The Self-Deprecating Tongue {Day 8}

30 Days to Taming Your Tongue - What you say (and don't say) will improve your relationships by Deborah Smith Pegues

Day Eight - The Self-Deprecating Tongue

Moses said to the Lord, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow of speech and tongue - Exodus 4:10

You engage self-deprecation when you think or speak of yourself as being of little or no worth and thereby minimize the value of what you "bring to the table" or have to offer.  Notice how Satan seeks to take us from one extreme to the other.  He tries to make us either boastful or bashful.  He tries to make us think that we are "da bomb" (slang for "really hot stuff") or "done bombed" (totally blew it!).  Don't be ignorant of his tricks.

Self-deprecation is often disguised as humility; but in reality, it is a rejection of the Word of God, which assures us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us - Philippians 4:13  Watch those negative labels you put on yourself.  What others call you is not important; it is only what you call yourself.

Have you had an experience that you have allowed to define you"  Perhaps you have labeled yourself s "fatso" because you have battled your weight for a long time with no apparent victory in sight.  Alternatively, maybe you have defined yourself as a "victim" because you were truly victimized more than once.  You may even consider yourself a "failure" because you are divorced.  It is time to abandon the negative labels and redefine yourself! 

Self-deprecation displeases God.  When Moses complained that he was inadequate to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage because of his speech impediment, God became upset.

The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth?  Who makes him deaf or mute?  Who gives him sight or makes him blind?  Is it not I, the Lord?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say" - Exodus 4:11-12

What an awesome promise from an Omnipotent Being who cannot lie.  We must reject the spirit of inadequacy.  Without God, we can do nothing anyway; with Him we can do all things.  Because of the reality of His Word, we can walk in confidence --not in ourselves-- but in the grace of God that empowers us.

Today's Affirmation:

God is able to make all grace abound toward me; so that I always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.

I have to add my own personal story to this one.  I'll be transparent; I saw the title of today's devotion and put it off as long as possible because I was too busy having a pity party for myself.  My diet has hit a plateau and I've been fighting the depression that will inevitably end my efforts and ruin all the time spent in the "right place."  I've been beating myself up (mentally) for over a week now and today was the worst.  I've called out to God, I've spoken to my mother (who is on this dieting journey with me),  I spoke to a friend and I did some online research.  I learned the reason behind my unwanted stabilization and there's nothing I can do to reverse the effects; it just has to run it's coarse.  When I finally decided to push through today's devotional, I felt a peace overcome me.  I heard a whispered voice reminding me that my adequacy comes from Him and I remembered how I was introduced to this diet program in the first place (at bible study, on a day I was feeling particularly fat and inadequate -- nearly skipped out of going!).  I had to repent and ask forgiveness for doubting that He is in control.  I've decided to go forward with my dieting efforts for the remainder of this coarse and let God work on the inside while I continue to work on the outside.