The Messages We Tell Ourselves.

Good morning Church!

Do you ever catch yourself talking out loud to yourself? Maybe after you mess up, you say, “How did I miss that?” “Come on, focus!”

Or when you forget something important, you might mutter, “Not again…” “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Sometimes it’s more encouraging, like when you’re trying to push through a tough task: “Keep going, you’ve got this.”

Psychologists call this self talk and it’s is not just random noise—

Every day, we speak thousands of words to ourselves—words no one else hears. Researchers estimate the average person has between 12,000 and 80,000 thoughts every day.

And here’s the thing : about 95% of those thoughts are often the same thoughts on a loop…,

This morning, we continue our sermon series in the Psalms, as we turn to Psalm 103..

We Looking at the messages we tell our selves..

Psalm 103 is a psalm of David — It is a song of Praise… It is a call to bless the Lord… With a whole heart..

There is this cadence in Ps 103 this rhythmic build up..

Where waves of God’s goodness and mercy keep rolling in—one after another.

Each wave brings more—more compassion, more healing, more redemption, more love.

And those waves don’t stop until they reach Heaven itself—where God sits enthroned, surrounded by praise.

It’s a call for everything and everyone in creation to bless the Lord

Let read our text Psalms 103

Psalm 103:1–22 ESV

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

This psalm of praise.. One of the goals of Praise is to Glorify God… to expand our view of God…..

Praise should overwhelm us with how much God cares about us..

Praise transforms our thinking a out God and the world....

T/s What is wonderful about Psalm 103, —- I — it is instructive because it teaches us how to

Praise.. how change the narrative of our inner dialogue — from one focused on self — to one that is centered in God-

How does this happen.. first we have to..

1 Identify Our Self Talk -…

In January 13, 2018, the people of Hawaii experienced 38 minutes of sheer panic.

Out of nowhere, an emergency alert flashed across phones, TVs, and radios with these chilling words:

“BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

As you can imagine the shock…

People made desperate phone calls to find loved ones…and seek shelter.

For over half an hour, the entire state believed they were seconds away from destruction.

But it wasn’t true.

If was a false alert..that was caused by human error..

Instead of sending the test alert to internal personnel, some one pushed the wrong button and sent the message out to everyone..

It took 38 agonizing minutes to send out a correction.

… messaging is important…

This can happen not only in the world but internally we can send our selves wrong messages .

These messages can trigger a fight or flight response …

If you have ever had a panic attack that is exactly what is going on..

Our minds need to be guarded.

Proverbs says

Proverbs 4:23 “23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

We need to make sure that what we tell ourselves is the truth…

Paul says to the church in Philippi..

Philippians 4:8 ESV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

What is occupying our thoughts are they true ..honorable ..just … pure.. lovely..

David learned that he had to intentionally focus on the right things.. …

Psalm 103:1–2 ESV

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

The Word bless means —

to speak words of excellence about something..

It is written in the psalm as an imperative

David knew that blessing takes conscious thought…

We know David faced some extreme situations on his life… facing giants…dodging spears.. being betrayed by family.

David hit barrier fater barrier in his life..

What he learned is you dont quit …you praise.

He says bless the Lord oh my Soul…

What is the soul?.

The soul is the inner person—made up of the mind, the will, and the emotions.

Augustine said the soul

It’s the inner spark that makes you you…

So when David speaks to his soul, he’s not just being poetic. He’s

Speaking to his inner man..he is being intentional. He’s taking control of the conversation going on inside.

Instead of letting his inner dialogue drift into fear, shame, or apathy—he steers it toward worship.

have you noticed..—our emotions—often try to take the lead. They can be strong, loud, and persuasive.

But if we let our emotions lead, we’ll often drift in the wrong direction.

On Sunday afternoons We have a routine of cleaning our home—it’s become a rhythm that sets us up for the week ahead

But I’ll be honest: there are times we’re …let’s say I’m

just not feeling it. The couch is calling. The remote looks appealing. And that’s when self-talk kicks in.

We have to say to ourselves, “Let’s just start with one room” or “You’ll be glad you did this.” 

That’s the internal nudge that helps override how we feel in the moment.

That’s what David is doing in Psalm 103. He’s not led by his emotions—he leads them. He say

“Bless the Lord, O my soul…” In other words: “Soul, get in line. We’re going to worship—even if we don’t feel like it.”

David new the power of talking to himself..

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones captured this well:

“Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself.” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The second half of the verse shifts our focus—to rememberance..“Forget not all His benefits.”

. David knows how prone we are to spiritual amnesia.

He’s telling his soul: “Don’t you forget the goodness of God.”

The Hebrew word translated “forget” doesn’t just mean to misplace a memory—it can also mean “to ignore” or “to cease to care.”

It’s not simply about mental lapse; it’s a heart drift.

It’s when our affections grow cold, and our awareness of God’s grace begins to fade into the background of our lives.

And when we forget God’s benefits, we become vulnerable to discouragement, discontentment, and doubt.

