A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are (p. 201). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
Craig says, “When we tell ourselves the truth, both from God’s Word and from events in our lives when God’s intervention was undeniable, we use the power of bold words to boost our faith. I’ve got a friend who battled with lustful thoughts for decades and couldn’t overcome the problem. Then he started preaching to himself every day. Telling himself the truth about who he was, who God is, and who women are, helped him to break a stronghold. God’s Word renewed his mind, and suddenly he woke up and said, ‘I’m no longer battling with lust.’ What did he do? He preached his way boldly to victory in his life.”
Craig goes on, “You can do the same thing. If you’ve never preached a sermon to yourself, it’s time you tried. The next time you’re overwhelmed with too much to do, just say, ‘Yes, I’ve got babies everywhere, diapers and dishes and domestic duties, but I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’ If you’re overwhelmed at your business, with too much to do and not enough time to do it all, just say, ‘When I am weak, he is strong. It’s not by my power or by my might, but it’s by his Spirit, says the Lord.’
“When you’re afraid, you just preach to yourself, ‘God has given me a spirit not of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’ When you’re worried, you just preach God’s Word to yourself. ‘I will not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, I will submit my request to God, and I will let the peace of God, which supersedes all my understanding, guard my heart and my soul in Christ Jesus.’”
He then finishes this section by saying, “Because you believe so deeply, you have the power to give yourself bold encouragement by reminding yourself of God’s truth.”
Did you need that today?
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