It's All about Faith

I just finished reading Chapter 4 in Me, Myself, and Lies by Jennifer Rothschild.  Let me tell you, it is one powerful chapter!   "Speaking Truth to your Issues" is the title and it is what it says.  Issues? Definitely. Speaking the truth?  For sure.

We can store our thoughts in our Thought Closet.  We can dig at the roots of the negative thoughts and get rid of the issues that have spoiled fruit and taint our very beings.

We can Soul Talk until we are blue in the face, trying to bolster our spirits and put positivity back onto the hangers and on the shelves in our closets.

But until we rely on our faith in God, our search for truth in his Word, and take our issues to Him in prayer,  our Thought Closets will continue to be plagued by those negative thoughts creeping in and eventually taking up residence.

I don't want that to happen.  And I will not let it happen.

Issues.  They complicate everything.  They will challenge us.  They will drain us.  They will sometimes isolate us from others because either we are too drained to communicate or we feel like no one would care about us anyway.  But if we allow it to happen, our issues multiply and our thought closets begin to burst at the seams.

Often one issue becomes the focus from which others spin off and for me it was self-esteem.  I couldn't do anything right. No one liked me.  I would never be successful.  This is what my mother told me.  Nothing I ever did or accomplished was good enough.  Heck, I couldn't even clean my house well enough to please her.  

But there comes a time when enough is enough.  There comes a time when no more discriminating words will be spoken.  Ever.  And when that time comes, healing begins.

Giving myself a good talking to helps, but it can only do so much.  There is power in positive self talk, power in feel-good phrases.  But that isn't enough. Soul talk can turn feelings of fear and self-doubt into actions of faith.

By faith we receive truth.  By faith we believe truth.  By faith we act on that truth.

Soul talk is a companion to faith, but it cannot replace our faith.

How do we revive the truth?  Through God's word in the Bible.  Scriptures are the source of good advice and great messages

How do we believe the truth? Through our faith in Jesus Christ who died for our sins and sits on the right hand of God the Father

How do we act on the truth?  Through prayer and by starting each day with a good talking to which shifts the focus from trying to resolve our issues  to turning them over to God

According to Jennifer, "Listen to His voice in your spirit.  Hear what He tells you as you read the pages of your Bible.  And trust what he tells you."

God has never told me that I can't do anything right.  He has presented challenges to me and I have been successful in most of them.  Just the other day a former student told me I was one of two teachers who influenced him the most in high school.  Look at our family!  Gary and I raised two beautiful, respectful, loving daughters and I feel like God is smiling down on them as they raise their 

families with His guidance as well.  

I know  that God loves me and has had a plan for my life.  I know that when I turn to Him in prayer, my daily life is much more peaceful and calm.  When I focus on the negative issues in my Thought Closet, life becomes unsettled and messy.  By relying on my faith in God, I can eliminate the negative residue from my mother's scathing remarks and verbal abuse.  I know that I can.  Why?  Because I have faith.