Have you ever heard of the saying, “death and life is in the power of the tongue”? That saying came from the scripture Proverbs 18:21. Even though this scripture has been written thousands of years ago, it still rings true today. Some of us are our own demise based on the words that we speak. Just think about it. What are some of the things that you have “manifested” about yourself on a consistent basis that has kept you in a place of bondage? Do they sound something like this:
"I am so fat/I’m never going to lose weight" "I ain’t never gonna get married" "I guess kids are out of the question for me" "I’m going to always be broke" "No matter what I do I’ll never get ahead"
Sound familiar? Manifestation is not just the positive things that you speak, but also the negative. Yes, there are some things in life that happens that we have no control over, but the things that we do have control over lies within what we speak.
But there’s one important question I want to ask you….who taught you how to speak to yourself? Who was or has been your influence in life? Now think about this, who taught THEM how to speak to themselves? Sometimes what you have been taught, whether it be through actual life lessons or just learning from watching those in your environment, it has taught you more than what you’ve thought. If those who raised you were not taught how to treat themselves and those before them were not taught how to treat themselves, then most likely you were not taught properly how to treat yourself. This may not be the case for everyone, but there are a number of people going through life not knowing their worth or how special God made them.
We live in a world where comparison has become one of the top factors in how we see ourselves. We can’t see the uniqueness or the beauty that we possess because we are so infatuated by someone else and what they possess. We’ll see another woman with a snatched waist, long hair, wide hips, how well she dresses, how eloquently she speaks, etc. and talk about everything she has and what we don’t have. Just to give you a visual of what I mean, here is a chart displaying two ways on how our thought process could possibly go:
OR
These two ways of comparison becomes a rippling effect of our emotions, which can in turn become how we see others as well as how we see ourselves.
In order to get to the place of speaking life instead of death over yourself, you have to understand who you are and Who you belong. You are so much more than the negative things you speak over yourself. There’s a popular saying that goes, “fake it until you make it.” But I charge you to “faith it until you make it.” Faking it is being something that you are not, but faithing it is believing something until it happens. You’ve got to speak to yourself according to your greatness, not according to your circumstances. Appreciate who God made you to be. I believe that it is a smack in the face to God when we compare ourselves to others and pick apart all of the beautiful features, phenomenal gifts and talents, and unique characteristics that He has blessed us with. His word says you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Dr. Tony Evans interprets that scripture this way,
“You, too, are a work of art that God put together by hand. You have been remarkably and wondrously made. No matter the circumstances surrounding your conception, no matter your ethnicity or gender, your existence is intentional. You are not a mistake, for God makes no mistakes. You are created in the image of God with purpose and meaning. This truth is to be the foundation for a person’s self-worth and self-esteem.” ~ Dr. Tony Evans (The Tony Evans Bible Commentary)
So, Sis, I urge you to speak life ONLY into your vessel, which is every ounce of your being. Affirm yourself. Do not allow what others have keep you from being the beautiful woman that you are. Comparison kills. It kills your courage, your greatness, your uniqueness and your potential to become the best person that God has created you to be.
To help you on your journey of speaking life instead of death, here are some affirmations you can begin with to help you to begin to speak over yourself:
Stand in the mirror and speak these words of life back into yourself and then expound on it. If no one else tells you how amazing you are, make sure that you know it for yourself.
Love Always,
Tamika
God listens to EVERYTHING that we say! I'm a Christian but it's scary how powerful intentions and words can be. We have to speak affirmations and positive thoughts constantly and know that God has our back. God has given me enough grace for 100 lifetimes so far and I am truly thankful.
And eople may also seem like they know what they are doing, but they are trying to figure it out like everyone else, lol. My advice is to keep moving, follow your passion, and serve others (life is more fulfilling).
This was sooooooo on point! I thank God for placing this message on your heart and thanking you, Tamika, for sharing it with so many women. As you already know, Psalm 139:14 is the theme scripture for both of my girl ministries. But, there are times when even I, their leader, falls into that trap of comparing myself to other women who seem to have it all. Thank you my dear sister and mentee for my reminder to speak well of myself!!!!
Love you,
Ms. Yolanda