The Upside to Fear

I still have to pack... Photo Credit: Creative Commons

I am racked with anxiety! 

There are just days before I leave for a missions trip to Guatemala.

I am not prepared.

Forget the packing, the funds, the logistics, this is about my heart.

I feel inadequate to the challenges ahead. Who will I minister to? What do I have to offer? Why would anyone listen to me? I have nothing to give!

Have you ever felt this way?

I remember feeling this way before becoming a mom for the first time. Then again when I was preparing to repeat that feat with the second child.

I remember feeling that way when I sat down to write for this blog the first time and then again before my book was published.

The Upside to Fear

This is not a freeze-in-your-boots-and-let-the-enemy-win kind of fear, but a check in your spirit to remember to be humble. There is a difference. Feeling inadequate to the task can be a good thing. It is our minds and hearts telling us we are not enough on our own.

How do I know? Because even Paul did not think he could handle something, and God said "My grace is sufficient."

"I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me. But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me. Yes, I am glad to have weaknesses if they are for Christ. I am glad to be insulted and have hard times. I am glad when I am persecuted and have problems, because it is when I am weak that I am really strong." 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 ERV

I am not anyone special. I have my own set of issues: I have a short fuse, I am overweight and I bite my nails too often, just to name a few, but God, who is more than able to answer any need, to mend any hurt, and to free anyone, is bigger than my shortcomings and weaknesses. He is more than enough in every situation.

Job, who's life fell apart bit by bit in a matter of hours, refused to doubt the greatness and goodness of God. If he can have faith in the most dire of circumstances, I can trust God as I travel to a country in my own hemisphere.

I may not know what the future holds, but as the old song says, " I know who holds the future!"

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

So when I go and the task seems to great I will remember the words of Peter: "silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give unto thee"!

Join the Conversation: 

Have you ever felt to little for the task? What was your situation like and did you see God's grace in it after it was all done?

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Ten Ways to Face and Overcome Disappointment

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Disappointment is inevitable but no fun. 

Recently I, along with many other people, faced a real disappointment when the multilevel marketing company we were affiliates for (Zeek) closed its doors under a S.E.C. and Attorney General investigation.

Cumulatively millions of dollars were lost by everyday  people in what has turned out to be a "Ponzi scheme".

Some people were depending on the income this company "promised" to live off of. Some people had dreams of one day quitting the nine to five and changing their lives.

No matter what level of affiliate, small or large, I can say today we all face some serious disappointment.

There are people who have left bitter, angry video responses to the CEO of the company. There have been fear laced messages left on blogs and message boards, and the Attorney General's voice mail cannot keep up with the calls.

I am not telling you this because I want sympathy, or because I need you to tell me better ways to invest or spend my money. I am telling you this because I want you to understand I know what disappointment is and I can honestly and without apology say this: our response to disappointment matters.

Disappointment can create emotional and mental wounds.

So many times when we become emotional we also become doubtful. We lose focus on God and begin to look at the disappointment as the controlling defining moment in our lives. The problem with responding to disappointment emotionally is that unchecked emotions have a way of building up like a snow ball rolling down hill. The bigger our ball of emotions get, the less focused we are on God and the more self focused we become.

God is our source. 

God is called many names in the Bible: Jehovah Nissi (our God is our Banner) and Jehovah Jireh (our God is our Provider). There is nothing too big in your life that He cannot cover and nothing too small for Him to care about. He cares for you.

Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, and put on trial, yet still he said this:

"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan." Romans 8:28 (emphasis mine) 

If Paul, who counted it all joy to suffer like Christ, can say this, then how can I complain about a little disappointment?

Yeah, but? 

If you are thinking, 'yeah, I know, but how do you get past feeling this way?' I understand. I have been there. Even Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen have been there.

If you are human (and I am betting you are) then you have faced disappointment and now you need to learn to get past it and press on to the next thing God has for you.

Here are a ten practical and spiritual things to remember when faced with disappointment:

1. Everything in your life, the good and the bad affect who you are as a person. Only the things you give to God to change and work through glorify Him. 
2. The psalmist said "I have never seen the righteous forsaken or His seed begging bread." God takes care of His kids. 
3. When we give everything to God, He gives back. Pressed down, shaken together, running over.
4. Doubts and fear will come. Meet them at the door with Jesus and they will flee! 
5. God gives peace that passes understanding. He can quiet the roaring in your heart and the buzzing cacophony in your head. Just ask Him to. 
6. You were bought with a price so precious (Christ's life) that there is no return policy. God will not abandon you now just because your circumstances got difficult and messy. 
7.  This too shall pass. It may sound trite, but it is true. 
8. God's mercy is new every morning. 
9. Joy comes in the morning. (When you wake up!) 
10. You are not alone. Find someone you trust and admire and share with them your heartache. Sometimes we need good and Godly council. 