David says, “Forget not…” 

This isn’t a suggestion—it’s spiritual training.

Every time you remember what God has done, you’re working out you salvation with fear and trembling.

You're building resilience. You’re shepherding your heart back to hope.

Instead if hopelessness we choose …

Blessing – We Choose to worship God, not because everything feels good, but because He is good… we

Remember – Intentionally calling to mind all the ways God has been faithful, even when your feelings aren’t aligned..

The truth is, our emotions make great passengers but terrible drivers…

We lead by setting our Minds FULLY ON THE GRACE OF GOD..

When David — hits a brick wall —

He steps up. He speaks up. And he calls his soul back to praise.

‘T/s If we going fill our minds with Life giving MESSAGES we need first.the first step in renewing our minds..

1 Identify Our Self Talk

2. ReFrame Our thoughts With blessing.

I grew up playing with LEGO.

What made LEGO so amazing was the freedom it gives you—there are no limits.

One day, you could build a plane ; the next, a car a castle. Same bricks, new possibilities.

But there’s a bit of a debate in the LEGO world?

Some enthusiasts actually glue their creations together—to preserve what they’ve built.

It’s controversial. Why? Because once you glue it, you can’t rebuild it. .

And sometimes, that’s exactly what we do with our lives.

We take what’s happened to us—our past, our pain, even our successes—and we glue the pieces together. We say, “This is who I am now.”

Our thinking gets rigid. Our story gets stuck. We stop imagining that God might still want to rework the pieces.

But Psalm 103 interrupts that kind of mindset.

David writes: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (v.2).

benefits—by definition—are things that promotes your well-being.

God’s benefits move us forward, get us out of ruts..

David says Remember…his benefits…

Psalm 103:3–5 ESV

3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

David shows us how to reframe our thoughts…

First he says know you are forgiven..

Forgiven.

“Who forgives all your iniquity”

Forgiveness is a central aspect of God's character and His relationship with His people. .. last week we touched on this where God made provision on the law for his people to return to him..

In next few verses David gives the example of Israel..

Psalm 103:7–9 ESV

7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.

David looks at Gods dealing with a Israel … and recognizes that God delivered Israel from Egypt and

Even in their disobedience . Israel wander in the wilderness for 40 years… God did not dispose of Israel..

God was compassionate, merciful and tender toward people ….He learns something about God’s character

vrs 10

Psalm 103:10 ESV

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

That is the definition of mercy… not getting what we deserve..

Forgiveness is a key part of the Gospel…

1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

David gives us insight into the extent of God forgiveness.

God forgives "all" iniquities, not just some,

He doesn’t forgive partially; He forgives all.

verse 11-13

Psalm 103:11–12 ESV

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

HE forgives ALL our SINS

the distance between east and west is infinity. The two will never meet.

Charles Spurgeon said that …

“If sin be removed so far, then we may be sure that the scent, the trace, the very memory of it, must be entirely gone.” Spurgeon

When God forgives sin, He forgives it completely—as though it had never occurred..

Corrie Ten-boon said .. when God forgives he puts a sign up… no fishing..

When God sins it is as though I never sinned

How do we reframe our thoughts.. first through the eyes forgiveness second

Healer

Psalm 103:3 ESV

3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

David moves from forgiveness to healing—

The word "heals" here is rich with meaning.

In Hebrew, it doesn’t only refer to physical illness, but also to emotional and spiritual brokenness. Healing, in the biblical worldview, touches every aspect of who we are.

— You see..

Sin didn’t just break our relationship with God—it fractured our minds, our bodies, our communities, and creation itself.

Sickness, sorrow, and suffering are all symptoms of a fallen world.

But the gospel proclaims that God is in the business of restoration—not just of souls, but of lives, families, and even our physical bodies.

David understands that our frailty is part of the human condition. He writes later in this psalm:

Psalm 103:15–16 ESV

15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

We are fragile, fading, and finite—but God is strong, merciful, and eternal. He meets us in our weakness and brings healing in many forms—

David gives us Hope..

The reason we pray for the sick is that we believe that God still heals…

We believe that miracles healing continued through the apostolic time into today…

When James tell to call for elders of the church — let them lay hand on you …(jm 5.15)

“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven”

I believe it…

Jesus said

Matthew 21:22 “22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.””

God is able to heal sickness.. period… Why because he is God… – but ..

🙋‍♂️ Charles Spurgeon, who battled depression, once said:

“I do not know what God’s children do without their Lord’s healing hand.” Charles Spurgeon.

Spurgeon knew Healing doesn’t always mean a cure in this life.

But it always means care.

God never abandons His hurting children. He heals not just what hurts—but what’s hidden.

Ultimately ..

The book of Revelation promises a day when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”

How do we reframe our lives..

he forgives - He heals

REDEEMS

The psalmist David says God “redeems your life from the pit.”

Redemption is —rich with meaning. It means “to buy back,” “to deliver,” “to ransom.” In the ancient world, it was often used in the context of freeing someone from slavery or captivity.

