From Timid to Tenacious: The Simple, Biblical Habit That Transformed My Life
Writing about the source of spiritual battles, the apostle Paul recalled: "Indeed, we live as human beings" (2 Cor. 10:3, NRSV). This simple thought reveals an obvious reality, even for us who call ourselves Christians. Yes, we do live as humans, which means we deal with human experiences: regrets and struggles, disabilities and pains, trials and tragedies.
Thankfully, Paul did not conclude with the idea that we are hopelessly locked into a fallen condition with no means of relief. Far from it. "There is hope for us," Paul essentially boasted! But not through our own doings and devices, he continued. Hope to truly overcome the issues in our lives ("arguments and obstacles," as Paul put it) is offered through the transforming power of God's Word (see 2 Cor. 10:4–5).
After years of obstacles that plagued me into early adult life, this is the hope I discovered and the transformation I found. This can be your experience, too.
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The Preschool Dropout
My struggles, as many can relate, have childhood roots. While I cannot pinpoint the cause (I lived in a stable home with very present and God-fearing parents), as early as I can remember, I suffered almost debilitating shyness. My timidity was so hindering, in fact, that I pestered my mother until she allowed me to drop out of my first year of preschool.
By early elementary, teachers were convinced I could not read. When called upon to read aloud, I would freeze at my desk, head hung low, nervously looking up through wilted eyes of insecurity. This led to remedial attention with only a handful of other students who actually had difficulty reading.
Out of this struggle developed other feelings. No one wanted to befriend someone who does not talk, nor did I have confidence to pursue friendship on my own. Because I did not apply myself in athletics, other boys my age questioned my masculinity. "What is wrong with me?" I thought in humiliation as I overheard classmates refer to me as "half of a guy." Consequently, I lived as an outcast, feeling rejected and different.
The danger of wrestling with certain feelings for so long is that they eventually begin to define you. Suffering rejection time after time, I began to think, "I am a reject." This then became like a lens through which I saw my present and future. For years, I held personal relationships at arm's length, avoided many social situations and experienced weeks of mental torment if someone, by word or action, tapped into one of my many insecurities. The results? More isolation, loneliness and self-doubt.
An Answer from God
Nearly a decade after my born-again experience at 16 years old, I cried out to God about these lingering struggles. "I have prayed every prayer, stood in countless charismatic healing lines and attempted numerous deliverance methods," I protested with more desperation than ever. "Yet, why do I not feel like the new person Your Word promises? Why do I still battle? Why do I still deal with many of the same issues?"
God responded. Though not with an audible voice, nor any kind of vision, God's answer came through a simple, but piercing word in my heart: "Identify with your new identity." These instructions sparked the realization of a new grace in my life, which today remains the foundation of my confidence and boldness as I minister to thousands through media and live speaking.
Identifying with Your New Identity
Defined, identity is "the fact of who someone is." We all have one. For many, it is perceived, made up of mistakes, feelings and even the words spoken about us. This negative belief about oneself eventually dictates behavior, and, as I experienced, the direction of one's life.
For anyone who claims Christ as their Lord, the Bible details a new identity. At salvation, God gives a new definition for one's life that is despite failures and shortcomings, but founded upon the spotless, sinless life of Jesus. This "identity in Christ" is made up of His attributes that God offers us to call our own: "child of God" (Gal. 3:26), "made new" (2 Cor. 5:17), "righteous" (2 Cor. 5:21), "loved unconditionally" (Rom. 8:38–39), "complete" (Col. 2:10) and "God's masterpiece" (Eph. 2:10), to name a few.
To identify means to "establish who someone is." And this is what God instructed me to do, which was the genesis of my transformation. I had to begin to establish that who I am is not based upon how I feel, what I fear or the ways I fell, but that my identity is who God says that I am in Christ. In short, I had to change my "I am" by beginning to proactively think and speak about myself according to the truths of God's Word: "I am a child of God;" "I am complete;" "I am accepted;" "I am God's masterpiece;" and so on.
To be sure, this is not the name-it-claim-it theology that dogged the charismatic movement in the '70s and '80s. Nor is it positive thinking popularized by modern new age gurus. No, this is application of Paul's age-old instructions to the Corinthians that we "destroy arguments and every proud obstacle set up against the knowledge of God [truth of God's Word]" by "[taking] every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4–5). The point is to activate the power of God's Word to align our minds and wills to God's truths, which in turn produces transformation (see Rom. 12:2).
Activating the Power of God's Word
A famous quote profoundly illustrates the life-transforming power of the mind and the mouth.
"Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
Essentially, what begins in the mind eventually makes its way out of the mouth and then trickles down to affect every aspect of life—negatively or positively.
As I explore in my book, Activating the Power of God's Word: 16 Strategic Declarations to Transform Your Life, God's people have always known about the power of the mouth. The psalmist revealed the source of satisfaction is found by "meditating on God's law [His Word] day and night" (Ps. 1:1–3). (Jewish meditation is an emotional process of thinking and speaking.) Proverbs advised, "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Pro. 18:21). To win spiritual battles, Paul instructed to "take up ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the [spoken] Word of God" (Eph. 6:17).
The author of Hebrews asserted God's Word is "living and active" (Heb. 4:12). And the way to activate its transforming power for identity and purpose, rest and refreshment, overcoming obstacles or winning spiritual battles is to use God's Word the way it was originally intended—speaking it aloud.
Over time, the consistent, proactive practice of declaring God's truths transformed me. I am a markedly different person today than I was in my preschool-dropout past. Sure, I still have weaknesses and struggles. And I still experience insecurities, feelings and fears, from time to time. There is no spiritual immunization from experiencing difficulties or pain. We still live as human beings in fallen world, after all. But in my life, those feelings, fears, insecurities and struggles no longer define me nor defeat me. God's Word is more real than what I feel. His Word is my ultimate reality; and it will be yours, too, when you begin to activate its power in your life.
Kyle Winkler (www.kylewinkler.org) is the creator of the popular Shut Up, Devil! mobile app. His latest book is Activating the Power of God's Word: 16 Strategic Declarations to Transform Your Life. Kyle holds a Master of Divinity in biblical studies from Regent University. Connect with him on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