Join the Conversation: 

Can you share with us your story of disappointment? How did you get through it? Leave your comment below. (Just click on "comments". (If you do not see a way to leave a comment, you may be using Explorer, try Firefox or Google Plus to get a better view)

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Three Things to Know About Confidence

It is elusive. It is something others have. It is something we all want but secretly fear we will never obtain. 

Confidence. 

That ten letter word has eluded many people and been the bane to even more. 

Just search the word “confidence” on Amazon and you will get over 1300 results. But what does the Word say about confidence? 

Let’s look. 

Job 4:5-7

But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart. You are terrified when it touches you.

Doesn't your reverence for God give you confidence? Doesn't your life of integrity give you hope?

“Stop and think! Do the innocent die? When have the upright been destroyed?

Confidence by definition is “full trust, assurance and certitude”. 

So when we read Job we can see three things about confidence that we may not have seen before. 

1. Confidence comes from our reverence of God.

This is not as easy as it sounds. Real reverence is giving respect and honor, but more than that it is giving a PLACE of honor and respect in our lives. God isn’t just God on Sundays. He wants to be revered and honored every day in your life. When we think something is important we give that thing priority. How would you rank God in your life? Is He number one or are you? Maybe your spouse has slipped into that spot. Maybe your kids have usurped Him in your life. If we really honor God as the most important part of our lives, then this will give us confidence.

2. Confidence can overcome fear.

When trials come, and they will (James 1:1-6) we all face that moment of panic. If left unchecked, that little jump in the pit of our stomach can turn into debilitating fear. Crippling us from reacting, and strangling us with its talons fear can literally choke the life out of us.

I know a 50-something woman, let’s call her Andrea (name changed to protect her privacy) who recently found out she has breast cancer. After a biopsy, they found that the cancer has not reached her lymph nodes yet, (good news!) but they are waiting on pathology to find out if the cancer is aggressive or not. She has experienced tremendous pain from the biopsy, and fear has made her conclude that if the cancer is aggressive she will not take chemo-therapy. She is giving up before she ever begins the fight. FEAR IS DEADLY!

Confidence in God, in His ability to perform His word, in His purpose for you will strengthen your resolve in life. You will no longer be steamrolled by the trials of life, but will count them all joy instead. You will be prepared to stand and fight, knowing that the Great I Am is behind you and no enemy can prosper against you. That is what confidence can do: it makes you more than a conqueror.

3. Confidence renews your hope and gives you heart.

“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalms 18:2

“Now I know that Adonai gives victory to his anointed one — he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand.” Psalms 20:7

“The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” Psalms 34:22

“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” Proverbs 14:26

 Our hope gets misplaced at times. We think our jobs are what sustain us, or our purpose is only found in the work place or as a wife and mom. These things hold value, but they alone mean nothing. God is our hope. He is our confidence. Trust in Him and the rest will come.

The Bible says faith comes by hearing, but so does confidence. Hear what God is saying to you right now. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God has plans for you. He will never leave you or forsake you. With Him all things are possible. Build up your TRUST and confidence will come. 

What are your struggles with confidence?

This tandem series on CONFIDENCE is a joint effort between Dana Pittman and Dayna Bickham. Both Dana and Dayna blog about life, grace, and God's love and plan for you. To follow this series, visit here to learn more.

Disclaimer: Some affiliate sites have been mentioned in this blog. 

LIVE WITHOUT FEAR

FEAR PARALYZES 

If you want to get my skin to crawl say the word “spider”. I hate the things. 

Now for all of you who like the fact that they kill other bugs, thereby protecting your gardens, and they are more scared of you than you are of them crowd, I say, well...yeah…whatever. I fight tears every time I am near one. I know that in the grand scheme of things this fear is irrational and petty, but it is something I need to overcome. 

There are other things that I am afraid of too. Things that are not as corporeal as spiders. Things like fear of failure and the fear of rejection. 

These fears are more common than you think. Next time you are in a crowd, look to your left, look to your right: chances are one of those people have at least one of these hang-ups. I have no farther to look than in the mirror. 

