"Self talk, soul talk," Chap. 3; Choosing wise words...

Over most of my life, I have found that the enemy has planted in many lies and many false assumptions. I have lived with fear, whether or not I acknowledged it.

Fear and anxiety and depression have been some fruit in my life.

The root? Lies I have been told about myself, that I have kept repeating over and over. Those are the roots of the roots that Jennifer talked about in Chapter 3, Choosing Wise Words, in “Self Talk, Soul Talk.” As Beth Moore has said, the what you rehearse is what you believe… the more you rehearse the problem (or in this case the negative talk and lies) the bigger the problem becomes and the more depressed and fearful of it you become.

The roots for me have run pretty deep, and as Jennifer suggested on page 36, I did need to seek professional help to get through them. Those roots were choking me, and no matter how hard I tried to battle them with truth, even with the help of others praying over me and reinforcing the truth in my life. I needed the help of a professional, Tricia, to walk through my life with me to get at the root of the roots, if that makes sense. I needed to really identify not only the faulty assumptions but what caused them.

Now I am at the point where I can see the lies that I am believing, the faulty assumptions, and slowly I am learning one of the biggest things that Tricia taught me. Or rather, I am learning to use one of the biggest things that Tricia taught me.

I am learning how to use the truth. I am learning to speak truth into every situation. It isn’t easy as this past week or so has attested to.

At the beginning of the year I felt that God was calling me to something new this year. Last year was full of struggle, depression, healing, joy, dancing in the streets moments, back to despair and just plain hard work!

I felt that He was telling me that this year was going to be full of much of the same, but in a different way. This year is going to be hard work. There are going to be the up and down moments, just like last year has had. But God is calling me to something more.

I have mentioned it before; I feel like God is calling me to press into Him more. More than I ever have. This is where my resolutions from the beginning of the year really kick in. Spending time with God, being in His word, memorizing His word, setting aside daily and weekly time with Him. All of those things are going to pull me closer to Him, help me learn more about Him, and help my relationship with Him grow more deeply.

I have gained more freedom this year because I have discovered roots and am working on choking them out. Last year I needed help. This year I need God. I need a deeper relationship with Him. I long for it.

This year, I need God. I have to ask for His wisdom in my life. I need His wisdom and discernment to see what areas are holding me back from more freedom. I need God’s wisdom in my life to see the lies, and to know the truths to replace them with.

Like Jennifer said,
“It is really just as simple as asking for wisdom and trusting that you will receive.”

Trusting God… trusting that I will receive what I ask for. Trusting my Savior to do what He says He will do. Asking for wisdom is a choice. So is trusting that God will answer and give us that wisdom.

I love that Jennifer said,
“He doesn’t just beet minimal requirements. He gives liberally. He turns the bag upside down. He lavishes us with wisdom that will benefit us and those around us.”

I also need to revere God… when I revere Him and treat His as He is due, I also receive wisdom. Because when I put God higher than me, and His truth higher than the things that I am believing, I become more wise. It brings it to a simple choice of putting God first. If I don’t put God first, I end up making other things in my life my gods.

The enemy would love for me to believe the lies. The enemy would love for all of us to be so wrapped up in fear and trembling that we take our eyes off of Jesus. When we start looking at the situations in our lives, no matter how dire they might be, rather than God, we are exalting our circumstances and our own knowledge and perception of truth. And that delights the enemy because we are taking our eyes off of God and neglecting to revere Him. The enemy is succeeding in taking glory and focus away from God.

I sure don’t want to do that! Do you?

“Until you reverence God most highly in your life, until you acknowledge that He is the standard of truth, you will never find true wisdom.”

The other thing I need to do is receive counsel from others. All this last year I had someone specifically for that, my counselor, Tricia. However I also had other people that I found I could go to and get input from, who would pray for me.

This year, I still have many of those people in place.

One very close friend has walked with me through a lot of things. I highly value her insight and input and her prayers. The wonderful thing, she is constantly pointing me back to God, so that I am not putting her on a pedestal. This woman, though she may not see it herself, is a woman who is strong (because Christ’s strength shines through her, even in her brokenness). She is wise and deeply cares about people, intensely desiring to draw them closer to God (and yes she struggles too, with times when the flesh rises up and takes over).

Even in her weakness and failures, her struggles and frustrations, I see God at work in her. I see God’s wisdom in her, and through her. Because she is constantly getting back up and trying again. She may have those times when she just wants to be “done” (just as I have) but she continues on. We are walking a similar path, right alongside each other. It is so comforting to know that I am not alone on this walk that God is taking me.

When I have had struggles even in the beginning of this year she has encouraged me. In many ways, just as this book has talked about, she has spoken truth to me, and then I have been able to walk away from her and remind myself of that truth. I have been able to engage in real soul talk.

When I walk with God, as I am pressing into Him more, as I am drawing nearer to Him and falling further in love with Him, I am gaining wisdom. Reading the bible, God’s truth, His word, gives me words of wisdom. The bible is full of descriptions of who I am as God’s daughter, as part of His creation, as set aside for Him, beloved and precious in His sight. Those are the words of wisdom, the soul talk, that I need to keep my mind engaged in.

Listen to these healing words.

Wisdom
is more valuable that gold.
will refresh you.
will bring healing.
will be pleasant to your soul.
increases the sweetness of your speech.
causes you to inherit honor.
grants you a future and hope.
protects you.
makes you strong.
(paraphrased from pg. 42)

“To get wisdom is to love your own soul.”

We are going to have days where we feel like the enemy is pressing in hard. But the overall battle belongs to the Lord, and He has won the ultimate victory! Now those are words of wisdom that will help heal our souls.

It may be hard right now, but God has won the victory already! Live in that victory!!!!

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