July 9, 2026 – Believe
I’ve noticed that I talk out loud to myself quite often. When did this start? I don’t know, but I was beginning to wonder if it is an age thing. I sometimes even ask myself why I’m doing it just after I’ve said something. Maybe it IS an age thing. It got on my nerves this morning as I was making one of the beds for the company we are having this weekend; so, I decided it was time to Google: “Talking out loud to yourself is a normal, healthy cognitive tool [thank goodness] that enhances focus, memory, and emotional regulation…. helps your brain organize complex information, solve problems quicker, and solidify memories.” Potential mental health issues aside, the best news is, “Psychologists view self-talk as a highly effective mechanism for cognitive organization rather than a cause for concern.” Self-talk and prayer.
JA – “My Presence can bless you always – even when it’s only in the background of your mind. You can learn to stay conscious of Me while you are engaged in other matters. The magnificent brain I gave you can function on several tracks at once…. Making Me your joyous Focus is not escapism. On the contrary, your attentiveness to Me strengthens you and gives you courage to cope with the difficulties in your life.” See Psalm 105:4, Psalm 73:23, and Deuteronomy 31:6.
Streams – Isaiah 48:10 KJV – I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Cowman shares these thoughts from Julius Richter, “The burden of suffering seems to be a tombstone hung around our necks. Yet in reality it is simply the weight necessary to hold the diver down while he is searching for pearls.”
Utmost – Joshua 24:19 – Ye cannot serve the Lord. Chambers asks, “Have you the slightest reliance on any thing other than God? …Are you relying on yourself in any particular in this new proposition which God has put before you? …It is quite true to say – ‘I cannot live a holy life’; but you can decide to let Jesus Christ make you holy…. Are you sufficiently right with God to expect Him to manifest His wonderful life in you? ‘Nay; but we will serve the Lord.’ It is not an impulse, but a deliberate commitment. You say – ‘But God can never have called me to this, I am too unworthy, it can’t mean me.’ [A lot of self-talk in this today.] It does mean you, and the weaker and feebler you are, the better…. We say – ‘If I really could believe!’ The point is If I really will believe. No wonder Jesus Christ lays such emphasis on the sin of unbelief…. Dare I really let God be to me all that He says He will be?”
Power – Psalm 56:3 – When I am afraid, I will trust in you. Unbelief can lead us to fear. Joyce offers, “I have heard that there are 365 references in God’s Word to ‘fear not’ – one for every day of the year. Fear not means to resist fear and not let it control your actions…. If you let fear rule in your life, it will steal your peace and joy and prevent you from fulfilling your destiny. Are you confident in God? Do you believe right now, no matter what comes against your, victory is yours through Christ? Form a habit of saying out loud several times a day, ‘I will not fear.’ If you do, then it will be one of the first things coming out of your mouth when fear does come.”
JC – “Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice. I speak softly to you, in the depths of your being…. Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts. This ability is an awesome benefit of being My child, patterned in My own image…. Sit quietly in My Presence, letting My thoughts reprogram your thinking.” See Deuteronomy 30:20, Genesis 1:27, and Romans 12:2.
JL – “Beloved Jesus, Teach me to hide in the secret place of Your Presence even as I carry out my duties in the world…. Since You are my constant Companion, I long for there to be a lightness to my steps that’s observable to others. Help me not to be weighed down with problems and unresolved issues. Instead, I want to bring my burdens to You – asking You to carry them…. You have conquered the world and deprived it of power to harm me…. In Your conquering Name, Amen.” See Matthew 11:28, Philippians 4:7, Psalm 31:20, and John 16:33.
