This guide to developing powerful daily affirmations draws from God’s promises to us and his very clear thoughts about us. Affirmations don’t necessarily have to be based on one’s faith, but I would suppose anytime we go to speak to our core and build ourselves up to make a change, we’ll find ourselves pulling support from our spiritual beliefs.
This article looks at verses we can use in writing a message straight to our heart, replacing any lies with truth, enabling us to live in peace with ourselves and with others.
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What are POWERFUL DAILY Affirmations?
Powerful daily affirmations are declarations of support or encouragement. They can be repeated as reminders and catalysts in changing our outlook and level of success in specific areas of life. Affirming these positive attributes creates heightened focus on our goals, helping us better actualize them.
Thoughts are powerful enough to change who we are, thus who we become.
For as he thinks within himself, so is he. -Proverbs 23:7 (TPT)
Affirmations should include things that are already actively happening in your life alongside those yet to be.
Why should I use powerful daily affirmations?
We receive and relay messages to ourselves, and process them as truth, without much thought. There are always opinions on what success looks like and whether or not we have what it takes, where to place our priorities and what value we have to others. The messages can come from external sources; media, family and friends, peers, bosses, the look we get from a stranger.
While many messages build our confidence, often we hear the negative at loudest volume. Affirmations are a mental Ctrl+Alt+Del and override all other messages by speaking directly to our spirits, intentionally, loudly and clearly, what we know to be true or even aim to be true.
What makes an Affirmation powerful?
- It is actionable.
- It is positive.
- It is present tense.
- It is specific!
Not “I can be patient with others.”, but “I am present with my children and patient with their childlike tendencies.”
Not “I want to be successful.”, but rather, “I possess the qualities needed to be extremely successful.”
Not “I will be happy when <fill in the blank>”, but simply, “I am happy and confident.”
3 questions to inspire your powerful daily affirmations of faith
Powerful daily affirmations not only increase goal-awareness, but also train your mind to be positive. As you affirm yourself, you develop a sensor for when your thoughts fight back against those messages. These 3 Questions will uncover the thoughts that need to be taken captive and aligned with what God thinks of you!
1. what do you think of yourself?
This first step might take a bit of work. The waters can become murky when we mistake what we really think of ourselves with what we wish were true and what we should think. To do this right and get down to the literal heart of the matter, we owe ourselves time enough to answer this truthfully.
You may find that meditating helps. Are the thoughts that surface during your quiet time clues to what you believe about yourself? What do you think of yourself when you read the Bible? As you come across stories of forgiveness, love, or a bright future, what is your gut reaction? Also observe your response when receiving feedback from others. Whether it is positive or negative, your thoughts that follow tell a story! Don’t judge your thoughts. Simply notice what happens and use this valuable information as you move trough the next steps.
2. who told you that?
Negative and conflicting thoughts surface through our entire life. It is not healthy to jam them down without thought. Part of changing our outcome happens through acknowledging the difficult thoughts without immediately assigning value to them. Don’t just assume they are correct!
Can you determine where messages are stemming from? From whose voice? Is it your own or someone else’s? Have they earned the authority to shape your outcome?
This intel will be very valuable in crafting your affirmations! Include them in your strategy.
“I forgive __________.”
“I am capable of and choose to _____________.”
“It is ok to feel ____________”.
You may know exactly where or who these negative thoughts originate. If not, dig deep asking God for courage and wisdom. Pray for the ability to forgive if needed. Letting go of this weight will free you to see yourself (and others!) the way God does.
3. What does god say?
If we’re working to remap our thoughts so they lead us to where we need to be, we can gather inspiration from the creator of our hearts. We are image bearers to a creative, intelligent, compassionate, patient, purposeful God. It seems he would desire we follow suit.
It is easy to feel a sense of overwhelm when trying to understand God’s thoughts on us. I mean, that could go so many ways. At least from human perspective. I always love my loved ones, but my thoughts and feelings toward them each day can sway frequently and dramatically. Clearly, and thankfully, God is not like us.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. -James 1:7 (ESV)
To help us understand God’s steady thoughts on us and his desires for us, we can use scripture to inspect his character, which is revealed so beautifully through his promises to those who believe in him. When a promise is made, it means the promiser places value on the commitment and is undoubtedly aware how valuable that commitment is to the promisee.
Done right, it is a covenant, a vow, an unshakable bond. God promises us certain things because he knows we need to hear them. These needs, met with his willingness and ability to satisfy them, beckon us to anchor our heart to his.
