Bless Yourself

Bless Yourself 

We hear a lot about blessing others, being good to friends, complimenting a family member, helping a neighbor. That's all good, we should bless others, but it's also important to bless yourself. When we hear bless yourself that can sound odd, self-centered. "I can't bless myself, I want somebody else to bless me”. We can invoke blessings on ourselves by speaking. In salat we say, 'Peace on us and the pious ones'. Assalamu `alaina wa `ala `ibadillahis shalihin السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين 

We can bless ourselves by saying, "I am strong, I am talented, I am healthy, I am valuable, I am generous". Those are not just positive affirmations; you invoke blessings on yourself. When you speak it out, you give life to what you're saying. It's not enough to just think this. You don't bless yourself by just dwelling on positive thoughts. Nothing happens until you speak. When you say "I am blessed", blessings come looking for you. When you say "I am prosperous", good breaks start heading your way. When you say "I am healthy", health starts tracking you down. 

You can't wait 'til you feel that way then you're going to say it. "When the medical report turns around, then I'll say I'm healthy". It's just the opposite. You have to declare you're healthy before the health is going to show up. You have to say "I am confident", before you're going to feel confident. If you'll say it long enough, what happens? Is, those words get down in your soul and you believe what you say about yourself more than what anyone else says about you. When you hear yourself day after day, "I am healthy, I am talented, I am confident, I am valuable", it's changing how you see yourself. Over time you're going to become what you're saying. 

You are who you are in part today, because of what you've been speaking over your life. And all through the day you need to develop this habit of blessing yourself. You don't have to do it in front of other people, but when you're in the shower, "Remind yourself, I am creative, I am attractive, I am a great father, I have a good personality". While driving, say, "O my Creator! your mercy is bigger than my mistakes". Before you go to bed, say, "I am valuable, I am one-of-a-kind, I have seeds of greatness". Every time you say that, it's getting deeper in your soul, it's becoming more ingrained (deep-rooted) in your thinking. 

And studies tell us that we move toward what's in our subconscious mind. Without even thinking about it you're being pulled toward what you're saying. That's why it's so important to pay attention to what you're speaking over yourself. Other people may say things about you, but nothing is more powerful than what you say about yourself. I can tell you all day long "You're a victor and not a victim", that's good, that's helping your thinking, but it's nothing compared to when you say "I am great of the Great". You keep declaring that and you can't stay insecure, feeling unworthy - that will get down in your soul, you'll put your shoulders back, hold your head up high and you'll go places that you've never dreamed. 

Are you blessing yourself or are you just waiting for somebody else to bless you, waiting for your spouse to make you feel valuable, waiting for that addiction to go away? Maybe the reason, it's not happening, is you're not invoking the blessing on yourself, you're not declaring the great purpose of your creation. In the face of that addiction you need to declare "I am free, I am whole, greater is he that's in me than what's trying to stop me". Not just one time, but all through the day, week after week, month after month, keep blessing yourself, keep declaring you're free, keep speaking about success. As you do that, you may not be able to see it, but freedom is coming your way. 

You become what you say. Whatever you're saying that seed is growing. Plant doesn't grow overnight, it takes time. You have to keep speaking it, keep blessing yourselves. Don't be moved by what's not changing. You may not see results in a week, but things are happening that you can't see. 

I watched some lemon trees growing in my backyard. The lemons start off as a little white flower, no resemblance of a lemon. Over time that flower changes into a little round ball about the size of a penny. Month after month it grows. In a year or so it's a big beautiful yellow lemon. And as you keep saying what is purpose of your life, those words are taking root. That freedom your speaking is developing, that health you're declaring, the talent, the confidence, the discipline, it's growing. You're going to come to a point where you see what you've been saying. You're not speaking it by faith anymore, now it's a reality, you're going to eat the fruit of your words. 

That's why every day you need to spend time blessing yourself. It's good when others encourage you, it's good when they pray for you, but their words don't have the authority as your words. What you say about yourself, you're giving it the right to come to pass. When we wake up each morning, most of us brush our teeth, take a shower, pick out our clothes, get dressed. We may spend a half an hour getting our physical body ready for the day, but often we don't spend any time getting our inner soul ready for the day: our mind, our emotions. What if you took a couple of minutes every morning before you leave the house and say what is needed to say for you? 

Make this declaration of believe, you can download it from a website: "I am blessed, I am prosperous, talented, creative, disciplined, focused, confident, secure, prepared, qualified, motivated, valuable, free, determined, equipped and empowered. Not average, not mediocre, I am created for a great purpose". 

Say it again and again, because it's easy to forget who we are. Life tries to push us down, tells us what we're not, what we can't do, how we failed. Sometimes our own thoughts tell us, we're not attractive, nothing good is in our future. If you let those lies play, it will keep you from your purpose. But if you'll make this declaration several times a day, month after month, it will get down in your soul and you will become who you should be. When you're constantly speaking great about you, it will bring down strongholds that are keeping you back, it will get rid of impurities that are contaminating your self-image, you'll begin to see yourself the right way, strong, victorious. 

