Talking to Ourselves
I really appreciate the encouragement
of others in my Christian faith. When I'm discouraged or have lost
sight of what is true, it really helps me to have someone direct me
back to God. But it is not always possible to have a person to
fellowship with. There are times when we are by ourselves or in the
company of non-believers and we really need encouragement. What can
we do?
I suggest we talk to ourselves. That the part of us that knows the truth speaks to the part of us that is doubting. Although I've been practising this for awhile through journalling, the concept became clear one night when I was driving and I heard these verses on the local Christian radio station.
Lamentations 3:22-24
I suggest we talk to ourselves. That the part of us that knows the truth speaks to the part of us that is doubting. Although I've been practising this for awhile through journalling, the concept became clear one night when I was driving and I heard these verses on the local Christian radio station.
Lamentations 3:22-24
Because of the LORD's great love we
are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I
say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
When I heard Lamentations 3:24, it
struck me that this was something I could do when I was feeling
discouraged: “I say to myself” - I can talk to myself about what
is true - “The LORD is my portion” - and this will help me not
give up - “therefore I will wait for him”. Then I started to
think about what it means that “The LORD is my portion”. In very
simple terms (with huge significance), I think that it means that God
is what we get. Think of it in terms of food – what is served on
your plate is your portion. If our life is the plate, then our
portion is God. We were created to be connected to Him and at every
turn of life, He is offering Himself to us. Knowing and believing
this enables us to wait for Him and to wait to experience His grace,
forgiveness, care, love, protection, provision, correction, mercy,
deliverance, etc.
There are a couple of prerequisites for
this method of encouragement to be effective:
- We need to have something true and encouraging to say to ourselves. We need to know God's Word, the Bible. I have found that one of the best ways to do this is to be a constant learner in my relationship with God. Read the Bible regularly, memorize Scripture, engage the sermons at church, observe the workings of God in your life and the lives of others, talk with others about what God says through Bible studies or small groups, and be humble through it all.
- We need to be willing to listen to ourselves when we speak truth and resist listening to ourselves when we are speaking lies. This takes self-restraint and self-control. God can give you this as He gives you the fruit of the Spirit.***Please note: if you continue to struggle with listening to the lies instead of the truth even though you are asking the Lord to give you self-control, then I suggest going to someone for help (a pastor, mature Christian friend, counsellor).
Those two prerequisites are pretty
serious but don't let them overwhelm you. This blog is about
encouragement not discouragement! Remember the main point: I
say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I
will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:24)
Hi Tracy,
ReplyDeleteAs always a timely post! I've been struggling with some difficult people at work, and not really sure who to turn to ... the Lord is my portion, and I can talk to myself (maybe not out loud or everyone will think I've really lost it). This was really encouraging.
jess