The words we speak over ourselves carry weight. Not only are they heavy, they also shift things in us. They have the power to change the way we think and shape the way we view ourselves. Self-talk truly is a battle. There are some who seem to be predisposed to confidence and positivity, but if you’re anything like me, those are things that are internally fought for.

I remember attending a leadership function when I was a senior in high school. It was an all-day event where you interacted with a group of students from local high schools. Those running the event were observing to see whose leadership characteristics rose to the top. It was a very interesting experience.

What I remember most about that day was the lady leading the experience. She gave a short talk around lunch time that has stuck with me through the years. She talked about positive self-talk. She challenged us, even and especially if we would characterize ourselves as slightly pessimistic, to look at ourselves in the mirror in the morning and the evening and three times say out loud, “I am a positive person.”

We were to do this over the course of seven days and see if there was any difference. The results were quite shocking to me. I could feel a change even throughout that week. In moments where I’d want to say something negative, I found myself choosing not to. At times when I wanted to tear myself down, I didn’t.  

Now, I don’t mean for this to be a psychology post, and I’m not really intending to poke at positivity here either – although that does at to the energy tank much than the sapping nature of negativity. My intention is to encourage the pointed practice of self-talk towards trusting God.

The Bible is filled with charges to let go of ourselves and cling to God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will keep your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Sounds great, but how do we do this?

The easiest way to know what or who someone trusts is by observing the fruit of their actions. This serves both as a declaration of trust to others and as an honest reflection towards oneself. Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew mentions this regarding sifting out false prophets, “You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act” (Matthew 7:16a).

Are you currently producing fruit that’s filled with the nutrients of one who trusts God? If your answer is no, or you’re not sure, today is a great day to begin the practice. Now, it’s very challenging to trust someone you know nothing about. The good news is we have a Bible that’s filled with the exact representation of God’s true character and nature. Reading is how we begin to know what He’s like.

Let me conclude by bringing in the tool of self-talk. One of the most helpful practices to employ when stepping into trusting God is to tell yourself that you actually do. I trust in the Lord. Period. Tell yourself that. To trust something is to put your faith into that thing. Which means you are letting go of control. This is incredibly challenging given the culture of our day which has inundated us with the mantra of “you control your destiny.”

There are things we can control, like, discipline and habit, but there are many more we can’t like circumstances and nature. Choosing to trust the Lord in all things is a practice promised to bring us both peace (Philippians 4) and the way to go (Proverbs 3). Let’s together step into the practice. We take the first step by simply saying we do. I trust God – and then tell yourself again.