Here are some thoughts from my book “Escape from the Pit of Despair”, pertaining to negative self-talk. Since my book is based on the 139th chapter of Psalms, I will start from the opening passage.
Psalm 139:1-6 “You have searched me, Lord and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all of my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” NIV
“Reading the above passage causes me to feel valuable enough to be thought of by God, every moment of my life. I’m blown away by how well God knows me. vs 5 talks about God laying His hand upon us to guide us, comfort us, soothe us, give us affection, validate us, and let us know that He is just within reach. I believe this passage and it makes me feel valuable and special. I stop myself from negative self-talk when I remember this passage. God knows my every thought and word before I express them.
If God were standing in the same room with you…what do you think He would say to you if you started berating yourself? How about if you started thinking negative thoughts about yourself and feeling worthless?
Sometimes we say mean things to our selves that we would never say to another human being. God created you. He has a plan for you and can change the course of your life. How God cares about you is not a lie. Negative self-talk and believing your are worthless is the lie.
So the next time you hear yourself saying bad things about yourself… remember that He hears and knows all your thoughts and words.
What would be God’s reply? “God just waits for us to come to our senses, to finally “figure it out” and come to Him. Instead we put Him “on hold” or even “hang up”. He keeps coming back to give us chance after chance, possibly wondering and I imagine with tears in His eyes, “When are we going to learn to trust Him?”
“Escape from the Pit of Despair” p.82
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I had suffered with a low self-esteem for many years. One day I read Psalms 139 and realized that God made me and He wouldn’t make junk after making such a beautiful world. His thoughts of me out number the grains of sand on the shore. He wove me in my mother’s womb. I realized then – that in the past I had believed the lies that I was worthless far too long… and it was going to stop! I started feeling better about myself and whenever my self-talk would get negative and start to tank…I would remember Psalms 139. I imagined the scripture was posted at the mouth of the Pit of Despair. It helped me every day. I realized just how powerful the words of the Bible can be in one’s life. I wanted to share my discovery with all who suffer from low self-worth. Writing “Escape from the Pit of Despair”, is my attempt to make the world a better place for one person at a time.