From Comparison to Confidence: Small Steps Toward Lasting ChangeSample

When I sit down to write, I don't work in silence. I often listen to movie soundtracks, particularly those composed by Hans Zimmer. From Gladiator to The Dark Knight to Top Gun: Maverick, his music helps me focus and create.

But whether or not you enjoy movie soundtracks, we all have soundtracks playing in our heads. These are the phrases and thoughts that come back repeatedly. Research has shown that about 80 percent of our thoughts are repetitive day after day. Some mental soundtracks are life-giving, but many are unhelpful - intrusive, negative, and discouraging thoughts. They might be things people have said about us or the "greatest hits" of our failures and disappointments.

If you want to overcome insecurity, you need to address these soundtracks. Author and speaker Jon Acuff teaches that changing your mental soundtrack involves three steps:

1. Identify and interrupt the old soundtrack. Learn to recognize that negative voice when it creeps up.
2. Replace that soundtrack with a new one based on truth.
3. Repeat the new ones until they define who you are.

Think about how you change the music playing in your car. When a song comes on that you don't like, you first have to notice it. Then, you can hit skip and choose a better song. Finally, you might add that better song to a playlist you return to often. The same process works with our mental soundtracks.

Here's an example. Many of us have this soundtrack: "I've failed too much to do anything great for God." But consider Paul's words in Romans 8:37-39: "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Remember who wrote these words - Paul was once a terrorist who persecuted and murdered Christians! Yet God transformed him into one of the most influential followers of Jesus in history. When Paul felt unworthy, he replaced that soundtrack with the truth of God's unfailing love.

Another familiar soundtrack is "I feel inadequate for what God has called me to do." But throughout Scripture, God routinely called "inadequate" people to do extraordinary things:

• Moses had a speech impediment yet became God's spokesperson to Pharoah in Exodus 5
• Gideon was hiding in fear when God called him a mighty warrior in Judges 6
• Simon was known for being inconsistent, yet Jesus named him Peter (which means "Rock") in John 1

The key isn't changing these soundtracks once - it's repeating the new truth until it becomes more familiar than the old lies. This process takes time. You won't fix a soundtrack you've had since childhood in a month or even a year. But in five years of consistently replacing lies with truth? That's how lasting change happens.

Here's a practical way to start: When you notice a negative soundtrack playing, write it down. Then find a verse that directly contradicts that lie. Put that verse somewhere you'll see it daily - maybe as your phone's lock screen or on your bathroom mirror. Every time you see it, speak it out loud. Remember, you're not just trying to think different thoughts - you're training yourself to believe different truths.

Tomorrow, I'll share a personal story about how God exposed some toxic soundtracks in my life. But today, what negative soundtrack keeps playing in your mind? What truth from God's Word could replace it?

Remember: If you want to harvest confidence in God's calling, you must repeat His truth about your identity.