The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words. The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless. The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.  Proverbs 10:19-21 MSG

What do the voices in your head say to you?  When I am frustrated, tired, or depressed, the chatterbox in my head is loud and incessant.  

When I do something that upsets my child, the voice says, “You are a terrible mother.  You do not know what you are doing.  You are messing up your children because you are making too many mistakes.  Your child will look back on their childhood and resent you because of all the mistakes you make.”

When I have an argument with my husband, the voice says, “He only loves you for the things you do.  He doesn’t love you for who you are.  You are a terrible wife.  You never do enough.  Your house is too messy, you never cook, and you do not spend enough time with him.”

When my coworker doesn’t speak to me all day, I hear, “What did you do to make her mad?  Maybe you are not working hard enough?  You probably offended her when you made a joke yesterday.”

The words I hear in each situation may differ, but the message is always the same.  The message is, “You are not good enough.  You will never be good enough.  You are a disappointment.  Your mistakes define you.  You will never do enough or be enough to be loved.”  

In Proverbs, we learn that words matter.  Proverbs 10:19 (MSG) says “the more talk, the less truth.”  I realize that most people would read this verse and think about the words they speak to others or the words that others speak to them.  However, the words I speak to myself are just as powerful, if not more powerful, than the words that others speak to me.  The words that are spoken most often in my mind are negative and destructive.  These words are so loud and so incessant that they tend to drown out the softer voice that is whispering wise words of love.

Verse 11 goes on to say, “The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless.”  If anyone heard the words that I speak to myself, they would emphatically say that these words are “the blabber of the wicked.”  The verse is clear that the blabber of the wicked is worthless.  

What words do you speak to yourself?  If the blabber of the wicked consumes your thoughts, pray that God will silence those destructive voices.  Instead of listening to lies, turn to scripture that speaks truth, and know that you are loved, valued, and treasured.  If you can’t find a verse, focus on Romans 8:38-39 which assures us, “None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”  

Jesus, help me silence the blabber of the wicked.  When I speak destructive lies to myself, help me focus on Your truth.  Thank You for loving me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.