How To Talk To Yourself
How To Talk To Yourself Psalms 103:1-103:5
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever talked to yourself?
Today, I’m going to tell you how to talk to yourself and make a difference. A “pep talk” can only encourage you to do better. I’m going to tell you what to say to yourself that will make an eternal difference. We’re going to look at King David to see what he said to himself in Psalm 103:1-5:
Speaker: David
Listener: David
Subject: The blessings of God on his life.
Listen to Psalm 103:1-5 (NKJV)
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Now listen to the (New Living Translation).
“Praise the Lord, I tell myself: with my whole heart I will praise His holy name. Praise the Lord and I tell myself never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He ransoms me from death, and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things so my youth is renewed as the eagles.”
A. INTRODUCTION
David, the speaker tells himself to bless the Lord with all of his strength. He uses the phrase, “All that is within me.” Why? Because half-hearted prayer or half-hearted praise is not enough. Since a person cannot lie to himself, when David called for “all that is within me” to bless God’s holy name; he had to respond in kind.
1. Bless His holy name.
I want to remind you that when Jesus taught His disciples the principles of the Lord’s Prayer He begins by blessing God’s name. The first petition is, "Hallowed be Thy name," which means we are to "make holy His name." Since Jesus told us to make His name holy, and here David tells us to "bless His name," we ought to begin our prayers by “praising the Lord.”
I could stop at this point and preach on the many names of God, and never get into this message. Dr. Elmer Towns wrote three books on the names of God , Jesus and the Holy Spirit and he found:
1.Over 125 names and titles for God
2.Over 700 names and titles for Jesus.
3.Over 125 names and titles to the third person of the Trinity.
Why so many names? The many names of God tell us about the many different aspects of His nature and the many different things He does for our life. As an example, let’s look at the names and titles I have, and how each of my titles shows a different side of who I am and what I do. As an example I am:
A husband, father, grandfather, uncle, son, I’ve been called Solider,
Paper maker, truck driver. I’ve been called men’s leader, worship leader, teacher and preacher. My Mom calls me Billy, My friends call me Bill,
My children call me dad, My grandkids call me grandpa, and My youth Pastor calls me G.
When you bless the Lord and His holy name, you should bless Him because of all of the different things He does for you.
2. Six Reasons to Bless the Lord found in Psalm 103.
David gives us the following six titles of God as reasons why we should bless the Lord.
1.He’s called Forgiver of sins . . . who forgives all your iniquities.
2.He’s called Healer . . . who heals all your diseases.
3.He’s called Redeemer . . . who redeems your life from destruction.
4.He’s called Blesser . . . who crowns you with loving kindness.
5.He’s called Satisfier . . . who satisfies your life.
6.He’s called Strengthener . . . who renews your strength like the eagles.
Talk to yourself about these six things God has done for you. But remember, these are only a beginning. There are probably a thousand things God has done to cause you to “Bless the Lord”
3. Forget not all His benefits.
When you daily bless the Lord, you do not forget His benefits. If you were to think of all He’s done for you, you would not forget His benefits. If you were to look at all of your needs, and problems to see how God has helped you thus far, you would not forget His benefits.
B. BLESS THE LORD BECAUSE HE FORGIVES ALL YOUR INIQUITIES.
Some people live their lives dwelling on past failures, mistakes and sins
Some listening to my voice think that you have committed such a terrible sin that God cannot forgive you.
Listen to the words of the prodigal son who left his father, took all of his inheritance, squandered it, and ended up in misery. He felt he could not be forgiven. He came back to his father to beg,
Luke 15:18-19 (NLT)
18I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man." '
This is a young man who thought his father couldn’t forgive him, even though he wanted forgiveness. When he went back to his father, the father did more than forgive him.
Luke 15:20-24 (NLT)
20"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21His son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.
22"But his father said to the servants, `Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. 23And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, 24for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began.
Ills:
Johnny was a young boy who made a slingshot, and went through the farmyard shooting at the different animals but the boy missed the dog, the cat; and when he went into the field, he shot at a rabbit and a bird. He missed everything. Coming back into the farmyard, the boy shot at his grandmother’s favorite goose, he hit the goose in the head, and killed it dead. Johnny was terrified because he loved his grandmother, and yet he killed her favorite goose. He ran to the tool shed, got a shovel, and buried it in back of the barn; thinking no one saw it.
That evening after supper, Grandmother said to Johnny’s sister, Mary Lou,"I want you to wash the dishes." But Mary turned to her brother and said, "Johnny wants to wash the dishes." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the goose." Johnny washed the dishes because he was afraid Mary would tell Grandmother about the goose.
The next morning, Grandmother asked Mary Lou to sweep the porch and front walk, but she said, "Johnny wants to sweep the front porch and walk." Then she whispered to Johnny, "Remember the goose." All that week, she kept Johnny in bondage. Every time she had a job to do, she volunteered Johnny and whispered to him, "Remember the goose."
When Johnny could take it no longer, he went to his grandmother crying, confessing that he killed the goose. Then grandmother said, "I was standing at the kitchen window, and I saw you hit my goose, and I saw how sorry you were because I saw your face. I saw you get the shovel and bury him in back of the barn." Then Grandmother said to Johnny, "I forgave you the moment you killed my goose because I love you. You don’t have to worry about my forgiveness," but Grandmother said, "you have to forgive yourself. I wondered how long Mary Lou would keep you in bondage to her."
