Is there a difference between positive thinking and preaching the gospel to yourself?

Positive thinking tries to drown out the negative voices in our lives with our own voice. Our parents, friends or class-mates may have called us losers, but we pretend not to believe it. We hope that if we tell ourselves that we are winners enough times, we will begin to believe it and act like it.

However, the effort usually ends in failure. We tend to believe about ourselves the same thing the most significant person in our lives believes about us. Positive thinking says replace that voice with your own voice. Honestly, I am not even sure that is possible. God created us to be in relationship, dependent upon Him. When we walk away from him, we replace his voice with someone else's. You were not created to believe your own voice.

Romans 6:11 tells us to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. In applying that verse, I actually encouraged you to look into a mirror and remind yourself of what you have in Christ. The world shouts that if you don't look good, make good, and feel good, you are a failure. We must counter that message by telling ourselves that we are sons of the living God, loved far more than we would have ever hoped.

When you preach the gospel to yourself, you do not simply hear your own voice. You remind yourself what the Lord of the universe says about you. You remind yourself of the world changing truth that God has loved you so much he has given his Son for you (Romans 8:32). You remind yourself of the life changing truth that He who lives among angels desires your fellowship (John 17:24). You listen to the voice of God tell you that you are perfectly acceptable in Christ (Ephesians 1:6).

I cannot over emphasize to you the importance of this exercise. Some of my friends hear the voice of evil in their ears continually. This voice heaps feelings of shame, guilt, failure upon them so vividly that they struggle with self-hatred all day.

You must arm yourself with the gospel and argue with that voice forcefully and confidently. Recognize it as the voice of Satan and remind yourself that even though you are a sinner, God has removed your sin and made you perfect in his sight.

In the words of the great hymn:

Well may the accuser roar of sins that I have done;
I know them all and thousands more, and Jehovah knoweth none.

In Christ you are more than good enough--you are perfect. He was perfect for you. In Christ you are more than pretty, you are absolutely beautiful. People may still not like you. But doggone it, the Lord absolute adores you. Make his opinion of you the only one that you believe.