My Own Mouth will Condemn Me!

Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

                                                                                                                           Prov 4:23

Our minds are really an amazing creation. Did you know that It would take a computer the size of a small city just to carry out the basic functions of your brain. Our brain contains more than 100 billion nerve cells, each connected with 10,000 other neurons.  Such a complex organ generates complexities in life. Long before psychology God said our thoughts determine your feelings and your feelings determine your actions. If we want to change our life, we have to harness the way we think and what we find ourselves thinking about.

The problem is that a lot of us that find that our own mouths betray our thoughts. It seems like the more we strive to be righteous and live righteous, our own thoughts show that we are not. Job states, " Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me: Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse. (Job 9:20 )."  Like many, we are our own worst critics. We’re always putting ourselves down. We walk into a room smiling, but inside we're thinking, “I’m fat, dumb, ugly.  I can't! I can't do anything right! And I'm always late!” Yet, do we understand that when we talk like this, we're saying, “God, I'm worthless. I'm no good. I can't do anything,” you're saying, “God, you blew it with me.”

However, this is not God talking it is the evil one trying to get you to go away from what God wants for you. How can I eliminate negative self-talk, bad and sinful thoughts so that we can become a more confident person? While it seems simplistic, Paul states,  "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.(Ph'p.4:8)"  Notice what Paul tells us. When you find your thoughts wandering toward or on the bad, change your thinking to what is good, honest, pure, wholesome and of good reputation. Don’t think about all those weaknesses in your life. Focus on who God wants you to be and what God wants to do in your life - in your heart and in your mind. There is no better antidote to low self-esteem (or to facing your hurts, habits, and hang-ups) than to read God's Word every day — study it, memorize it, meditate on it, and apply it in your life. Some might say that this is boring. On the other hand, ask yourself how badly you want to change. If you truly want to change, then you will do whatever it takes to become what you strive to be.

The best thing you can do to raise your confidence level is to start believing what God says about YOU! When you find a verse in the Bible that speaks to you,  write it down on a card, memorize it, and then affirm it by saying it back to God. Let God renew your mind, because “your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23). What things that are "true and good and right" can you focus on today?

Jim