A Prayer to Tell Yourself a Better Story - Your Daily Prayer - February 11

A Prayer to Tell Yourself a Better Story
By Alisha Headley

Bible Reading: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” - Proverbs 18:21

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Our words have a huge impact on others and ourselves. There are words that others have spoken to me in the past that I have held onto as truth. I’m sure you can relate and think back on times that others have gossiped about you, slandered you, or spoken harsh words about you that you have believed for quite some time. Words can affect us even more than physical pain because words carry a lot of weight and sting us at the core.

Because we have believed others’ words that have been said about us, or perhaps some of us have spoken negative words over ourselves, these words can become our truth and become a part of our identity. We tend to live our lives according to the story we have told ourselves. In fact, Scripture says that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). In other words, what story you tell yourself, think about yourself, and speak about yourself, affects the way you live your life. What comes out of our mouths is so important because it creates the stories we tell ourselves, and these are the stories we begin to live out.

Today’s scripture verse highlights this saying: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” You can literally speak life or death into your situation, your home, your family, or over yourself simply by the words you choose. And today’s verse goes on to say that from speaking life or death, we will reap its fruit, whether good or bad. Words have so much power and the words we speak dictate the story we live out. We must be aware of the words we are speaking and choose our words wisely so we can speak life into our stories. Let’s start speaking words of life and start telling ourselves a better story…God’s story.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Father, forgive us for throwing around words and not being aware of what comes out of our mouths. Forgive us for the slander and gossip we spread with our words and for participating in negative speech toward ourselves and others. Lord, fill us with your words of life, which will bless those around us and also bless us as we begin to tell ourselves a better story. May our words be words of sweetness and encouragement to others today as well as ourselves. Remind us each day to stop and pause and think before we speak. For all those places we have spoken death in the past, Lord, please show us where we need to speak life into those broken places and hopeless situations we are facing. Give us words of life and your truth to speak over our situations. We can speak truth and life in any situation through the power of our words. Surround us with others who also speak life and reveal those who would hinder us. Help us to be gentle with our words like Jesus. Thank you for your wisdom and your Word today; thank you for reminding us that your story is always the better story. We praise you, and we love you.

In your name, Jesus, we pray, amen.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/opolja3

Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.

You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram.

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