Watch What You Say - From Self Talk to God Talk -
Purity 969
Purity 969 02/17/2023 Purity 969 Podcast
Purity 969 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of athe sun resembling a large light
bulb shining over a well and the forest opposite the driveway of my country
side home comes to us from yours truly as I took a blind shot of the afternoon
sunshine as I was being pulled along by an enthusiastic canine who was raring
to get going on our walk down Waite Rd in Easton NY last Saturday. Be it ever so humble so humble there’s no
place like home, right?
Well, it’s Friday again and although I am looking
forward to getting up to my countryside home at the end of the work day, I will
be mindful to appreciate my stay there today and tomorrow because come Sunday,
my wife and our two youngest kiddos will be hitting the road to go to Williamsburg
Virginia for a couple of nights before we go to Myrtle Beach South Carolina for
a midwinter recess family vacation. So
pray for us as we are asking the Lord to protect our travels and to guide us to
places of peace and rest.
If you aren’t aware of it we are in “whirlwind
February” as the shortest month of the year is just flying by for me as I just
returned to “normal” yesterday after being on the road for work for a week and
a half and after today won’t be returning to work until March 1st. So hello and good bye, February, we may only
be 17 days in to the month of Valentines and President’s Day but when
I look at my schedule it’s as if this month is already gone!
Considering this, one might think that I would be
taking a vacation from the blog and the podcast next week but as of this morning I have decided that,
even though I am not sure of the logistics of where and how I will be checking
in when I am on the road, I have decided to continue doing it because it has
become such a normal part of my routine and because it gives me peace and joy
to share my experiences of life and to encourage others to keep walking and
talking with God. So you may be tuning
in next week to hear a podcast produced live from my Honda HRV, but regardless
of the circumstances, I think I will stay true to my intention of trying to
bring an encouraging word to the world 6 days a week. I have come to realize that taking a “break”
from this part of my daily spiritual practice wouldn’t give me rest as the blog
and podcast has been a good way to address the things I encounter as I continue
to walk in the Spirit on the path of Christian Discipleship.
Even though my hours are a little strange my life is
full, not busy. My life is full and rich with joy, peace, and love because I start
each day of giving the Lord my thanks and presence and I continue talking to
Him as I walk through my day.
Just yesterday, I was thanking the Lord repeatedly
for the good fortunes of a successful day at work and made continually inquires
of what He thought about the different things I encountered and thought about
as I went through my day. It might not
be something you can do when you are in the presence of others but if you spend
a good deal of time alone through out your day, I highly recommend literally
talking with God.
Many people, I suspect most of us, talk to themselves
and that’s okay. Psychologists will tell you that “self-talk” can slow the busyness
of life down by allowing us to sort through our thoughts in a more conscious
manner that can assist us in becoming more intentional. Self-talk can help us in the areas of memory
and motivation as it is easier to remember things when we say them and we can
spur on higher levels of performance with verbal encouragements, sometimes in
the third person, as in “You got this!” You can do it”. So it’s okay to talk to yourself. Its normal
and possibly helpful to do so. (https://www.hellahealth.com/blog/wellness/is-it-normal-to-talk-to-yourself-keep-it-up-according-to-science/)
However, the normalcy and helpfulness of self-talk can
depend on the content and the character of what you say to yourself. Add to the
fact that some thoughts and voices we encounter in our consciousness may be malevolent
spiritual forces of darkness tempting, tormenting, and condemning us, we really
have to pay attention to what we are saying to ourselves and the ways we are
saying it.
Psychology will warn you about negative self-talk leading
to negative outcomes.
In my pre-Christ existence, “I” would scheme or
fantasize about meeting the desires of my flesh or perpetrating other actions
that were outside the established rules of the societal systems I was in. I would also entertain angry rants and hurl
insults and judgements at my fellow man.
In those days it was a “me” centered universe and I generally viewed others
as obstacles to the things I wanted to do.
There was also a lot of foolishness and absurdity considered as I could
see the illusory nature of authority systems and the madness of much of “normal
life” and the tendency of society to control us.
