Out Loud and On Purpose
By Dean Collins
It used to be that if we were walking down the street and saw someone moving their lips and maybe their hands, we would think they might be a little unstable, as they clearly appeared to be talking to themselves. And the more animated they were, the more concerned we would be. But with the in-ear technology that syncs with our phones, we know now that the person that is blabbing away is just on the phone. And with all our technology and accessibility, it may be that we talk to ourselves less than we used to.
There are benefits to talking to yourself. Psychologists and therapists have employed self-talk in their cognitive therapy toolkits for many years. A therapist might both help someone identify negative self-talk that might lead to what Zig Ziglar famously called “stinking thinking.” A cognitive therapist might help a client identify the many positive ways one can benefit from healthy self-talk. When I was a therapist, I often encouraged self-talk to be out-loud because it helps us focus, hear, and clarify our thoughts as we process information and make decisions.
It may surprise some that the idea of talking to yourself is something that both the Old and New Testament scriptures encourage! The opening verse of psalm 103 says:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul.”
There is no doubt that we often tell ourselves to bless or praise the Lord in absolute silence. We have all done that many times. But consider that in the ancient cultures of the Bible, the scriptures were delivered orally, not in writing. There were very limited scrolls. The prophets and priests, and even Jesus, spoke God’s word out loud to those who were assembled or in conversation with them. The way that our ancestors of faith received and delivered God’s word was by speaking it over and over again.
Have you ever tried to memorize something? A poem, or speech, or Bible verse? Did you do it all in your head or did you make yourself rehearse it out loud? My guess is you did it over and over again out loud before you could quote it mentally without speaking it. Why? Because that is how we learn.
Not every prayer needs to be said out loud, and not every scripture needs to be quoted to yourself out loud. But I can say with personal experience that when you do take time to speak God’s word out loud when you are trying to find comfort, clarity, or wisdom, you will be surprised what a difference you might experience in your communication with God and with yourself.
In Colossians 3, the apostle Paul opens this section of his epistle instructing us as believers to “put on Christ.” As you read the first several verses, you see several activities that we are to do regularly. As much as it would be nice to have a one-and-done approach to your spiritual formation, maturity in Christ just doesn’t work that way. Here are some of the things we can do daily that will help us mature in our faith and be a more faithful witness to the world of who Christ is and why he matters more than anything else.
Seek the things that are above where Christ is.
Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another (I will suggest this includes our self-talk)
Put on kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love.
And now we are ready to follow Paul’s instruction in verse 16:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
We are called to speak to each other words that edify and admonish in all wisdom. And we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with thankfulness. This is to be done in community to and for the benefit of each other. The impact of this behavior is a more mature body of Christ, fully ready and able to impact the world!
We are not called to be high and mighty with our words to each other. Our best defense against becoming proud or arrogant just might be speaking God’s word to ourselves, allowing it to fill us, guide us, and correct us before we try to teach another.
Father, today we bless your holy name. We declare our praise to you as we open our minds and hearts fully to you, that you might transform us by your Holy Spirit. Correct our thinking when we become consumed with self and forget others. Forgive our laziness in speaking your truth to ourselves thus allowing sin to live inside us when you have given us the Holy Spirit to free us and guide us in your truth. We bless your holy name. Amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 103:1-22; Colossians 3:1-17 ESV
Photo by Pexels
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