I was playing doubles pickleball with a friend recently and she was having difficulty getting her serve into the opposing team’s court. Each time it was her turn to serve, she’d hit the ball out of bounds. This happened three times in a row. I encouraged her with the words, “You can do it this time. I know you can do it! Just stay focused.” She replied, “Okay” then proceeded to hit her serve out of bounds for the fourth straight time. It was what she said next that really captured my attention: “I knew I was gonna hit it out. I even told myself it was gonna go out as soon as I hit it.”
You see, it didn’t matter that someone else told her she could do it. It didn’t matter that encouraging words were spoken to her, or that someone else expressed confidence in her ability. None of that mattered because she was talking to herself inwardly. She wasn’t listening to my voice of encouragement. Instead, she was listening to a voice that drowned out my words of confidence and encouragement … she was listening to the voice of doubt.
As I thought about what she said, the phrase “Self Sabotage” popped up inside my heart and mind. What a fitting description that was for what had just happened. My friend set herself up for defeat by talking negatively to herself inside her own mind. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” So, somewhere along the way, a person has to think correctly and speak the right words over themselves internally if they’re going to meet with success. Listen, if everyone in the room is encouraging you and voicing optimism, but you choose to think negatively and entertain your own self doubt, none of the encouragement given to you will matter. Your own personal “self talk” is setting you up for defeat.
God’s Word, the Bible, is filled with promises of victory and success for the believer. You can read all of His promises and wish/hope that they are true, but if you continue to doubt His Words and listen to your own voice of defeat and negativity, your doubt can override the effectiveness of God’s Word in your life (believe it or not). For instance, God tells you in His word that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13). But, if you continue to say to yourself, “I can’t do this … it’s too difficult,” it becomes SELF SABOTAGE. His Word of encouragement is drowned out by your voice of doubt.
You know His Word says, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). But, if you continue to tell yourself internally, “Nothing ever works out for me … nothing ever goes my way,” you have, again, sabotaged yourself. That’s why it’s so important to speak God’s Words over your life … not to just “know” the scriptures, but to actually give voice to them in your daily life. Making scripture confessions over yourself helps drown out the voice of self doubt within you.
So, today’s word of encouragement from me is “YOU’RE GOING TO SUCCEED! GOD HAS SET YOU UP TO BE A VICTOR! GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD!” But, the question is, “Will you continue to speak your own self doubt and give voice to negative thoughts, or will you take God at His Word?” Determine within yourself that you’re not going to allow your words of doubt to override the truth of God’s promises in your life.
Romans 8:37
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
