Breathing Authentic Bravery

Breathing Authentic Bravery

Maybe it’s my age or where I am in life right now; I’m not sure. But I’ve simply grown weary of a yo-yo type of bravery. It is with all love that I insist we can’t be plucky one day and pitiful the next.

The unhealthy habit of swaying between faith and fear will only leave us as mental messes.

If we are to become brave, our words must echo our resolve to step out of the shadows and do something meaningful. I can usually judge how serious a woman is about stretching beyond her comfort zone by the verbal choices she makes in describing her future. Anyone can create a vision board, but it takes a determined woman to create a word board. I challenge you to find a tucked-away corner where you can pin your favorite mottos, inspirational catchphrases, or battle cries. Post them. Confess them. Allow these words to breathe life into your weary soul. Most important, get comfortable speaking out what you desire to live out.

What a woman holds hidden in her heart will eventually tumble out of her mouth.

Don’t believe me? Have you tried to hold an emotion inside and not let it slip from your lips? Almost impossible. That’s because our hearts and our mouths are wired to work in unison. What we say, our hearts believe. And what our hearts believe, we will speak. Jesus Himself said,

People speak the things that are in their hearts. — Luke 6:45

But our words are a double-edged blade. Solomon wrote:

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. — Proverbs 12:18 NIV

What we confess about our future is far more significant than any obstacle or enemy we will encounter. Our words are confessions of our internal persuasions.

What we continue to confess will become the framework of our future.

A wise man once said, “Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.”

Let’s dig deeper into that thought. If a child can be convinced that fire-breathing dragons can be defeated, she can also be convinced that anything else that frightens her can also be defeated. That’s how courage is born. Somewhere down deep, children must believe they are able to defeat what frightens them most.

What do you do with your grown-up version of dragons? How do you handle the monsters, the ones that don’t have scales but leave scars anyway? What about the ones that don’t? They may not breathe fire, but somehow you still feel the burn. Whether you are age four or forty-four, those giants are not easy to confront. The courage to go up against what we most fear often begins with our mouths before it ever gives movement to our feet.

Authentic bravery is activated by our vocabulary long before it gives way to action.

Our words have influence over our surroundings. Picture Jesus staring into the face of the storm and speaking the words,

Peace, be still.

When those three words rippled over the water, the waves quit cascading over the bow of the boat (Mark 4:36-39 KJV).

So how about you? What words tumble off your lips during moments of crisis?

My life never moved in the right direction until my words began to lead the way. When I started speaking life into my future, it took on the shape of those words. Remember, that’s how God created the very world we live in. He spoke. The Bible tells us that

the whole world was made by God’s command. — Hebrews 11:3, emphasis added

And then, when He created man, we are told that God breathed into him, and “man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7 KJV). Sometimes our dreams just need us to breathe life into them, to speak life into them. What words are you using to shape your future? Are they words God would speak over you? Are they positive? Encouraging? Inspiring? Every word you speak in some way shapes your destiny.

As a woman who has witnessed words shape the lives of my sisters, I urge you to resolve to crush the self-criticism and any other words that would get in the way of your future, and replace them with words of faith.

Excerpted with permission from Becoming Brave by Tracey Mitchell, copyright Tracey Mitchell.

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Your Turn

What words do you think God speaks over your future? Are you speaking synonymous words over yourself? How working on breaking the habit of saying discouraging things to ourselves and replacing those words with scripture. Will you join us? Let’s speak life into ourselves rather than defeat! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily