As a leader, your words will have a profound impact on other people.  But did you know your words will have as much or even more impact on your own life?  Yes, you should be mindful of others; that’s what makes you a leader.  But you can’t forget about yourself!  You must speak words of faith to keep yourself encouraged.

Life is a battle, and faith is a fight.  There are plenty of opportunities to get discouraged in leadership.  But one action that will help you to stay strong on the right course is to speak the right words.  And what better words could you speak than those straight from the scriptures?

You see, most Christians understand about the importance of reading the Bible to know God’s truth.  But I’d like to encourage you to take it a step further from reading the Bible to confessing the Bible.  “Faith comes be hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV).  One way we hear God’s word is through the preaching of the Bible at church.  We feel better after a church service, because our faith has been built as we’ve heard the word of God.  That’s great, but sometimes when we’re all alone, we have to preach to ourselves!  Sometimes, you need to hear yourself declaring God’s word.

When I was in college at Oral Roberts University, I heard a sermon preached by Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty about the importance of confessing God’s word.  He encouraged us students to pick out some of our favorite scriptures from the Bible, write them down, and confess them out loud to ourselves every day.  So, I did that.  I started writing down a few scriptures in a notebook and quoting them out loud to myself every morning.  Every time I did, I would feel myself being strengthened in my spirit, and I found new energy to move forward with God’s call on my life.

Before long, I quoted the same scriptures enough that I had memorized them.  Then, I could confess them anywhere at any time of the day.  Something as mundane as a walk across campus turned into my own personal revival service, because I confessed God’s word as I went!  The more I confessed the scriptures, the more I believed them, and the more confident I grew in God.

You see, the word of God is “living and powerful,” and it gives you strength as you declare it for yourself (Hebrews 4:12).  I’ve also found that declaring God’s truth throughout the day is a great way to renew my mind, keeping my thoughts in line with the will of God.

Jesus declared, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).  Just as we need food for daily physical strength, we need the word of God for daily spiritual strength.  When the going gets tough, His word keeps us going!

There’s an account in the Bible of a time when King David faced a time of great disappointment as he was leading the army of Israel.  Their enemy invaded one of their major cities, burned it to the ground, and took their families as captives. Then, David’s own army threatened to stone him.  But in the middle of the turmoil, the Bible tells us that “David encouraged himself in the LORD” (1 Samuel 30:6, KJV).  That’s a great lesson for leaders like us today.  Sometimes, we have to encourage ourselves in the Lord … especially when circumstances are bad.

So, take time this week to write down a few Bible scriptures that are meaningful to you.  Then, make a special point to say them out loud several times to yourself.  Keep doing that every day, and see what God will do.  Encourage yourself in the Lord!

Leadership Lesson: It’s okay to talk to yourself! Speak scriptures out loud to keep yourself encouraged.