief that words are important and there is tremendous power in what we say. Just because someone else believes something about our situation doesn’t make it true. Throughout history people that went on to be remembered for great things had to go through their doubters and their self doubts. It isn’t what people around us are saying it is what we are saying within ourselves which forms the belief in what we can and will do.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta is remembered for her love of people and her selfless service to the poor and sick. Yet after she died a book of her letters revealed that she also had her times of doubt. We tend to look at people who did great things and put them on a mountain way above everyone. Yet these people were people just like you and I and they sometimes failed miserably in their mindset. They sometimes doubted themselves and what they were all about. Here is an exert to some of the letters found and revealed that Mother Teresa wrote. “Darkness is such that I really don’t see-neither with my mind nor with my reason-the place of God in my soul is blank-when the pain of longing is so great I just long and long for God…the torture and pain I can’t explain.” Another letter to a friend stated “I spoke as if my very heart was in love with God-tender personal love. If you were there you would have said “What hypocricy’.”
One of histories great preachers Charles Spurgeon made this point in one of his famous sermons. “The strong are not always vigorous, the wise are not always ready, the brave are not always courageous, and the joyous are not always happy.” Doesn’t that sound like all of us? As Sturgeon said so beautifully in another sermon “I think when a man says, “I never doubt’ it is quite time for us to doubt him.”
That doubt in ourselves can be magnified or minimized. Helmstetter’s book is a self help book. It is one of those that tells us what to do and what to say to ourselves. While it brings into focus that what we are saying is programming our whole inward computer it doesn’t supply a power that will keep us from falling back into the rut. There was a reviewer of the book that thought one of it’s points borderlined on dishonesty. He wrote that maybe after carrying a bunch of dishes across the room and accidentally tripping and breaking them all saying “I’m so clumsy” might be appropriate. Being honest with yourself in his opinion is the key to getting better. Then we make a plan of action if that situation ever comes up again. The problem becomes when the event occurs we get caught up in the emotion of what just happened and the negative words flow out of our mouth. Here we go again with trying to do it ourselves. We need to realize that just because a bad event occurs that has unfortunate consequences, it doesn’t set in stone who we are! Since saying the negative words can become a natural event wouldn’t it be better if we had an inward power helping us? When we realize that we cannot go it alone we have taken the first step in solving the problem!
The problem with self-help books is that they are self help. They depend on us to follow a script that will set us on the right track. We have to maneuver through any doubts and doubters to program ourselves every time we are about to say something negative by ourselves without help. It is too great of a problem for anyone to work alone through every circumstance! Wouldn’t it be better to ask for help from the God of the Universe? The greatest book ever written “The Bible” teaches us to affirm our faith! By doing so we receive inward help from an inward voice. You see once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit lives in us. We can confirm his presence as our helper by saying some confirmations to ourselves. We might wilt to temptation to over-react to situations but these truths can overpower any doubt or doubters that we have! Here are some confirmations we can say that will help us. We should use confirmations both in peace and tribulant times to re-affirm our faith and who we are!
4. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalms 23:4
Psalm 121: 1-2
1. I will lift up my eyes to the hills – From whence comes my help?
2. My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 37: 39
39. But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psalm 46: 1-2
1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
Psalm 48: 14
14. For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.
Psalm 56: 3-4
3. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
4. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
Psalm 73: 26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Philippians 4: 7
7. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 13
Being a Christian and living by faith is not a straight line in emotions. We will have emotional highs and lows and we need to magnify the highs and minimize the lows. Even if we slip up there is a power that can over power any doubts. Affirming these Bible verses and so many more will keep us on a positive track no matter what gets in our way. When we hit one of those lows we know that our God is able to strengthen us to overcome. By saying negative words in the spur of the moment we affirm a more permanent problem rather than an unfortunate incident. By re-affirming our faith we are giving our short comings to a higher source. The permanent thing that we know is that the God of the Universe loves us and is willing to forgive us of all of our transgressions! When we have him guiding and directing us we can get back on the track of feeling good about ourselves and not condemn ourselves with our mouths. We can get on the track of praising God for all things both good and bad.
So what will people say about us after we take our last breath here? Will it be a story of victory or will it be a story of failure? Will it be a story of faith or a story of doubt? Our story is based on the decisions we make and who we believe that we are! In God we believe that we are his children and that he loves and helps us! We believe that through Christ that we can overcome all of the tribulations this world has to offer. It isn’t a self-help book that will overcome our doubts and our condemning words. It is a belief that everything will work out and the faith that he will back it up! We know that all things work for good for those who love God,* who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
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