OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

"Take it to the one who has all the answers"

Yep, those conversations that you have with yourself and later wish you never did. Who doesn't have those? Why do we have inner dialogues? And why are they so negative when we're actually talking to ourselves?

I know I have them, and in some life seasons, I've had them more often than I care to remember.

As a child, a friend's dad told me that I'd never be a salesman. I'm useless at it. This one comment traveled with me for several years. Every time I tried my hand at a sales consultant job I would fail. I would tell myself over and over that I can't do this. I'll see the picture in my mind of that day so long ago; that one comment.

I got teased on a daily basis when I was younger because of my red hair and freckles. I carried that into my adult life. Whenever I walked into a room full of people or had a meeting with a new client, I would tell myself that people were staring.

I'm a dreamer, a...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

Keep the Faith

My life as far back as I can remember was a struggle. Our home wasn’t fit for a dog to live in. Drinking water was from a polluted well, or boiled water from the river. Most of the time we ate frozen apples from the tree we froze during the summer months.

 

When my mother died, we became homeless for years. I was told I would never be able to accomplish anything in life. Going to an all white school was not a positive thing for me. It was understood that if you did not catch on to the work then you were left on your own.

 

Drugs and robbery became much of my life. I chose that lifestyle only to survive.  It ended shortly  after a deal went wrong I was shot six times. Yes you heard right six times. This was the first miracle in my life, because when I looked at my belly there was no bullet holes nowhere.

God truly was putting things in order. A beautiful young girl , who would not...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

Trust requires Courage

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The mind is powerful. It is more powerful than any weapon ever invented - governments, societies and foundations have spent millions to try to influence it. 

A private inner thought can put you on top of the world, or make you want to hide away from everyone and every thing.

Our mind is where we experience our relationship with Jesus, make choices, try to make sense of what we see, what we hear, taste and feel.  It is also the place where we judge ourselves.

Let's zoom into the judgment process - this process is like a courtroom of life experience and external influence making an argument against you or the situation- presenting its case to you- the judge. 

You consider its argument and allow yourself to agree or disagree. If we, as the judge, allow it, truth can also present its case for us to consider. 

I personally have often found myself only listening to one side of the argument. Usually the...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE 

ARE YOU PLAYING TO WIN OR PLAYING NOT TO LOSE?

In high school I wrestled in the Washington State Wrestling Championships. I was winning my match 4 to 0. At the half way point, rather than continuing to increase my lead I got scared. I didn't want to make any mistakes so rather than wrestling to win, I was wrestling to not lose.

I made some mistakes and eventually lost my match 5 to 4.

Looking back on this experience, the powerful lesson I learned is to play the game of life to win vs. not to lose. In other words, to choose faith over fear.

Making decisions out of fear does not feel good. Fear will limit your creativity and your potential. In my case, it created a self-fulfilling prophecy. I was afraid to make mistakes. I was afraid to lose my wrestling match and in the end, I did.

When you are scared, take a moment and remind yourself all of the challenges you have been through and all of them you have overcome. Remembering these things...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

"We have been given the mind of Christ"

Wrestling with our inner negative dialogue is a fight we can win. 

That's EPIC. Everything's Possible In Christ. 

As born again children of God, He has given us more than we need to help us. I want to share two spiritual tools that will defeat our inner critic as we apply them in our lives.

#1.  He's given us the mind of Christ.  (Isaiah 40:13, I Corinthians 2:16 and Romans 11:34)

Our minds cannot understand God. However, once our spirit has experienced the new birth we begin the renewal process in our soul (mind, will and emotions) as we read and apply the Scriptures.

"For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received in not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 

This is what we...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

"Look what's possible"

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..." (Matthew 16:19)

The most popular topic chosen in the EPIC Conqueror survey we conducted was overcoming Negative Inner Dialogues.

Contemplating and meditating on this topic, the Holy Spirit pointed me to  some notes I had written in my Bible.

Jesus gave us His power and authority over the enemy. (Matthew 28:18)  

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..." (Matthew 16:19)

It is His to give since through His death, Jesus broke off and destroyed the power of him who held the power of death, the devil.  (Hebrews 2:14)

"Do not be afraid. I hold the keys of death and the grave...I am alive for evermore and I have the keys of hell and of death."  (Revelation 1:17-18)

Drum roll please: Not only is the devil clueless; he is keyless.

He's clueless.  If he had known what was happening, he wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory. He sealed his doom when...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

Replace and overcome negative thoughts

"Why did you do that?  Don't you know any better? There's no hope for you. What were you thinking?"

These negative thoughts and many more plague our minds on a regular basis. 

Indeed, we must ask ourselves, "What WERE you thinking?"

Words of life, creativity, productivity and words of death, paralyzation and isolation are all in the power of our own tongue.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34)  The mouth speaks with the words that fill our heart.

Let's dig a little deeper to understand the root of destruction.

Let's also understand that overcoming negative inner dialogue takes a lifetime. It's our job to replace and overcome negative thoughts.

The good news is that as we get better at renewing our mind and believing what God says about us, we can diminish the negative impacts more easily.

Take note of what comes out of your mouth or spoken, "under your...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE 

Use your words wisely.

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"The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences."  -Proverbs 18:21

No doubt someone has hurt you, offended you, betrayed you, or slandered you… it's time to stop the cycle. Don’t lower yourself to their level and become another “accuser.” Don’t allow the inner negative dialogue to suck you in to that dark place.

Forgive.  Forgive yourself…It’s so difficult; especially when it keeps coming up; but we have to let it go… again, and again, if necessary. 

There’s a God in heaven who sees and knows and will see you through. Stay the course. 

So… how are you using your words? 

Are you speaking life or death?  We have a choice. I choose life. What do you choose?

Some of us had parents or adult role models in our life that screwed this up. They used their words to speak death and...

Overcoming doubt & unbelief 

Faith, Trust, Belief

John 8:45"I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me."

 

Jesus was speaking to the religious folk of the day who where challenging Him for the umpteenth time. He was calling them out on their unbelief.

 

There is a journey one takes towards unbelief - it is preceded by doubt which is preceded by expectation.

 

Expectation is seeing from our perspective.

a. "I expect the hotel room to look as nice as the picture."

b. "I expect to receive the promotion due to my recent performance,"

c. "I expect to be looked after because I am a victim of circumstance."

 

Expectation is preached from pulpits, in motivational books and seminars and has been paraded as the key to positive thinking. As I researched the various dictionary meanings for expectation I realized this imposter is trying to disguise itself as FAITH.

 

Expectation actually opens the door to doubt.

a. "Because the hotel room...