Mayhem....

We’ve all seen those “Allstate insurance” commercials about mayhem. The guy falls of the roof, gets run over by a car or some other devastating thing happens to him. Well. most people think that the mayhem adds were successful, but according to the Chicago Tribune Allstate has been losing market share for some time. In other words the add campaign just did NOT work.  If you stop and think about it none of us wants to live expecting “mayhem.” In fact we all really want to avoid it, not prepare for it. I want to help you do everything you can to prevent mayhem in your life.Nothing gets in our way of living more than our mouths! If your mouths are full of mayhem your lives will be full of mayhem.The words we speak to ourselves can literally bring stuff (stuff you don’t want)  into our daily lives. The Scriptures are so very clear about our speech and how it has the potential to help or hinder our lives. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that both life and death are in the power of our tongue. Think about it for just a minute, those words that you say under your breathe to yourself have the power to encourage or discourage, to motivate or deflate, to generate life or repel it destroy it.“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for build gin others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29).When people disregard this advice, most people routinely say unwholesome things to or about themselves that they would never say to a respected friend. Things like:- I’m never going to be happy again.- We’re just growing apart.- I hate the way I look.- How could he ever forgive me?- I don’t have what it takes.- The honeymoon is officially over.- I’m just not creative.Have you ever said that stuff? In truth these junk statements begin with careless thoughts. Those careless thoughts eventually become careless words. However, you are not limited to thinking or speaking in only one way. You have the great privilege to choose from an unlimited number of positive possibilities. You can refuse to give “airtime” to those kinds of life stealing thoughts. Thoughts that are opposite of what God intends for you. So heres a thought: “Stop beating up on yourself... start building yourself up, right now.”Go ahead, speak to and about yourself as if you’ve already achieved your highest potential. Speak confidently about yourself and your life. God has assured you of a “hope and a wonderful future,” so go ahead and speak as one who knows of HIs faithfulness. Be a respectful and encouraging friend to yourself. Use your mouth, your words to lift up yourself and others. The more you give to others the more you will receive.I want to encourage you to take charge of your mouth for the purpose of stopping the mental mayhem that is advanced by sloppy speech. The words that we speak both reveal and reinforce our view of ourself and those beliefs that harm or help us. Careless words create an atmosphere where mayhem is more likely to occur. What if I were to turn on my iPhone and start posting on facebook live all the words that you were speaking to yourself today. Would that be a good thing?I’m not going to do that, but be assured your subconscious has recorded everything you’ve said and it does play it back to you at a time of it’s choosing, influencing you for good or bad. Changing the way you communicate to yourself and others will alter your self-concept and your concept of others. The words you use today will create the world you’ll experience tomorrow. Whatever your focus!Does it take any more energy to say “I’m terrific” or “Excellent, thanks,” over “Okay?”  Did you know that your answer acts like a command to your subconscious? Do you know that compared to millions, if not billions of people in the world who struggle to meet the most basic needs, you are doing great. If you want an average day, then answer with an average response, “fine, okay I guess.” If you want something more, remember the potential is within you and it is on your tongue.Go ahead begin today to speak only what you seek. Speak as if you are already the person God intends for you to become and are already living the life of your dreams. Speak as if you believe in your own prayers. Stop clinging to the past by talking about yourself as the person you no longer desire to be.Avoid making repeated references to your mistakes and fears. Reflect for moment on Isaiah 43:18-19: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”Become highly sensitive to what you think about most often. What you say to yourself and others provides the biggest clue about the quality of your thought life and the expected quality of tomorrow.Remind yourself that nothing is too good to be true for a child of the King. God wants you to prosper and have every good thing. Do not block his generosity with unprofitable talk. Swap all self-defeating words, phrases, and expressions with their positive opposites. Make up your mind to rid yourself of “mental mayhem.” Talk only about what is “good, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.” Avoid saying things that are unbecoming of a child of God. Make everything that comes out of your mouth pass through the filter of Philippians 4:8.If you cannot say something positive, silence is the best substitute.With persistence, you can control your tongue. Go ahead align your words with your prayers. Agree with God. Train your mind via your mouth. Cut out, one by one, every expression or remark that is inconsistent with the person he wants you to be.Lets protect our lives from “mayhem.”