Daily Scripture Affirmations
In prepping for this article, I soaked in and jotted down pages and pages of scriptures. God’s promises make up a lengthy list, with many on that list repeated over and over again through Old and New Testament. This intentional repetition seems to indicate our Promiser knew some promises would hold more weight than others. We need to hear them over and over. Those are the promises that bear repeating.
What does that mean, to “bear” in relation to affirmations?
- These promises withstand the weight of routine touting.
- These promises remain firm and cannot be weakened.
- These promises bring forth new life.
Based purely on repetition, here are what I believe to be the top messages our hearts crave.
i am forgiven
Used in powerful daily affirmation, these verses might sound like this:
I am forgiven. God pours out extravagant grace to me. I am holy! I am loved! I am rescued from my past. My identity is in my salvation. This truth is my inheritance!
god never leaves us
Psalm 139:5 (ESV)
Used in powerful daily affirmation, they might sound like this:
I am not alone because God never leaves us. I am accompanied by God. He hems me in behind and before & places his hand on me. I am strong and courageous.
i am chosen
Ephesians 1:11-12 (MSG)
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)
Romans 8:28 (TPT)
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
Used in powerful daily affirmation, it could look like this:
I am chosen. I am designed for glorious living. I am empowered by God to do the work he’s planned for me. My work makes a difference. My future is full of hope. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
i am a new creation
James 1:5 (TPT)
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV), (MSG), (TPT) — Because really, they’re all so tasty to read!
Used in affirmation, the combo could sound like this:
I possess the qualities needed to be extremely successful. God will finish what he started. I am loving. I am peaceful. I am patient and kind. I am powerful yet gentle. I am disciplined and wise. I am confident that he who began a good work will carry it on to completion.
guard your thoughts
Lest you feel silly when writing and reciting powerful daily affirmations, here are verses to guard your thoughts!
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. -2 Corinthians 10:5
Obedient in trust that the potter knows more about the clay than the clay could ever know about itself. Obedient in displaying that trust by praying for encouragement and ability to take thoughts captive.
Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. -Philippians 4:8
Even about myself? He says, “Yes! Even about yourself!”
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! -Deuteronomy 30:19
You have the authority to choose. Refuse to relinquish that power to others.
use powerful daily affirmations & train your mind to be positive
We receive and relay messages to ourselves, and process them as truth, without much thought. Developing powerful daily affirmations help reframe thoughts and train your mind to be positive. Trust that your thoughts do shape your outcome. Remember to invite God into your affirmation brainstorming session. He’s called you as his co-worker and wants to build you up strong (1 Cor 3:9 ESV)!
As you develop your list, you may want to share your thoughts and questions with a trusted friend or mentor. Invite them to boost you up with what they wish your heart could hear on a daily basis. I bet it will be powerfully sweet stuff that will prove to be invaluable as you train your mind to be positive!
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Further reading in this series:
Great stuff! Reminds me of a prayer prayed many times for us Mayews, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Rom 12:2). Also, this passage in Ps 34, “…keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies…” I have a notation by it that says, “even your own thoughts!” Renewing our thoughts are a must and sadly something I didn’t grasp for years. Grateful for your encouragement and pray anyone reading this has ears to hear your (His) message 💛
I love that you pray that Romans verse over the family! I never thought of that Psalm 34 in terms of our own thoughts. That’s such good insight. I may be using that later this week! Thank you for your kind encouragement and love! XO.
I love love love this! My husband does morning affirmations, and to be perfectly honest, I never really understood them. This makes it make so much sense. My favorite is about not being alone. Subscribing today so I can hear more ❤️
Oh, I’m so glad! I started affirmations after reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod about 2 years ago. Life changing stuff & I give a little snippet of a review in the last post in this series. It can sound hokey, and feel that way at first, too! I’m glad this helps explain the “why” behind affirming yourself.
PS: You may catch yourself intentionally affirming other people more often, too. I do with my husband, my kids, the grocery cashier. 😜
Thanks for the follow! 😘
Here’s the link to that post, if you want to go all in! 😉
http://rachelmayew.com/he-is-faithful/
These questions and affirmations are so powerful! One thing I am working on personally is speaking more kindly to myself and taking captive all the negative thoughts that come flooding in at times. Affirmations are becoming a huge part of my life now.
That’s great, Erin! I really believe them to be powerful. Anything that helps us change our thoughts for the better is a beautiful tool in my book! I hope this post helps you in your journey! All my best.