A few weeks ago, I heard a story about a man who has weekly dog fights at his home. And every week, he would always predict which dog would win. When his young apprentice asked how he was able to accurately predict which dog would win every time, he reluctantly told him the secret:
The dog that always wins is the one that I feed during the week. If I neglect the other dog, it will lose every time.
As a Christian, you have 2 internal voices that fight on a regular basis: God versus the devil – your number 1 hater.
The voice that you feed the most will win every time.
How do you feed those voices in your head?
When you open your mouth, whatever is in your heart comes out (Luke 6:45, translated).
Whether you are aware of it or not, TV shows, music, and friends can have a big influence on you. Yes, what you see and hear gets into your heart and comes out of your mouth.
When you open your mouth, if you speak love, gratefulness or jealousy, it all comes from your heart.
Your heart is fed from what you eat the most.
For instance, if gangster rap is your thing, and you listen to it more than you listen to anything else, you will begin to act and talk in ways that mimic your biggest meal (rap music).
But you don’t have to take my word for it, you can read the Bible for yourself (Luke 11:34, Proverb 4:23, 1Samuel 16, Matthew 15:17, Proverbs 27:19) OR you can challenge yourself (more about that later).
Knowing the difference between the two voices
God’s voice and direction will always lead you with joy and peace. You may not always like doing the right thing, but you’ll be happy with the end result.
The devil’s voice will leave you hurting, angry, rejected, hopeless, unloved, ugly, fearful and full of doubt. The Bible says he comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
And the number one way he does it is through lies that produce negative thoughts and to keep you from succeeding in every area of life.
He whispers lies in your ear and waits for you to react. After you react the way that he wants you to, he knows that he has your attention and he will continue to lie to you.
But, you’re not the only one.
Check out some of the most popular lies that he whispers to women and see if you can relate:
| God has forgotten about me | I am all alone |
| Nobody likes me | I will never find true love |
| I am not worthy of true love | I must protect myself or I’ll end up hurt |
| God couldn’t possibly love me | I am a failure |
| I have no reason to live | No one understands me |
| I am stupid | I am dumb |
| God never does anything for me | I always screw things up |
| Nothing I have to say is important | I will never accomplish anything |
| I am a loser | I am not talented |
| I am insignificant | I am never going to get anywhere in life |
| Everyone is against me | I am not accepted |
| I am not good enough | I can’t say anything right |
| I’ll never change | I am not special |
| I’m on my own | No one appreciates what I do |
| I can’t speak in public | I am ugly |
| I’m too fat; I’m too skinny | I am weird / different |
| I am worthless | I can never overcome my fears |
| God would never talk to me | No one cares how I feel |
| I can’t be forgiven | I don’t have any real friends |
| I have nothing to offer | I am boring |
| I should never have been born | God has no purpose for my life |
| I’m always left out | I am an idiot |
| If I’m not perfect, I won’t be loved | It’s always my fault |
| I am not qualified | I don’t fit in |
| Nothing I do is ever good enough | I am always wrong |
The positive meal challenge:
If you struggle with believing some of those lies, you can continue to feed them with negativity and nothing will change.
But if you want change, you have to do something different. I challenge you to feed off nothing but positivity for the next 21 days. Here are the rules:
- Only watch positive, drama-free TV that leaves you feeling good or at peace. Hint: if there is fighting, excessive name calling, or (bad) news switch the channel.
- Read positive, esteem-building words every day. You can start by printing a FREE copy of my Affirmations (I am who God says I am).
- Only listen to positive, esteem-building music. Anything with complaining (country music & blues), profanity, or name calling (gangster rap) is totally out.
- Only have positive conversations with your friends and loved ones. If you sense a conversation going south, respectfully excuse yourself. Either leave a comment below, or send me an email.
I would love to hear your struggles before and after the challenge. Let me know the lie you believe right now and if you still believe it after the challenge. Do you have more peace? Less stress? Can you still hear the enemies’ voice in your head? Is this a lifestyle that you would consider adopting long-term?
