Richard Bong State Recreation Area
Words Spoken Over Us
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
Psalm 18:20-24
When I went through my divorce and for years beyond, there were a lot of angry words spoken over me as well as written about me. The power of words can weigh us down even if we feel like we have a good “self-esteem”.
Most of us also grew up with words or labels spoken over us, sometimes positive, but somehow the negative ones are the ones we replay over and over in our heads. One of the labels applied to me when I was young was “too shy”. I grew up with that umbrella of words over me. It made me feel like my voice was not powerful or valued.
What words were spoken over you? They may have even been in jest, but they have more power than we sometimes give them credit for. The negative words seem to stick more.
At a particularly hard time in my life, I kept hearing negative words, such as “you are a failure”, running through my head. It actually surprised me because I felt like I was overall grounded in truth. However, the cumulative effect of childhood wounds coupled with a feeling like my marriage failed coupled with constant attacks from my son’s father were doing me in. In counseling, I started working on changing my belief system with God’s Word.
It was the power of words that got us here and it is the power of the Word that will take us out.
Why God's Word?
The scripture below says it all.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV
The negative words in our heads are not from God. They are contrary to how God labels us. Here is where they are from, the pit of hell.
Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.
I Peter 5:8 TLB
Therefore, we use God’s Word to fight back.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NIV
Changing Your Thoughts
For that reason, the wise man urges, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life” Proverbs 4:23 NCV
Max Lucado writes, “Thoughts have consequences.” The great news is, as brain science is now showing, we can rewire our brains. It takes time and repetition. Be patient with yourself.
Neuroscientist and psychiatrist, Dr. Bruce Perry writes that we can build “new associations, making new healthier default pathway.” It is like taking your “two-lane dirt road and building a four-lane freeway alongside it. The old road stays, but you don’t use it much anymore.”
Let's Get Rebuilding!
In the links below and under my resources tab you will find two printable charts to get you started. The one I created for myself years ago which I still use to this day. It is geared toward women. Print this and write your name in the blanks.
Because men think differently, I had my husband create one for the male perspective.
Post the chart on the refrigerator or in the car or both places so you can remind yourself of how God labels you.
Reflections
- What words were spoken over you? Did they have a positive or negative impact?
- How can you rewrite that part of your story? Add your own scriptures to the chart.
- Pay attention to how you talk to your children. Do you use labels? Are they ones that will build your child’s confidence?
Changing Your Belief System for Women
Changing Your Belief System for Men