Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 42:5-6
The psalmist models for us what it looks like to address our own souls. Notice, he does not simply listen to his own feelings and thoughts, he speaks to himself. He asks himself questions, and he encourages himself with reasons to hope in God.
Every day, you have to reset your soul to embrace, believe, live on and rejoice in all that Jesus Christ has done for you. Milton Vincent puts it this way: “Preach the gospel to yourself every day”.
Tell yourself who you are in Christ. Tell yourself what Christ has done for you on the cross. Tell yourself how He is with you now. Tell yourself what lies ahead of you.
Make sure it is the gospel you are preaching to yourself, not the law! Some of us are in the habit of preaching the law to ourselves every day. That will drain the life out of your soul. “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6).
Christians sometimes talk about spiritual disciplines— reading the Bible, praying, etc. But we should put this discipline at the top of the list: preach the gospel to yourself every day.
The Christian life is a life of faith. Faith lays hold of all that Christ has accomplished on the cross, so nourishing this faith is priority number one for a healthy Christian life. Preach the gospel to yourself every day and your soul will be strengthened, lifted, restored and renewed.
Are you daily laying hold of all that Christ accomplished on the cross?
