Positive Self-Talk

I grew up on 90s Saturday Night Live. The 90s SNL casts were absolutely loaded with talent. There were so many amazing recurring sketches in the 90s, and Al Franken had a very popular one with his character, Stuart Smalley.

Stuart Smalley would appear in a sketch as a talk show host of the show "Daily Affirmations." (WATCH HERE)

In the sketch, Smalley was relentless in the way he would talk positively about himself. Now matter how the show went, Stuart Smalley found ways to frame it positively. He would say things like, "That's not my best show, and that's okay." The character is probably best known for the way he would end the sketch, by stopping, staring into a mirror, and saying to himself, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." Stuart Smalley was practicing self-affirmation and positive self-talk. In psychology circles, there is more and more research coming out on the benefits of positive self-talk.

For the follower of Jesus, self-talk displays itself in a different way. The Christian life is marked by consistent relationship with God through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Self-talk takes the form of reminding ourselves of our relationship with God as we preach ourselves the gospel.

We remind ourselves of the good news of the gospel and how the power of Christ can transform every aspect of our lives whether it is relationships, work, finances, health, or faith. Through growth in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our lives are transformed. Jesus says,

"Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:3-5 ESV)

If we want to be a people who bears much fruit, we have to center our lives on the good news of the gospel - what Jesus has done for us. Famous writer Jerry Bridges says, "Preach the gospel to yourself, every day."

When we preach the gospel to ourselves every day our roots grow deeper into Christ.  Preaching the gospel to ourselves daily has the following benefits:

1. We remember who we were.
2. We remember who we are.
3. We praise Jesus.
4. We joyfully obey.
5. We give glory to God.

1. We remember who we were. 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-13 ESV)

Paul tells believers to remember that you have been saved by grace, through faith. The gospel tells us that our salvation was a gift of God, not a result of our own works. We remember who we were. We were separated from Christ, alienated from the family of God, strangers to God's promises.

Paul is saying, "Before Jesus Christ saved you, you had no hope and were without God in the world!" Remember that! Remember that every day. You need Jesus today!

That humbles us, and forces us to take our eyes off our own works and put them on Jesus. Humility is the foundation of faith. Remembering our need for Jesus by remembering who we were comes from preaching the gospel to ourselves daily.

2. We remember who we are now. 

Paul continues:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, (Ephesians 2:13-19 ESV)

When we preach the gospel to ourselves daily we remember who we are in Christ Jesus. We are no longer defined by our sins or our works of righteousness. We are brought near to God by the blood Jesus shed on our behalf. We have peace. We are reconciled to God - there is no longer any hostility. We have peace with our brothers and sisters. And we have access to God by the power of the Holy Spirit. We once were strangers, no we are family!

Preaching the gospel to ourselves daily reminds us of our eternal status. We are reminded that Jesus has made peace with God for us, and that we are truly in God's family. We were sinners, now we are saints. Remembering our new status as God's holy people comes from preaching ourselves the gospel and helps us to live in a renewed way. We have received mercy and honor with Christ! Remembering who we are now helps us to fight sin and seek to love our neighbor because we know and rest in God's grace to us.

3. We praise Jesus. 

Paul writes that Jesus has reconciled us both to God. Through his death on the cross, Jesus took the wrath of God for sin upon himself. The unapproachable holiness of God become approachable because Jesus made the way for sinners to draw near to a holy God! In Romans 8 Paul writes,

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1-4 ESV)

Jesus became a man and did what we couldn't. He lived a perfectly holy life. Jesus was a righteous man, a man without blemish - and God willed that he should die on a cross. Through Jesus' obedience unto death on a cross, we receive life and righteousness. Our debt for sin is cancelled, and Jesus' righteousness is credited to our account. That's mercy! And we remember that Jesus was a human being, like us tempted and challenged - yet without sin! Jesus did it! Jesus paid it all - our sin is paid for! We are no longer under the law, but set free. We are saved because of what Jesus did, it has nothing to do with what we did - rather we simply received the gift of grace by putting our faith in God!

When we preach the gospel to ourselves daily, the work of Jesus Christ becomes the melody in our hearts, and we burst into song praising Jesus for what he has done!

4. We joyfully obey. 

Preaching ourselves the gospel daily causes us to praise Jesus. When we find ourselves in praise of Jesus, our next response is to obey joyfully. Jesus says,

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. "
(John 15:10-17 ESV)

Preaching ourselves the gospel every day reminds us that we are sinners who need Jesus. We remember that Jesus has paid for our sin on the cross. We remember that it isn't about our works of good that bought our salvation, but rather that Jesus died for unworthy sinners like us! The result of the knowledge of saving grace found in Jesus Christ results in our praise and worship.

Praising and worshiping Jesus by preaching ourselves the gospel enables us to be people who obey his command. As Jesus calls us friend and lays down his life for us, so we too are enabled to 'love one another,' and lay down our lives in sacrificial love! Our response is one of joyful obedience because we are living out praise to Jesus for what he has done.

5. We give glory to God. 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 
(John 15:8 ESV)

When we preach the gospel to ourselves daily, we glorify God by bearing much fruit! Centering our identity and focus on what God has done for us causes us to pour out our lives in His service through good works, and acts of sacrificial love that show God's glory to a waiting world.

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Preaching the gospel to ourselves is crucial self-talk. The gospel helps us remember our union with Jesus and the gravity of what he has done for us. The gospel leads us to be a people of praise and obedience who walk in good works. I want to be a person who consistently views every circumstance through the lens of the gospel!

Some practical ways to preach the gospel to ourselves daily can come from our daily devotional lives and prayer. I personally love to do memory verses like John 14:6, Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1, Ephesians 2: 1-10, or 1 Timothy 1:15 that clearly and succinctly help me remember the gospel.

I hope this post encourages you to meditate more and more on the glory of God and the love He shows you at the cross. All glory be to Christ!