The latest Happy New Year is almost here! Can you believe it? In less than 24 hours, we will jump over the hump of the Christmas holidays and land right at the start of a sparkling, fresh, brand new year.
Before we get there, how did you do on last January’s new year resolutions? Can you even remember them? Or are they the same old ones every year because you don’t quite reach them? I get it.
As I’ve said in pre
vious blogs, I don’t do new year’s resolutions. They’re a high-pressure set-up for failure. I prefer building incremental changes into my life so that they stick. Working more resistance training into my weekly routines, drinking more water, and tithing are among the new-old habits I have developed over the years through incremental changes.
Here’s a change I plan to implement a new way in 2018: speak more of the Word of God into and over my life.
I’m always good for complaining, analyzing, or venting a critical spirit to myself about situations and persons. That chronic negativity, rebellion, and disobedience just has to end.
Starting today, the date that I’m actually writing this post (December 21), I am 
committed to speaking what God says over my life through His Word rather than making critical observations of my situation through faithless eyes of flesh.
What—or who—was my inspiration?
It was Jill Monaco, certified life coach and author of the newly released Freedom Coach Model, which landed at the Number 1 spot for Adult Christian Ministry when it launched November 1, 2017. Read about her book here: Freedom Coach Model on Amazon .
I was watching her video on speaking God’s Word over my life to replace the negativity that someone else—or even I—had spoken over me. I knew immediately that this was what I needed to work on, and diligently, over the next several months.
I’d already been convicted of having a critical spirit. Even though my observations may be valid, I don’t need to give the enemy power over my life by feeding those negative, critical, analytical words back into my life. Negative self-talk in any form is self-destructive.
Negative self-talk is destructive either by content or by character. Either the words you’re telling yourself are lies, or you’re telling the truth to yourself in a way that contorts who you really are and minimizes your identity in Christ to nearly nothing.
I’ve been allowing the Word and the Spirit to identify and catch my negative words as I’ve been mumbling them to myself over the last several weeks. Since it’s been ingrained as a negative expression of my personality and spiritual gifts, I know I will have to be persistent about obeying the Lord in this matter. I know it will take a long time.
Anyone else out there have a mouth problem? Read: A critical spirit, gossip, lying, slander, leaving out critical truths, flattering, swearing, crude jokes, exaggerating, argumentativeness, rudeness, gluttony, breaking promises; basically, communicating the truth in any way that distorts reality? Oh, good… it’s not just me.
Well, the Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue, Proverbs 18:21.
We must determine, as believers representing Jesus, that we will always communicate sincerely, clearly, truthfully, and lovingly, if firmly. He will help us communicate and receive the benefits of life and not death from our speech.
How to cooperate with God to do that?
- Remind yourself that we represent Jesus and belong to Him. That includes all body parts, like your speaking apparatus and your brain.
- Remind yourself of the reason why God gave us one mouth and two ears: to listen twice as much as we talk!
- Listen more with the Spirit, not just your ears.
- Think and, if you need to, pray before you respond.
- Pray and ask the Lord to help you bring your speech under His control.
- Memorize scripture having to do with topics like speech, pride, attitudes, consequences, the flesh, obedience, the fruit of the Spirit, and walking in the Spirit, along with their references, and speak them to yourself often. This gives the Holy Spirit something to work with inside you.
- Ask godly, trusted friends and family to pray for you and with you and hold you accountable about this mouth problem you want to conquer.
- And don’t give up! The devil will try to discourage and hassle you into quitting, because the mouth is such a vital part of furthering his kingdom. Lean into the Lord and don’t let the enemy push you off the battlefield.
The Lord is invested in your living the victorious life that extends His kingdom of truth and freedom. Be an active part of giving life to others.
Next week I’ll be posting about ways to create a happier new year by creating a happier, new you. The good news is that there are no “new year’s resolutions” involved! Come back next week and let’s see how we can tackle this beast together. Look me up on Facebook at my blog’s name, and on IG @glendaggordon.