David doesn’t say, “He redeems people from the pit.”

 He says, “your life.” It’s personal.

If the Lord had not reached out to us—where would we be?

In Scripture, “the pit” refers to more than just physical danger:

Despair) 

Destruction

and spiritual ruin

Left to ourselves, we fall deeper. But God intervenes—not because we climbed out, but because He reached down.

WE have advantage of over David..

David saw Redemption in black and white…we see it in Color..

We see redemption in the The cross… where it was accomplished, and the empty tomb is where redemption was confirmed.

Jesus didn’t just throw us a rope from heaven—He climbed down into the pit, bore our sin, and lifted us out.

HE CROWNS OUR LIVES..

 Love and Mercy

“…who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy”

God doesn’t just save us; He honors us. He places a crown of His covenant love and compassion on our heads.

David often found himself on the run but God mercy and grace continually chased him.

Psalm 103:17–18 ESV

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

T/s If we going fill our minds with Life giving MESSAGES and be renewed in our thinking… we need first..

1 Identify Our Self Talk

2. ReFrame Our thoughts With blessing.

3.Practice Renewing Your mind-

If we going to have renewed minds we have to ask what What is at the root of our thinking? What forms the assumptions, biases, and patterns that shape how we see ourselves and the world?

Years ago, I was flying over Africa,

and something fascinating caught my eye. From 20,000 feet up, I could see tiny footpaths etched into the earth—no paved roads, just well-worn trails carved by countless footsteps, day after day.

These simple paths connected villages, homes, and lives.

They weren’t built all at once but formed slowly by repetition.

Now think about your own life. How many of us have walked worn-down paths—

Neuroscientists tell us self-talk literally carves pathways in our brains—strengthening patterns of thought and emotion.

Positive self-talk can calm anxiety, boost confidence, and motivate us.

But negative self-talk can trap us in fear, doubt, and discouragement.

How do we Change the Messaging?

Psalm 103:5 offers a powerful answer:

“Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

First we have to know what truly Satisfies Our Hearts..

The Rolling Stones had a famous song called “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

isn’t that the truth.. That song captures the human experience of an endless search for meaning and fulfillment…. We continually looking SOMETHING TO SATISFY — BUT NOT FINDING IT..

But here is the thing..

No matter what we chase—success, approval, pleasure, or comfort—

—- WE NEVER FIND IT OUTSIDE OF CHIRS.T.

Peter in his Epistle… writes to encourage the church persever during trials and persecution..

He encourages them to orient their lives fully around Christ… He tells them to REMEMBER (FORGET NOT) their calling into a living hope and inheritance.. in chapter 1 he

He says…get your thinking straight..

1 Peter 1:13 ESV

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Peters says you going to face trial and difficulties but..prepare your minds for action… be sober minded…

SET YOUR HOPE FULLY ON THE GRACE OF GOD…

When David says bless the Lord ALL MY SOUL… that is exactly what he means.

IT COMING FROM PLACE OF KNOWING THAT …

God is the one who truly satisfies. He fills us with good things that refreshes, restores, and renews us.

But ..IN ORDER TO BE RENEWED in our thoughts we have to … — be aware our current patterns of thoughts — we have then replace our thoughts..

Paul says in 2 Cor 10.5—

5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

The image in psalm 103 is that of an Eagle renewing itself..

Eagles are known for their strength, sharp vision, and majestic flight—

but to maintain this, they go through a remarkable process of renewal.

When it’s time to molt, an eagle sheds its old, worn feathers and grows new ones.

This season isn’t easy. The eagle looks awkward, vulnerable, and grounded because it can’t fly well without a full set of feathers.

But this molting is necessary. It’s a painful but essential process for the eagle to soar higher and stronger than before.

This what happens with Spiritual renewal..

Renewal often feels awkward, uncomfortable, and vulnerable—as we shed old thoughts, false beliefs, and worn-out ways of seeing ourselves.

We might feel grounded, stuck, or weak.

But this is the work of God’s renewal.

Isaiah 40:31 “31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

You may be in a molting season now, but soon, you will soar again—stronger, freer, and satisfied like never before.!

🔥 🔥 CONCLUSION:

WHAT ARE YOU TELLING YOURSELF?

What ARE THE messagers we tell ourselves..

Some of us have repeated them so often they’ve become the background music of our lives. David understood that.

That’s why Psalm 103 doesn’t begin with a shout to the world—it begins with a whisper to his own soul:. …

It starts with personal worship—David talking to his own heart.

Then it moves into remembering—a beautiful list of grace for the weary:

forgiveness,

healing,

redemption,

mercy.

From there, it spreads to the whole covenant community—“those who fear Him, to children’s children.”

And finally, it crescendos into a cosmic chorus: angels, heavenly hosts, all creation joining in praise. this morning we need to know ourswords have power…

We have Gods word..

And when you speak truth—God’s truth—

it doesn’t just change your mind.

It lifts your heart. It renews your spirit. It transforms your perspective.

Let today be the day you stop listening to lies and start leading your soul.

Amen