One of the great statements in the Bible is what Jesus said to the paralyzed man, who was let down through the roof in Mark Chapter 2. Everyone in the room expected Jesus to heal this man’s Condition, but Jesus said the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Mark 2:5 Comforting words to a guilty person “your sins are forgiven.”
Jeremiah 31:34 (NKJV)
"Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Psalm 103:12 (New Life Version)
12He has taken our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
This morning--talk to yourself--remind yourself to Bless the Lord because God is the Forgiver who has forgiven all your sins.
C. BLESS THE LORD BECAUSE HE HEALETH ALL YOUR DISEASES.
I believe that God heals diseases. He is Jehovah Raphe, the One who is able to heal. I believe He heals because He healed me!
All your diseases. What does the Bible mean when it says “heals all of our diseases?” I’ve had friends who have died of cancer and other types of diseases. I buried my own wife. Many Christian people have prayed for their healing, but they have died of a terrible disease. What does this verse mean when it says that He heals us of all our diseases?
Paul prayed three times that God would take a thorn in the flesh from him, but God didn’t do it in Paul’s lifetime. But in heaven TODAY, Paul is healed. God has answered that prayer . . . eventually. People that I have seen die, of cancer, are in heaven today without cancer. Even though cancer is a terrible ravage of the human body, it is only temporary to us who believe in Jesus Christ. God will raise our bodies up perfect, we will be like Jesus when we see him, and we will have a perfect body. On Resurrection Day, we will be healed of all diseases.
Therefore, look beyond your sickness and this present life. Bless the Lord who will heal you of all your diseases.
D. BLESS THE LORD BECAUSE HE REDEEMES YOUR LIFE FROM DESTRUCTION.
The NIV translates this, "Who redeems your life from the pit." The Living Bible translates this, "Who ransoms me from death." The NKJV,says "Who delivers our life from destruction." I believe this verse talks about the many times that God protects us and delivers us from being killed. God protects us from premature death. What does this mean?
A small boy walks through a field… a rattlesnake slithers away the opposite way, and the boy is protected. How many times has that happened to small children playing in a field or ditch? We parents ought to “Bless the Lord . . . who delivers our life--and the life of our children--from destruction.”
Perhaps, a mechanical failure in an eighteen-wheel truck heading your way. Rather than slamming across the highway into your car, God delivered you. Also, there could have been toxins or poison in some food that you ate, and by God’s deliverance, it did not make you sick and harm you. All of us ought to daily “Bless the Lord” who delivers our life from danger and destruction.
I think of all of the men and women in the Armed Forces who faced death in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many from Fort Drum were killed. But many lived. Those who lived through that terrible experience should say, “Bless the Lord who delivered my life from destruction.”
E. BLESS THE LORD BECAUSE HE CROWNS YOU WITH LOVING KINDNESS AND TENDER MERCIES.
In this place David thanks God for all of the good things that God had given to him. God blessed David with His love and tender mercies. When I think of all of the things that God has given to me, I praise him for his love and tender mercies. What are these things?
Salvation, Children,Grandchildren
Calvary Assembly Of God
A good mind
Good health
Answers to prayer
His inner confidence and outward guidance -- and many other things
F. BLESS THE LORD BECAUSE HE SATISFIES YOUR MOUTH WITH GOOD THINGS
Everyday you ought to talk with yourself to bless the Lord because He gives you good things and satisfies you, which means He makes you happy. Obviously, the first thing we think of is good food to eat, then we think of good clothing, a good house, a good car and other things. I believe these are included in this verse; but it includes so much more.
In 1910 at the World Missionary Conference of the Student Volunteer Movement, A. T. Pierson, who became a great leader in the church, went to a workshop titled "The Resources of the Successful Christian Life." Pierson wanted to live a successful and consistent Christian life but he was up some weeks and down others. The speaker stood up and said the following:
"The resources of the Christian life is
Jesus Christ-that’s all and that’s enough."
The speaker repeated the phrase three or four times, indicating that nothing that man could do, such as Bible study, prayer, witnessing, and the other disciplines could give the victorious Christian life. The speaker constantly said the only resource that would make us happy was Jesus Christ.
I know that the resource--Jesus Christ--has seen me through some dark days and some bright days of growth. I can say with the Apostle Paul,
Philippians 3:10 (NKJV)
10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
My greatest satisfaction is knowing Jesus Christ. Again I witness with Paul the words that he wrote in Philippians1:21 "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain"
G. BLESS THE LORD BECAUSE YOUR YOUTH IS RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLES.
What would most of us like to get? We would like to be young again. So many people in life are searching for the illusive “fountain of youth.” It’s not in Florida, it’s not in skin creams that make you young, it’s not in vitamin pills that make you stronger, and it’s not in special diets. A few things may slow down your aging, but if you are searching for youth, I have good news for you. You can live your youth again.
First, you must be born again, Jesus told Nicodemus in Jn 3:3 "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.
You may be physically old, and get winded when you walk up the stairs, but you can have the strength of youth--spiritual strength. Your youth can be renewed like the eagles.
David talked to himself about having his youth renewed as a young man so he could mount up with wings as eagles. I think Isaiah probably read this verse from David’s when later he wrote the following:
Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait up on the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.”
CONCLUSION
Today, I have challenged you to talk to yourself--to bless the Lord--because of at least 6 things God has done for you:
God is your Forgiver--He forgives all iniquities.
God is your Healer--He heals all iniquities.
God is your Protector--He delivers your life from destruction.
God is your Blesser--He crowns your work with good things.
God is your Satisfier--He satisfies your life.
God is your Strength--He renews your strength like the eagles.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God.