What do you call yourself?

Do you have any nick-names? I've had several through the years. Seems like every time throughout my life whenever I found myself in a new group of friends, I ended up with a nick name. Some were endearing, other were not. Occasionally, I had nick-names that came from a significantly embarrassing moment. I hated those. Every time someone referred to me by that name, I was reminded of the incident, and someone got a chuckle at my expense. The problem is, when those names are repeated over time, they can become your identity. You can become the person identified in the nick-name.

Scripture tells us the tongue is like a two edged sword. Words can kill. And so can thoughts. It's one thing to be identified with a particular nick-name within a group of people. But when we internalize that name and begin to associate with it on a daily basis, it grips us and debilitates us. A good example is weight. Names like "fatty," "lumpy," "tiny," "biggin,'" etc., send a message; "you're fat," even if that word is never used. We then internalize that message and affirm it. "I am fat." No, you're not. Do you have an area of your life that needs work? Possibly. But if you agree with a particular negative message about yourself, then you cement it into reality, and set up a significant hurdle to ever eliminating that from your life.

So, what names do you call yourself; Weak, lazy, unimportant, incapable, unqualified, loser, inadequate? If you believe those things about yourself, they become reality. Why? Because you act as if they're true. Your actions reflect your beliefs. If you believe you are incapable of completing a task, you won't even try. I know, I've done it. "I can't" should never be part of your vocabulary.

We have to replace the negative name calling with positive messages. Make a list of those lies you believe about yourself. If you think you are not smart enough to earn a particular job, replace that thought with, "I am smart enough." And, if for some reason, you lack the education, or training, you can do something about that too. Don't agree with anything that puts a road block between you and your dreams. We don't pursue our dreams because we believe the messages that tell us it's not possible.

EXERCISE:
Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left, write down everything that you believe about yourself that seems negative. Write everything! Don't stop. The first several will come pretty easy. Keep going. I've found that the ones you have to think harder about, are the ones you have a harder time admitting are true, and are also the ones that have rooted in deeper into your reality. Now, on the right hand side of the paper, replace each thought with a positive response. Don't worry if it sounds silly, or you still really believe the ideas on the left. Repeat this with everyone of them.

Once you've completed the list, tear the sheet down the middle and throw away the left side. Better yet, burn it and imagine those negative thoughts burning away from your thought process. Next; begin to focus on the list from the right side. Use it every day in your prayer and quiet time. Ask God to affirm these new thoughts into your mind. It works. If you can dwell on those negative messages for all these years and believe them, you can dwell on these new ones, and expect equal, and positive results.