"Up or Down the Mountain"

"Up or Down the Mountain"

Having a teenage boy and a pre-teen daughter, things can get really interesting in my house! I get so upset with my kids when I hear them talking negatively to themselves about themselves. There was one day I had all I could possibly take! One of my kids was talking so negatively, I looked at them and said:

 “You can talk yourself up the mountain 

or you can talk yourself down the mountain. 

I can’t control how you talk to yourself.”

Then, you know how God always tends to work in funny ways! About a week later, I was in a position where I was just reading myself the riot act...in my head of course! Something had upset me!  Before I knew it I was allowing all these negative words to consume me and to be spoken to me....by me!

At that moment what I had spoken to my children came flooding back into my mind. “You can talk yourself up the mountain or you can talk yourself down the mountain. I can’t control how you talk to yourself.” 

We can’t control how others talk about themselves or others. But guess what ladies, we can control how we talk to ourselves! God can control how we talk to ourselves! How do you talk to yourself? Let’s not allow ourselves to talk ourselves up a mountain. Let’s take control of how we talk to ourselves about ourselves. 

When we participate in conversations with ourselves, more times than not, we are led up the mountain. We get all worked up, which ends up filling ourselves with anxiety & fear. 

Instead of participating in that negative conversation with myself, I should have participated in a positive conversation with my loving Father. I should have asked Him to take control of my thoughts and feelings. I should have let Him lead me down the mountain.

“So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. Follow the example of all that we have imparted to you and the God of peace will be with you in all things.”

Philippians 4:8-9 TPT

So why should we let God control our thoughts? Why should we let Him lead us down the mountain? Because He loves us! He wants to speak life into us, not deplete us of it. He wants us to live in peace, not in anxiety. 

Let’s push aside all the negative thoughts and feelings! Listen & look to our Heavenly Father! He is the “God of Peace”.