What Name Do You Answer To?

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. — Galatians 3:26

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. — Psalm 139:14

What names have others tried to put on you? Resist those names. Know who you are. You are a child of the living, Most High God. You aren’t a hodgepodge mishmash of leftover scraps. You were wonderfully made to be you and never answer to anything else...

• The good thing is no matter what anyone says about you or even what you say about yourself God always has a better word.

Negative self-talk needs to go. Because we talk to ourselves worse than anyone else. The tongue is described as “the pen of a ready writer” in Psalm 45:1 (KJV). That means our mouths are fast to express the thoughts overflowing from our minds. Our tongue is a scribe of what’s in our hearts. So when you catch yourself talking trash about yourself, it’s a signal that you need to change what’s in your mind. It’s time to be set free from self-rejection. Pay attention to what you call yourself.

Stop... calling yourself a loser because you made a mistake, had a bad thought, or didn’t live up to someone else’s expectations. Stop talking yourself out of success and into the ditch of “less than.”

I feel convicted even as I write this, because recently I recorded myself all day talking with a small digital tape recorder. After two days, I went back and listened. To my shock, I said over two hundred hateful, negative things about myself and to myself. And here’s the kicker: the things I said were untrue. The characteristics I criticized were my superpowers. I commented that I was too loud, too boisterous, and needed to tone it down.

And that was just out loud. I had no way of recording my internal jabs at myself.

Try this yourself. Leave a recorder on for several days. It’s like reality TV. You’ll forget it’s there and get what your verbal patterns are. You’ll be surprised at what comes out of your mouth!

We are so loose with our words, but they really matter. That old saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is simply not true. I’ve been hurt by words more than sticks and stones. And my own words have hurt me more than the haters’. We can talk ourselves into our depression, into struggles if we aren’t mindful...

Stop believing what others say about you. Don’t let them define you based on their perception. And by the way, check what you’re saying about yourself too. Speak to yourself with respect, love, kindness, admiration, and mercy, because that’s how God speaks to you. If you hear people you love saying terrible things about themselves, wouldn’t you stop them? Yes. Why wouldn’t God feel that way about you too?

Girl, today, right now. Look back in that mirror.

What are you saying to yourself?

What are you believing about yourself? “I am too ______.” Fill in the blank. (Your criticisms will be different than the ones I heap on myself.). Or, “I am always _____.”

What are the names you’re calling yourself?

W. C. Fields said, “It ain’t what they call you; it’s what you answer to!”*

What name do you answer to? If people demean you, then they have the problem. If people call you out of your name, it’s a signal they are not confident in themselves. They are trying to find something to give themselves value. They’re only trying to keep you on their basic level—misery truly does love company—but you can soar like an eagle. If someone wants to stay low, that’s on them. If you stay with them down in the ravines of life, that’s on you. This is a learned behavior. Stop listening to what other people say about you...

Be careful who you keep company with. You may not be able to change the company around you, but you can be careful what you let seep into your soul... I am giving you permission not to believe the lies of criticisms like you’re too fat, you’re dumb, or you’re not beautiful. It might take a while to get other people to notice that you’re not letting their toxicity into your life, but your internal change can be swift.

It’s vital to recognize when people call you out of your name and how to handle it so that it does not disrupt your pursuit of your calling.

You may be underestimated and undervalued by someone in your life. But don’t let that sideline you. Don’t let anyone sideline you, including yourself. Don’t be your own hater. If someone tells you that you are less than, you need to have the confidence to tell them who you really are. Tell them strong enough, lest they forget. It may be that you have to work harder and smarter than what that person says. So, if you are in a tough situation at work or at home, don’t let the harsh words of others get inside your spirit.

Don’t let anyone call you out of your name. And if they do, don’t believe them. Fill your mind and your mouth with the words of who you really are —blessed, brilliant, beautiful.

• How you think about yourself today determines who you will be tomorrow.

* W. C. Fields, quote widely attributed online. 

Excerpted with permission from Collecting Confidence by Kim Gravel, copyright Kim Gravel.

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Your Turn 

Negative self-talk needs to go. It’s not what others or even you say about yourself that matters. It’s what God says about you that matters and is the truth! Don’t answer to any other names than the ones He calls you! ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full