Let’s Flip the Script to 91-DIVOC!

I’m tired of Fear, Anxiety, Irritation, Frustration, Depression & Discouragement running rampant and seeming to “Win the Day” lately. So, to combat those nasty spirits I politely, yet profusely, suggest we Flip the Script! Instead of focusing on COVID-19 and the negative impact it has had on our World giving so many of us faces like this…

…let’s flip it to 91-DIVOC and turn it into a Pandemic of Positivity so we see more faces like this:

Last things first…let’s swap 19 to 91 because 91 is a wonderful number. My sweet grandmother is currently living her 91st year after celebrating her 90th Birthday last November. She is in a Care Facility (grateful shout out to Tuff Memorial Home in Hills, MN) and my local family in the Midwest can only visit her through her window, while calling to chat. Sort of like visiting her in a zoo made for people. 🙂

Blessedly another option is to interact with her online as she is active on Facebook and her facility is great about posting fun pictures of her and all their residents. This Grandma of mine (who is actually a Great-Great Grandma, 3 times over) is not upset about the lock down. Rather she is seeing the positive in what great care she receives and how they are treating her like a queen. She is feeling spoiled as they serve her meals in her room and bring coffee and cookies in the afternoon, as well. She jokes with the staff and enjoys making people laugh and smile.

It is a True Joy to talk to her and hear her lilting voice with that giggle just waiting to escape at the first opportunity. Her unfailing peace and joy during this time of hardship/lock down is an inspiration to me, my family and many others in the Tuff Home.

91 is also the biblical address of one of my favorite Psalms and one that is very comforting to read in a time of distress, or anytime, for that matter. Might I suggest you start to Flip the Script by cracking open your Bible, or firing up your Bible App, and giving it a read. I further suggest reading it out loud and even personalizing the scripture, meaning making it “I/me” so you Hear God’s Declaration over Your Life and the lives of your family and loved ones. Here are the first 4 verses – personalized for you…

Psalm 91:1-4 (NLT)

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
He is my God, and I trust Him.
For He will rescue me from every trap
and protect me from deadly disease.
He will cover me with His feathers.
He will shelter me with His wings.
His faithful promises are my armor and protection.

It may help to read it daily, or even more than once a day. Perhaps read it when you arise and right before you go to bed. It will help set your heart and mind on a Refuge of Safety that cannot be shaken, no matter what the news says. In case that Refuge is unclear, ummm, that would be GOD. 😉 If you haven’t met Him, He is waiting for you and waiting to be all that these four verses above call out and wants to love on you in ways you cannot imagine.

Ok, now for the rest of it…instead of COVID, let’s reverse it to DIVOC and make it an acronym, like this:

Divine

Immeasurable

Victory

Over

Chaos

DIVOC, nice! An easy thing to say to represent a positive outlook, especially coupled with Psalm 91. I specifically selected Chaos for the “C” instead of COVID because what’s happening in our World is not just the virus itself, but more so the results of dealing with it on many levels. People are experiencing many forms of Chaos from Fake News Fears to Health Issue Worries to Missing Jobs/Paychecks. Besides that, I just didn’t want to give that “C” word any more attention (its getting quite prideful in its fear mongering).

Ok, great, impressive, I gave you an acronym, so now what, you ask? (I’m SO glad you did!)

Well, now make that acronym into a declaration and say it OUT LOUD, like this:

I Declare Divine, Immeasurable Victory Over Chaos in my life and in the lives of my family, friends, next door neighbors and my neighbors all around the world.

Wow! I just read that out loud and it made me feel different. I felt empowered, I felt hopeful and I felt connected to my family, friends and all people on this planet by declaring this Divine Victory over them. I will be repeating this OFTEN!! Maybe even quietly under my breath every time I hear someone mention the virus!!

If you’ve never heard of doing “declarations” before this might sound odd or strange to you. I encourage you to not let that discourage you from trying it. I mean, really, I bet you can’t think of a good reason NOT to try it.

Declarations can be a powerful weapon against the enemy of your soul. It comes down to the power of words. You have likely heard or experienced the fact that words have power. They can tear down or they can build up. They can discourage or they can encourage. In fact, there are many quotes on the use of words and what they can do. A quick search on great Googly Moogly brings up endless amounts of quotes and, my personal and poignant favorite, the Bible, says this about the power of the tongue.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

That is pretty clear…you can speak life or death. As far as declarations are concerned you can speak life giving declarations or death bringing declarations. Ooof-Yikes!!! I know which I’d rather choose, how about you?

The above declaration is life giving, life affirming and hope filled. On the contrary, I’m betting that most of the news you watch or Social Media you scroll through has death written all over it. It may be subtle, but it’s there. That’s the bad news, the good news is:

You have a CHOICE!!

So, make a conscious choice to speak, listen, watch and read only life giving words. To do so, I hereby give you full and guilt free permission to “Unfollow” that person (or 2) that just popped in your head. 😉

I also encourage you to listen to yourself for a day to really hear what you are saying. Are you saying things like, “Its going to take forever to recover from COVID-19” or “Our World economy will never recover” or “Life will never be the same” or other like minded statements?

Even though there may be a bit of truth in them, speaking these declarations creates an “agreement” with them and gives them undue power. Again, it can be subtle but those statements set your mind looking for “facts” to back up that statement. You unknowingly look for those negative facts and your belief/fear in that statement grows, so you look for more negative facts and your belief/fear becomes stronger until it finally cements itself in your mind and you work yourself into a tizzy, sharing that negative declaration with anyone who will listen, as you prepare to go live in a cave.

Uff-da! That was exhausting to type. I could actually feel the anxiety level rising as the downward spiral continued and it filled me with compassion for those that are seemingly locked into these negative mindsets.

The good news is, you can make Positive & Life Giving Declarations too (or instead of) and the pattern of fact finding to back up those declarations is the same. Try something like, “We will get through this and be stronger for it” or “This has given all of us a greater appreciation for life”. The point is you can change your words and thus change your world. You may have to change a few habits too…but no pressure, as you walk this out, you’ll start to discern life giving vs. death bringing words and trust me, your soul will lean towards life. That is its default mode and if we get nothing else out of this pandemic, may we get back to our default and see that where we steer our ships and what we allow to flow into our hearts and minds on a daily basis matters.

Now you have, in your tool bag, a way to Flip The Switch! SO FLIP IT! I encourage you to use it and spread it. It may seem oversimplified, but just because its simple, doesn’t mean it’s not effective. Let’s make 91-DIVOC the New Buzz Word and take the world by storm, spreading a Pandemic of Positivity!!

I pray for each and every one of you and ask that the Lord may reach you in a new way in these difficult days. He’s there and He’s All Yours. Invite Him in and let Him change your world. He will start with your heart and you’ll never be the same…in a Good Way!

Sending Much Love, Many Blessings, Peace, Comfort and Overwhelming Joy to You!

Love, Pamela

Hey! If this post made you smile, gave you comfort or encouraged your spirit, Pass It On and take the chance that it will do the same for someone else. 🙂

P.S. If you’ve grown tired of the negative junk, here are a couple Good Declarations/Messages to listen to:

Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church recently began a series that is Beyond Noteworthy, Powerful and Encouraging. Here are links to his last 2 messages:

“Looking Forward to Normal”

&

“A Lesson in Letting Go”

Also, if you have not yet heard of John Krasinski’s Some Good News (SGN)Channel on YouTube, check it out. They are guaranteed to give you a smile and maybe even a few tears of happiness. Here’s a link to his first episode (and there are 4 more!)