There was also a lot of condemnation as I realized
that I wasn’t “good enough” in many areas of life and knew that my schemes and
negative thoughts of others were not good. All these selfish and dark ponderings
had me convinced that I was bad, or different, if not just plain old evil.
Psychology also warns about self talk that involves repetitive
numbers, phrases, or mantras or that is directed toward “unseen others” or
spirit guides as these forms of “self-talk” are seen in schizophrenics.
While there could be various causes for such behaviors,
it is important to consider the possibility of demons entering into “self-talk”
dialogs.
Now while I can not state that I heard “voices” in
my past, when I consider the content and the character of my self-talk and
thought life and how I had such disdain for my fellow man and how I was
continually scheming to do things that went against the wisdom of God’s word, and
when I consider the silence and peace since I have gone through the steps to
Freedom in Christ, I am convinced that I was influenced if not oppressed by the
spiritual forces of darkness, either directly or through the demonically
corrupted world system that encourages us continually to be self-sufficient and
to dismiss the precepts of God’s word.
So that’s why I suggest, first surrendering to the Lord
Jesus Christ by making Him your Lord and Savior, and then going to the Lord to
continually to receive wisdom, guidance, and strength.
So how do you shift from unhealthy forms of “self- talk”
to “God-talk”?
Well, just like anyone else, you first have to get
to know Him.
The good news is that there is a book that is all
about God. It’s called the Bible. So to hear from God, to know what is important
to Him, and to know what He is like, we should read it and apply it to our
lives.
We should also go to Him prayer and ask Him for
wisdom and advice about what He would have us do.
With the word and prayer, we can receive wisdom from the Lord and when we know
that He is present and hears us, we will be encouraged to talk to him continually.
Instead of talking about meeting the desires of the
flesh or holding others in bitterness, you conversations will be grounded by
His wisdom and will direct you to what is good.
So if you don’t do it already, I would encourage you to start talking to God about your life. He loves you and cares about you and He won’t lead you astray. He will ead you to dog ood not evil. He will build you up and not tear you down. He won’t lead you into confusion because His paths are clear. And He won’t lead you into temptation or darkness because His ways are light, pure, and good. He will guide you in the everlasting way that will cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. SO if you want a life defined by peace, joy, love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, patience, gentleness, and self-control, talk to the Lord.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible
Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verses are:
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT2)
12 If you think you are
standing strong, be careful not to fall.
13 The temptations in your
life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will
not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted,
he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Today’s Bible verses reminds us to
not stand in our own strength but to go to the Lord for help with temptation. The Lord has set us free from the power of sin
but we need to rely on the Lord for our strength.
Even though Jesus did not give in to
sin, He was tempted in every way. So temptations will come but if we want to be
successful against its siren call we need to follow Christ’s example by staying
in a continuous connection with God the Father through a lifestyle of
prayer.
We pray that the Lord lead us not
into temptation because He can help us. So even if you have a measure of
freedom and victory, always go to God for strength to keep it.
___________________________________________
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The
Sovereignty of God.”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
By ARTHUR W. PINK
CHAPTER SIX
THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN OPERATION concludes
God’s method of
dealing with the wicked:
concludes
4. God also hardens the hearts of wicked men
and blinds their minds.
“God
hardens men’s hearts! God blinds
men’s minds!” Yes, so Scripture represents Him. In developing this theme of the
sovereignty of God in Operation we recognize that we have now reached its most
solemn aspect of all, and that here especially, we need to keep very close
indeed to the words of Holy Writ. God forbid that we should go one fraction further than His Word goes; but may He
give us grace to go as far as His
Word goes. It is true that secret things belong unto the Lord, but it is also
true that those things which are revealed in Scripture belong unto us and to
our children.
“He turned their heart to hate
His people, to deal subtly with His servants” (Psa. 105:25). The reference here
is to the sojourn of the descendants of Jacob in the land of Egypt when, after
the death of the Pharaoh who had welcomed the old patriarch and his family,
there “arose up a new king who knew not Joseph;” and in his days the children
of Israel had “increased greatly” so that they outnumbered the Egyptians; then
it was that God “turned their heart to hate His people.”
