Bless the Lord, O my soul; and ALL that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2)
Some might think it crazy to talk to yourself, but there are studies that actually show it’s good for mental and spiritual health. King David understood this long before anyone ever thought to research it.
What is David doing in the verses above? He’s talking to himself. In fact, he’s taking it a step further, and commanding his soul to bless the Lord and to remember His benefits. He then continues throughout the rest of the chapter (Psalm 103) doing just that; speaking forth, remembering and thanking God for His goodness. We should do likewise.
The soul consists of mind, will and emotions. It is the mind, will and emotions that are under constant attack; therefore, it makes perfect sense to aggressively secure those three entities with the authority that only you have. The way to do that is to forcefully talk to yourself. Crazy, I know, but super effective.
Many times when I command my mind, will and emotions to bless the Lord, it is while I’m at church. For a plethora of reasons, it is sometimes difficult to focus on the goodness of God.
- Perhaps somebody cut me off on the way to church.
- Or maybe I got into an argument with one of my family members.
- Sometimes it’s due to worrying about things I have to do after church or that I didn’t get done before.
- Hormones might also play against my emotions causing me to feel sad, rejected or angry.
- Dare I say that there have likely even been times where I was simply willfully unwilling to offer up any praise for various reasons (for example, maybe God didn’t answer a prayer the way I thought He should’ve or maybe he blessed someone I didn’t think deserved it, etc).
- It might even be that I’m going through the motions, singing the songs, but my mind is scattered or distracted with the service itself.
Whatever the reason, whenever I recognize that I’m not completely worshiping Him in spirit and in truth (the soul must be subject to the spirit) (John 4:24), it is then that I place my hands on my belly (representing my most inner being) as an even more forceful declaration to command ALL of myself to bless Him.
Besides the scripture above, a few others that I speak regularly to myself are as follows (author’s emphasis below for the purpose of speaking directly to my soul; please note that I urge you to always look up scripture yourself and/or hover over the scriptural reference posted to see the complete scripture in context)…
Be still and know that I am God … (Psalm 46:10) Saying this in the morning before prayer and devotion often quiets my mind right away. Try saying your name out loud before commanding yourself to be still.
I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor 10:5) For a more forceful declaration, place each of your hands on either side of your head.
Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5) After commanding yourself, look at your surroundings and begin to thank Him for what you see. Remember that every good thing comes from your Father above (James 1:17).
This is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24) I used to say this one many many many times while looking in the mirror with tears flowing from my eyes and feelings of deep deep sadness and depression. Please note that these are times of real sacrifice. It is easy to praise God when everything is great in your life; but believing and declaring the Word when your very soul aches and screams out in disagreement is a true act of faith. But know this…the greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward.
So if you ever see me talking to myself, please don’t think me crazy; I’m simply exercising a little mental and spiritual health. Though I wrote the confessions above in first person, I’m sure if you honestly examine yourself, second person also applies. Therefore, I hereby give you permission to talk to yourself.
What scriptures should you command your mind, will and emotions to come under submission to? Hint…ask the Holy Spirit to search you and know you (Psalm 139:23); and He will reveal areas that need to be spoken to, as well as the corresponding scriptural reference.
In the comments section below, let us know of any scripture(s) that you regularly speak to yourself (I say “us” because besides myself, readers may relate to and be helped by your ‘soul-command’ testimonies).
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