The Power of Words: Interrupting the Argument In Your Head
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That popular children's rhyme from the 70s and 80s, though known to be untrue, was chanted anyway. Deep down, we all desire the strength to be unaffected by words. Proverbs 18:21, God tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Words carry weight in both the spiritual and physical realms. In Genesis 1:3, God spoke, and out of nothing came light, the world, and mankind. We are made in His image, and with that comes the power of our words. While we cannot create things out of nothing, as we are not God, we can create good and evil through our words, a fact the devil knows well. Given the power of our mouths, why aren't we using them more to defeat the enemy when he attacks? God knew from the beginning that the enemy would attack our minds, our most powerful organ. Because the mind controls everything, the enemy tries to gain control over it and therefore, gain control over us.
People who speak and do evil have simply listened to the lies of their enemies. He is the culprit, the Oz behind the curtain. God has given us the power and authority over Satan, but it is our choice whether we use it or not.
In my last blog, Taking Your Thoughts Captive, I discussed the Container Exercise. I have experienced times when I could not speak aloud against the intrusive thoughts planted by the enemy, such as in class, at work, or even at a funeral. The Container Exercise is a useful tool for mentally doing something in the moment, allowing you to address it later. For example, after having a negative thought in my painting class, I would contain it for later. However, the real battle comes when I speak aloud against the lies. Driving home from class, I might pray aloud, "Okay, you say I am an idiot and look like an idiot to everyone in the class. You say I am no good at painting and am making a fool of myself. I disagree because God loves my paintings. Sure, they are not the best in the class, but I am getting better. That is why I am there, so I am not going to quit. That's not your choice to make. I do not need to be the best either. I just need to love and enjoy what I paint and continue to grow in my skills. Jesus, I ask that you protect my mind from these thoughts. God, I pray that you will show me the beauty in my paintings and never let me forget that I am your daughter. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to attend these classes and learn new things. I am painting so much better than when I started. Thank you for protecting me from the enemy's lies. I love you, Jesus, Amen." This is just one example of how to speak out loud against the enemy and his lies. In class, I felt the heaviness of those lies, which could have been a distraction and, in the end, affected my ability to paint the way I wanted to.
In my last blog, Taking Your Thoughts Captive, I discussed the Container Exercise, because I have experienced times when I could not speak aloud against the intrusive thoughts planted by the enemy. Sometimes I was in class, at my job, or even at a funeral, just to name a few, and I could not just speak aloud over those thoughts at the moment. The Container Exercise is a useful tool for mentally doing something in the moment so that you can pull it back out later and fight against it. For example, after having a negative thought in my painting class, I'd container it for later. But the real battle comes when I speak aloud against the lies. I would drive home from the college class and pray aloud something like, “Okay, you say I am an idiot, and I look like an idiot to everyone in the class. You say I am no good at painting and making a fool of myself. I disagree because God loves my paintings. Sure, they are not the best in the class, but I am getting better. That is why I am there, so I am not going to quit. That's not your choice to make. I do not need to be the best either. I just need to love and enjoy what I paint and continue to grow in my skills. Jesus, I ask that you protect my mind from these thoughts. God, I pray that you will show me the beauty in my paintings and never let me forget that I am your daughter. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to attend these classes and learn new things. I am painting so much better than when I started. Thank you for protecting me from the enemy's lies. I love you, Jesus, Amen.” This is just an example of how to speak out loud against the enemy and his lies. In class, I felt the heaviness of them. It could have been a distraction and, in the end, affected my ability to paint the way I wanted to.
In the privacy of our own homes, or wherever we feel comfortable enough to speak out against lies, we must immediately shut them down. I recently watched a short video clip explaining the power of verbalizing our thoughts to stop them. I never realized that speaking aloud forces the mind to stop its current train of thought and listen to the words being spoken. It's quite fascinating and a tool God gave us to win this mental battle. I've included the link below, and I encourage you to watch it. The concept is explained very well.
I know it's not easy and that it takes intention and discipline to fight against these intrusive thoughts, but victory is possible. If it were hopeless, Jesus would have told us. He didn't die on the cross only to leave us vulnerable to destruction by the actions and words of others or the enemy. God loves us too much to leave us defenseless.
Watch video here:
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My first painting class.
Each year, the local art gallery downtown hosted a Student Art Exposition. Art students were required to submit two pieces of artwork. Three well-known artists from around the world would select the top pieces to be displayed. This particular year, there were over 2,000 entries, and only 80 were selected. I was proud that one of my pieces, A Tribute to Paul Klee's Senecio (1922), was included in the show. It almost sold for $200.
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