I talked to a man that was raised in a dysfunctional home. He was told by his father that he would never amount to anything, he wasn't smart enough, he'd never be successful. For 40 years he believed those lies. He stayed at the lowest level position at the company where he worked, never thought he could rise higher, after all he was told that he didn't have the talent. One day he heard a great speech. Instead of agreeing with what people said about him, he started speaking about himself: "I am purposefully created. I have seeds of greatness. I am full of potential". 

As he started rightly speaking, he began to see himself in a new way, he became more confident, new capabilities started to come out. Other people started to notice. He got promoted again and again. After 30 years of being stuck at that low-level position, today he's running his whole department, he has several hundred people under his supervision. 

People may tell you that you're average, nothing special is about you. The fact is: what you say about yourself overrides what other people say. Don't let what someone spoke over you keep you from becoming who you were created to be. Don't go around repeating those lies, "I'm not that talented, I've reached my limits, I'll never accomplish my dreams". Zip that up and speak blessings over your life. 

Words can raise or ruin us. Words can lift up or words can push down. My question is: are you blessing yourself or are you cursing yourself? Are you speaking words of life, success or are you speaking defeat, mediocrity? "I'm so undisciplined, I'll never lose this weight, I'll never break this addiction, I'm unattractive, I'll never meet the right person". You may not realize it, but you're cursing yourself. You're speaking defeat into your future. You have enough people in life against you, don't be against yourself. There are forces of darkness trying to keep you from your destiny, don't give them any fuel. 

Pay attention to what you're saying about yourself. You can't talk defeat and have success. You can't talk lack and have enough. You can't talk sickness and have health. You may be undisciplined right now, but the way to change is not by telling how bad you are, putting yourself down - that's inviting more difficulties. Start speaking success. Don't curse yourself anymore, start blessing yourself, "I am disciplined, I am determined, I am strong, I will break this addiction, I will get back in shape". 

A friend of mine struggled with smoking for many years. He tried to quit again and again, wasn't able to do it. He was constantly saying, "It's too hard, I'll never break it, I don't have the willpower". He came to me and he was very hard on himself, very critical. He told me how he was undisciplined, how he had quit for a few months and went back and how he wasn't going to be able to break it. He didn't realize, he was cursing himself. And I told him what I'm telling you: you have to change what you're saying. You have to start blessing yourself. Every day start saying "I am strong, I am disciplined, this addiction doesn't control me". 

He tried this different approach. While he was smoking, he would say "O My Creator, I praise You that I am free". Thoughts would tell him, "Are you kidding? You're not free, you're just as addicted as you were before". The fact is, "Let the weak say, I am strong". Don't describe the weakness, call in strength, call in freedom, call in help from Almighty. 

About six months later something interesting happened - he started to not like the taste of the cigarette. He thought it was a bad badge. The taste got worse and worse, he got to the point where he couldn't stand it, he stopped smoking. Today he's been free for over eight years. It all started when he stopped cursing himself and he started blessing himself. Are you speaking negative over yourself? Are you putting yourself down, talking about how you don't measure up, what you can't do, how you'll never be free? Do yourself a favor: quit cursing yourself and start blessing yourself. If you keep being negative towards yourself, it will keep you from your destiny. 

There are some pious people who never cursed their enemies. They think everyone the property of Almighty. He has already put blessings on you. People, bad-breaks, how you were raised, what's coming against you, cannot stop your purpose. You've already been set apart, equipped, empowered by the Creator of the universe. But here's the key: since the enemy can't curse you, he'll try to deceive you into cursing yourself. He'll do his best to try to get you to go through life speaking defeat over yourself. "I'm not that talented. I'll never meet the right person. I've made too many mistakes". He can't curse you, don't you dare do it for him, don't you dare curse yourself. 

The next time you're tempted to say something negative about yourself, your future, your looks, your abilities - zip it up. When you're against yourself, you're in agreement with the enemy. When you bless yourself, you're in agreement with Almighty. We are created with a great purpose. He didn't make any mistakes, you didn't get short chained, He wasn't having a bad day when He made you. He knew every fault you would have, He knew the areas you would struggle in. Quit beating yourself up, living unworthy - receive His Mercy and move forward with your life. You have the talent you need, you come from the right family, you are well able to reach your purpose. 

Now start blessing yourself. When you're tempted to say something negative, turn it around. "You're not attractive" -> "I am greatly created". "You've made too many mistakes" -> "I have repented". 

[إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ2:222 Verily, God loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and He loves those who keep themselves pure.] 

"You'll never be successful. You'll never reach your limit" -> "I am surrounded by fortune. Almighty has taken me from noble to noble. My latter days will be better than my former days". 

Are you blessing yourself or are you cursing yourself? You have a purpose to fulfill, there's a calling on your life, an assignment that only you can accomplish. We need what you have. We need your capabilities. We need your talent. We need your smile. We need your love. This world won't be as bright a place as it should be without you shining, living the full bright life that you were created to live.