The consequence of
the Egyptians’ “hatred” is well known: they brought them into cruel bondage and
placed them under merciless taskmasters until their lot became unendurable.
Helpless and wretched the Israelites cried unto Jehovah, and in response, He
appointed Moses to be their deliverer. God revealed Himself unto His chosen
servant, gave him a number of miraculous signs which he was to exhibit at the
Egyptian court, and then bade him to go to Pharaoh and demand that the
Israelites should be allowed to go to a three days’ journey into the
wilderness, that they might worship the Lord. But before Moses started out on
his journey God warned him concerning Pharaoh, “I will harden his heart that he shall not let the people go” (Ex.
4:21). If it be asked, Why did God
harden Pharaoh’s heart? the answer furnished by Scripture itself is, In order
that God might show forth His power
in him (Rom. 9:17); in other words, it was so that the Lord might demonstrate
that it was just as easy for Him to overthrow this haughty and powerful monarch
as it was for Him to crush a worm. If it should be pressed further, Why did God
select such a method of displaying
His power? then the answer must be that being sovereign God reserves to Himself
the right to act as He pleases.
Not only are we told
that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not let the Israelites
go, but after God had plagued his land so severely that he reluctantly gave a
qualified permission, and after that the first-born of all the Egyptians had
been slain, and Israel had actually left the land of bondage, God told Moses,
“And I, behold, I will harden the hearts
of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get Me honor upon
Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know
that I am the Lord, when I have gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his
chariots, and upon his horsemen” (Ex. 14:17, 18).
The same thing
happened subsequently in connection with Sihon, king of Heshbon, through whose
territory Israel had to pass on their way to the promised land. When reviewing
their history Moses told the people, “But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let
us pass by him: for the Lord thy God
hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver
him into thy hand” (Deut. 2:30)!
So it was also after
that Israel had entered Canaan. We read, “There was not a city that made peace
with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all
others they took in battle. For it was of
the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in
battle, that He might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses” (Josh. 11:19,
20). From other scriptures we learn why God purposed to “destroy utterly” the
Canaanites—it was because of their awful wickedness and corruption.
Nor is the revelation
of this solemn truth confined to the Old Testament. In John 12:37–40 we read,
“But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on
Him: that (in order that) the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be
fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom
hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore
they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, HE hath blinded their eyes, and hardened
their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with
their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.” It needs to be
carefully noted here that these whose eyes God “blinded” and whose heart He
“hardened” were men who had deliberately scorned the Light and rejected the
testimony of God’s own Son.
Similarly we read in
2 Thess. 2:11, 12, “And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they
all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.” What God did unto the Jews of old He is yet going to do unto
Christendom. Just as the Jews of Christ’s day despised His testimony, and in
consequence were “blinded,” so a guilty Christendom which has rejected the
Truth shall yet have sent them from God a “strong delusion” that they may
believe a lie.
Is God really
governing the world? Is He exercising rule over the human family? What is the modus operandi of His governmental
administration over mankind? To what extent and by what means does He control
the sons of men? How does God
exercise an influence upon the wicked, seeing their hearts are at enmity
against Him? These are some of the questions we have sought to answer from
Scripture in the previous sections of this chapter. Upon His own elect God
exerts a quickening, an energizing, a directing, and a preserving power. Upon
the wicked God exerts a restraining, softening, directing, and hardening and
blinding power, according to the dictates of His own infinite wisdom and unto
the outworking of His own eternal purpose. God’s decrees are being executed. What He has ordained is being accomplished. Man’s wickedness is bounded. The limits
of evil-doing and of evil-doers has been Divinely defined and cannot be
exceeded. Though many are in ignorance of it, all men, good and bad, are under
the jurisdiction of and are absolutely subject to the administration of the
Supreme Sovereign.—“Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev.
19:6)—reigneth over all.[1]
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tomorrow------------------------
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
