Do you ever talk to yourself? Maybe you should. The words we say to ourselves have great power. I can’t explain all the brain science behind how they work, but I can tell you that what you tell yourself, about yourself, influences outcomes in your life. A batter who says “I’m gonna miss it” strikes out much more often than one who says “I can hit this pitcher.”

Words matter. And the words YOU speak about YOURSELF and to YOURSELF matter the most.

I was pondering this notion as I thought about David in that epic battle with Goliath. You may remember that Goliath had told David “I’m gonna tear you to little bitty pieces and feed your flesh to the birds of the air.” But the story records that David said “When the lion came after my sheep I went after it and I killed it. When the bear attacked the flock I tracked him and killed him dead. And this Philistine shall be like one of them.”

Here’s the question: Who was David speaking to? The scripture tells us that David’s response was in answer to Saul who’d said “You are just a boy going against this giant man.” But I wonder if David was speaking TO Saul, or was David perhaps muttering to himself in response to what Saul had said. I sort of think David was rehearsing past victories in his mind, in order to prepare himself for the next victory; a bigger, greater, more magnificent victory than any in his past.

I want to be a man of living, active, demonstrable faith. I find it builds my faith when I rehearse what God has done for me in the past. It fortifies me to face the bigger battle of the future. And I’m convinced the battles and the stakes in the future will cause those things in my past to look like simple skirmishes, because God continues to equip his people to do greater things. Daniel 11:32 says “…The people who know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (KJV)

Part of me wants to be content and not challenge any mountains. But another part of me knows that “doing exploits” is part of the DNA that God puts inside of us when he comes to take up residence in us when we are born-again. So, that means that the bigger things that lie in front of me are going to require ever more faith to accomplish and I’m going to need to remember what God has done for and through me in the past, in order to build my faith for the future achievements. One of the ways I “work” my faith is to talk to myself about what God has done in the past. “God did this small thing, then he did this bigger thing, and now that I face this gigantic thing, the God who was with me in the small thing and the bigger thing will work through me to accomplish the giant thing. I can do this because nothing is impossible with God; because greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world; because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me; because He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that I ask or think according to the power that works in me. Get out of the way mountain!”

That’s how mountain moving faith takes root and becomes established in your life. And its why we should be careful to journal and record the ways in which God shows himself daily in our life, so we can go back to those journal entries and remember well what’s happened in our past.

Are you facing a difficulty? In what smaller ways has God helped you in the past? What does the scripture say about you, and what is God’s promise to you in this situation? Remember those moments and find those promises. Mutter them to yourself everyday, often. Yesterday’s victories are the foundation for tomorrow’s greater victories.

Remember: God is for you!

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I love to hear stories of how God is working in your life. Leave a reply below and tell me what God is doing in your life.