Feb 12, 2026
The dojo was quiet except for the dull thump of bags swinging and students catching their breath between rounds. I had just finished working through a problem with one student when I overheard another say something that stopped me cold: ‘My mom says I’ll never amount to anything. Maybe she’s right.’
She wasn’t being dramatic; she was defeated. You could hear it in her voice. As soon as I could, I pulled her aside. ‘Hey,’ I said, ‘you aced the math portion of that last test, right?’ She nodded, looking surprised that I’d noticed. ‘Then it’s clear you’ve got a sharp mind. You’ve got to stop letting other people tell you who you are. What you say about yourself will always outweigh what anyone else says.’
I told her something I’ve learned through martial arts and faith alike: we believe what we hear most often, especially when it comes from our own mouths. If you don’t fill your mind with truth, the world will fill it for you. And the world rarely tells the truth.
Speak Victory Like a Warrior
The samurai had a strange custom before battle. They would ride to the front lines and shout out their victories for all to hear. It wasn’t just a taunt to intimidate the enemy—it was a declaration to themselves. ‘I have prevailed before. I will prevail again.’
That kind of self-talk isn’t arrogance; it’s faith in action. In my practice of Jeet Kune Do and Jiu-Jitsu, I learned to stay calm under pressure and to believe in my training even when the fight looks unwinnable. In life, the same principle applies: when fear grips us, we must speak our faith louder than our fear.
The Bible says, ‘The tongue can bring death or life.’ What we declare shapes what we experience.
My Father’s Fight
My dad taught me that truth firsthand. When he was in the Army, his parachute failed. The doctors told him he’d never walk again. But my dad refused to accept those words. Instead, he fought them every single day with his voice.
He prayed out loud. He spoke healing into his body. He visualized walking again. He told his body what it would do, not what others said it couldn’t do. After two years of surgeries and rehab, my dad walked and in a few years he ran. In fact, he could outrun me until I was about twelve years old. That kind of comeback doesn’t happen through willpower alone. That’s faith mixed with action. He was living proof that obedience to God’s promises can rewire the body and the mind.
The Word as the Ultimate Voice
When I was younger, I thought positive thinking was just mental discipline—a way to control emotions and push through pain. Later in life, I realized it’s more than that. It’s divine strategy.
Positive verbalization is a spiritual weapon when fused with scripture. God wants us to remind him of his promises. It’s a way of aligning our hearts with his truth.
Isaiah 55:11 tells us: ‘So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’
When we speak his Word over our lives, we speak with the same creative power that built the heavens. That’s not self-help. It’s divine help.
Faith, Flight, and the Fighter’s Mindset
When I went through Navy flight school, the training was relentless. Fatigue, fear, failure. They all hovered close. But I leaned into what I’d learned in the dojo. Every time doubt whispered, ‘You’re not good enough,’ I countered it like an incoming strike. I prayed. I declared. ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’
And just like on the mat, when you relax into faith instead of fighting panic, the right move reveals itself.
Train the Voice Within
Your inner voice is your most dangerous opponent or your greatest ally. You can’t avoid hearing it, but you can train it. Monitor your self-talk. Don’t let negativity run unchallenged. Speak faith aloud. Declare God’s promises over your life every day. Remember past victories. Like the samurai, recount your wins. Counter fear with scripture. Make the Word your combination strike.
When doubt closes in, don’t just think strong. Go big and speak strong.