Preach the Gospel to Yourself
I recently listened to an inspiring message about the Gospel. It’s not that I heard anything I hadn’t before. Rather, it was the speaker’s conviction to remain captivated by the beauty of the Gospel that spoke to my heart. As Christians, we’re familiar, yet perhaps to a fault, with the Gospel. We memorize and can recite key passages explaining the Gospel. Additionally, we embrace our calling to witness the Gospel. And if asked, I think we would all respond without hesitation that the Gospel is powerful and life transforming. And all of this is, of course, only a good thing!
Yet, at the same time, I’m led to wonder if our focused commitment to listen to and share the Gospel, has perhaps caused us to neglect an equally important aspect of the Gospel. And by this, I’m referring to preaching the Gospel to ourselves.
It’s a Critical Necessity
If the concept of preaching the Gospel to yourself seems pointless, I assure you it’s not. Instead, it’s a critical necessity. Why? Well, primarily because no one talks/preaches to you more than you do. Whether you realize it or not, you actually talk to yourself more than you may think. You talk to yourself in your thoughts, prayers, worship, and in your verbal responses to your circumstances, both good and bad. The fact is you are your greatest influencer. And because of this, it’s critical that your words, both the ones you speak and think, align with the Gospel.
Biblical Examples of this Discipline
The practice of speaking the Gospel to yourself is a spiritual discipline exemplified by several notable biblical figures.
For instance, King David, during a particularly low season in his life, questioned himself regarding the source of his sadness. And through the process of personal examination, he was empowered to turn from speaking discouragement to instead declaring: “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:5 NLT)!
Similarly, the prophet Jeremiah expressed overwhelming grief in response to his “suffering and homelessness”, which he described as “bitter beyond words”. Yet, despite his circumstances, he willed himself to remember God’s faithful love. And as he did, his words of despair transformed into hope-filled words, enabling him to speak truth: “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him” (Lamentations 3:24 NLT)!
And even Jesus, prior to His crucifixion, shared truth with his friends while simultaneously encouraging himself saying,] “… the time is coming—… [when all of you will] leave me alone. Yet I am [never] alone because the Father is with me” (John 16:32 NLT).
How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself
Thankfully for us the Scriptures include practical methods equipping us to preach the Gospel to ourselves. And not surprisingly, each of these ways is connected to thoughts, which makes perfect sense, as our thought life directly impacts our talk life. In essence, what we think determines what we say. For this reason, if we desire to preach the Gospel to ourselves, we must commit to the following biblical disciplines.
Meditation
Psalm 1:1 reminds us to meditate on God’s Word, day and night. Biblical meditation is the intentional action of filling our minds with the truths of Scripture. This practice, which includes rehearsing, reciting, and memorizing the truths and promises in God’s Word, equips us in speaking the Gospel over ourselves.
Control Our Thoughts
2 Corinthians 5:10 prompts us to take our thoughts captive in obedience to Christ. This means controlling our thoughts by rejecting any that do not completely agree with Scripture. This requires diligent oversight regarding what we expose our minds to, what and who we listen to, as well as regular discarding of any unproductive thoughts from our minds.
Choose Our Thoughts
Philippians 4:8 is an exhortation to intentionally fill our minds with praiseworthy thoughts. The fact is we do get to choose our thoughts. This is both a privilege and a responsibility. And choosing to saturate our minds with the reality of Scripture better prepares us to speak the Gospel over ourselves, rather than voicing our limited perceptions of our circumstances.
Guard Our Hearts
And finally, Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to carefully guard our hearts— and for a good reason. You see, from a biblical perspective, the heart and mind are closely related. So, the action of guarding our hearts simply means taking ownership of what we allow in it because what we allow in it determines what we think and what we say. This means if we are serious about speaking the Gospel over ourselves, we must guard our hearts.
So perhaps today, take some time considering the critical importance of preaching the Gospel to yourself, recognizing this is a privileged responsibility, greatly benefiting you, your circumstances and the people you love.
Pray
Father God, thank you for revealing the Gospel to me, for giving me the grace to believe and receive it, and for empowering me to share it with others. I recognize that Your Gospel is life-giving, powerful and transformative. Because of this, I commit to share your Gospel with others as well as continually preach it to myself. In Jesus’ Name, I thank and praise you, Amen.
Reflect
What does “preaching the Gospel to yourself” mean to you? What steps can you take to put this practice into action?
Encourage others with your response to this week’s question HERE or in the Comments section below.