Social Media 
I couldn’t close this SPEAK LIFE Bible plan without commenting on the Social Media world that we live in. Without a doubt, social media is a HUGE influence on our thoughts and, therefore, on our minds. This is a very dominating source of input. Have you considered the positive, life-giving value of social media versus the negative and destructive trap that it usually is? 

So many people these days suffer from anxiety and depression. I believe it could be traced back to an overwhelming amount of negative input as well as to a minimal amount of life-giving time in nature or the Word of God. Whether it is your TV, FB account, Twitter account, or Instagram account, you need to consider your screen time. Most of us would be surprised to learn the number of hours that we truly spend with our faces looking into a screen. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that there are some life-giving pictures, posts, and videos available. But, by far, we are filling our minds with a lot of trash, self-glorification, and pontification through so much negative input. Most of us are ignorant of the correlation between screen time and depression. Most of us don’t consider that INPUT affects OUTPUT. We don’t need to worry about anyone else’s opinions, only God’s.

This world, the news, and our circumstances could have us feeling like we are walking in a desert or a dry wasteland. Our souls thirst for life and must be fed with life-giving food. His Words. His creation. His fellowship. Are you feeling depressed from walking too long in the desert or dry wasteland of social media and screen time? Come to the living water and let Him satisfy your soul. Turn off those screens and open the Word of God. Ask Him to meet you there and make His Word alive. Then get outside. Take a walk. Fly a kite. Read a good book. Meet with a life-giving friend.

May I challenge you to take a sabbatical from social media? Pray about when to do this and then set an amount of time. It will be a fasting of sorts. Afterward, if you feel that the sabbatical was valuable, commit to limit your return to social media. Consider only posting uplifting or Christ-centered content. Since there has been so much division in our country, decide that you will bring something that would edify, inspire and speak life to a hurting world. 

Life can be so much simpler and less stressful. We can have so much more hope. We need to use the time that we would be on a screen reading about stuff that doesn’t matter and use it to spend time with Someone who does matter! 

If you want to live life, speak life, and give life to the full, then you must consider the INPUT of your days. Change your input, change your output. Our days are fleeting. Start NOW.

Ponder:  How can you make changes to decrease or eliminate your social media screen time? What are some productive things that you could do with your extra time?

Prayer:   Oh Lord! Help me limit my screen time and increase my time with You. I want to live boldly and speak life into the hearts of others. I know that it starts with me.

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PLAN END NOTE: Roxanne’s passion is to speak life-giving truths into the hearts of others. She loves to speak at retreats and conventions. She hosts her own DEEPER Intensive and RISE UP coaching workshops and works with clients nationwide as a personal life coach. You can contact her, order her new book and get more information at RoxanneParks.com. She would be honored to connect with you. 

Words to Live By 
Since the enemy lies to us, we need to decide to speak power and truth back to him! We need to take action steps to turn the tide of negative words and thoughts. We need power-filled WORDS TO LIVE BY. And then we need to speak them over and over until they reach our hearts and our thoughts.

The truest thing about me is always what God says about me…not what I think or feel and not what others say, think, or do. We can become so paralyzed by lies and false beliefs that we miss the sweet plan of the Lord by a thousand miles. Study His Word. Let your faith speak and then ask God to help you with any unbelief. 

We all need to make a renewed commitment to quit the negative self-talk. Just like any toxic bad habit, you can decide to stop this behavior. It may take time, perseverance, attention, and strength to quit negative self-talk completely because for many of us it has become so deeply ingrained, it is almost second nature. Once you are aware that you are doing it, understand that you will need to keep interrupting yourself and your thoughts to stop it altogether. Becoming aware of this behavior is the key to quitting. 

When we take control of our thoughts and our words, we take back our life! I challenge you to create a list of daily affirmations to speak to your SELF…words to live by. This exercise is an important step in taking control of our thoughts and subsequently our words. It is time to practice speaking power and truth back into our lives by writing daily affirmations.

First, start with any negative thoughts or self-talk that dominate or frequent your thinking. List any lies that you are believing. What negative truths weigh you down and hinder you from living your best life? If our thoughts, self-talk, or words do not align with God’s truth, we need to identify them. 

Secondly, find scriptures as antidotes for these negative thoughts or lies. These spiritual truths can free you from those lies and stronghold/patterns. Take your thoughts and words captive to His truths! Choose words in alignment with the Word of God

Lastly, study these scriptures and craft positive statements, agreeing with them that you can claim and speak back into your life. These are positive affirmations that line up with TRUTH. Make your list. What affirmations can you speak to bring God’s glory and better results to your life?

Speaking these affirmations daily will help you will begin to take control of your life by getting control of your tongue. Refuse to speak anything other than the Word of God about your life or situation. Take authority over your life with scriptures and the power of your own spoken words of affirmation. These are your WORDS TO LIVE BY.

Ponder:

What are some thoughts and lies going through your head that do not align with God’s Word? Ponder choosing life-giving truths to replace those thoughts.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to speak and live from Your truths about me. Often, I feel so trapped in negativity and the weight of the world on my shoulders. Help me search for Your life-giving truths and meditate on them daily.

Self-Talk 
The loudest voice we hear is our own voice. The voice inside of us…our self-talk. So quiet, but so powerful. Self-talk is a real deal. Self-talk is something we do naturally throughout our waking hours. It is a form of neuro-linguistic programming. Because of its repetitive nature, it has the potential to mold and sculpt our consciousness.

Our enemy is a destroyer. He likes to bring lies in from early childhood and then convince us that these false beliefs are really our truth. The only thing true about us is what God, the Knitter, Knower, Designer, Creator, says about us. Can we differentiate these two voices? One brings life and the other brings death, usually a slow burdensome death. 

We have discussed that our thoughts bubble out into our words. Then we hear our “self” speak about our “self.” What we speak often becomes our reality. If we think/say that we are dumb, stupid or fat we likely live a life behaving exactly as we speak. What if we agreed with our Creator and called ourselves fearfully and wonderfully made? A masterpiece? A daughter of the King? Would we live differently? When we think differently, we live differently. Changing the way you think changes your perspective which changes what you say and how you act in the world.

Positive self-talk: People are becoming more aware that positive self-talk is a powerful tool for increasing our self-confidence and curbing negative emotions. It is a phenomenal strategy for change. Positive words are good for our health as they help boost our confidence, improve our mood, eliminate stress and improve heart health and well-being. People who can master positive self-talk are thought to be more confident, motivated, and productive. God created us for life and life abundantly. Does your self-talk align with His plan and Words over you?

Negative self-talk: We are also becoming aware of the effects of our inner critic, our negative self-talk. Negative self-talk can influence your self-esteem, your outlook on life, your energy levels, your relationships, and even your health. By taking note of negative self-talk, we can begin the necessary process of interrupting this destructive habit. It’s time to silence that negative voice in our head and speak life and truth into our lives.

Our self-talk matters. Pay attention. More often than not, it is so routine to speak negatively about yourself and to yourself that you are completely unaware that you are doing it. I wonder if, for the next twenty-four hours, you would take the time to pay attention to your thoughts and also take notice of how you speak about yourself? Make a commitment to eliminate negative self-talk. Then align your thoughts and words with His power-filled truths.

Ponder:

In what ways can you align your self-talk with what God says about you? Are you kind to yourself? Do you know and speak out your identity in Christ?

Prayer:

Lord help me believe that I am who you say that I am. Help Your voice be the loudest voice in my life. Let me speak Your heart into my heart.