I know where these things come from. I am a kid of divorce and after several different types of separations from loved ones as a young person, I became highly sensitized to any form of rejection. As a matter of course, I became so highly attuned to rejection; I began to react before anyone had a chance to reject me. I became the emotional equivalent to the porcupine. I was a jerk. I saw offense and slight were there was none, or blew little things up until they were huge things. 

For me the fear of failure also stems from some similar circumstances. My relationships never seemed to work out; I couldn't keep friends, or really make quality friends. I had moderate success at work, but something always seemed to go wrong, and I never could quite make a go of anything in my career. I began giving up before I even tried, because that seemed easier than failing later. 

Though I had all this potential, an IQ in the low 130s, moderately educated, my friends called me a fountain of useless knowledge: and that is how I felt: useless. Then something happened. 

I SURRENDERED 

I took a real look at what it meant to be fearful. Stuck, cowardly, whining and living my life like a victim was all fear ever got me. I was tired of it. I wanted to be confident. I wanted to be authoritative. I wanted to live without fear of rejection or failure. 

So I gave it all up. I gave God my fear, my pain, my hurt, and I asked for courage: courage to do something, anything, and have success in it. 

It hasn't been easy. 

When I first give something to God I sometimes treat it like the baggage claim area of an airport. I lay my baggage down, watch it leave through a little whole in the wall, and then I stand there, waiting. 

Sure enough, it comes back around again. 

I know my baggage immediately. 

It has been mine for a while. 

I have lugged it around for years. I know the weight of it, the way the handle feels in my hand. The temptation to pick it back up again is there. But in order to surrender fully to the experience of giving my burdens to God, I have to walk away from the conveyor. 

You do too. 

Once we do, we are filled with relief. We no longer bare the weight of our burden, and we realize how truly light God’s love makes us. 

Joshua 1:9 says this:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

So lay your burdens and your baggage down. Let go of the fear, and just know God has you, and He has this, whatever “this” is. 

What are you letting go?

How to Overcome Insecurities

Insecurities:

Everybody has at least one. Most people have more than one. 

In the Webster’s Dictionary Online insecure is defined as 

1: not confident or sure: uncertain; feeling somewhat insecure of his reception; 2: not adequately guarded or sustained: unsafe; an insecure investment; 3: not firmly fastened or fixed: shaky;the hinge is loose and insecure; 4 a: not highly stable or well-adjusted;an insecure marriage; b: deficient in assurance: beset by fear and anxiety; always felt insecure in a group of strangers. 

How do we turn uncertain, unsafe, and shaky into certain, safe, and steady? First we have to realize where insecurity comes from. 

Insecurity comes from believing a lie. 

We have all been there. We have believed we aren't smart enough to go back to college or good enough for that promotion. Whether you believe a lie your parents told you all your life “you are not good enough” or a lie you tell yourself “nothing ever seems to work out for me” lies have power only as long as you believe them. Once you stop giving them fuel to rule your life, you can see them for what they are: chains. Shake them off. Jesus freed us from our chains nearly 2000 years ago. 

Insecurity comes from lack of faith. 

The disciples were freaking out. A storm was tossing them around and there Jesus was, oblivious because he slept. They had no faith that God would protect them, keep them and bring them to the other side of the storm. Jesus was annoyed his nap was interrupted. Nevertheless he speaks to the storm and there was peace. He admonished his crew for their lack of faith. After all, Jesus was in the boat! 

Insecurity comes from lack of understanding who we are in Christ. 

You are God’s creation but more than that, at salvation you become a son or daughter. Adopted into a royal blood line, you now are joint heirs with Jesus, who sits next to God. When we were sinners, Christ died for us. When we are redeemed (bought back) by God He adds value to us that was not there before. We become more than we ever were. We become filled with Jesus. Now we can do all things because Christ gives us strength and value we did not have before. 

What’s next? 

Next we have to develop our Automatic Truth Response. When we are confronted with feelings of inadequacy, doubt, lack of faith, or lies (quietly spoken ones or the ones that shout in our heads) we have to respond with the truth – the word of God- so that we can deflect the enemies attack, and grow in the confidence God designed us to have in Him. 

You have a call of God on your life. You are important to God; in fact, you are his most prized possession. He owns the cattle on 1000 hills; he knows every star and calls them by name. He knows how many hairs you have on your head, and He cares for you. So much so, that he gave his only Son for you. Really, why do you doubt God’s love? 

Growing in Security 

God’s got this! Whatever “this” is. 

There is nothing too big for Him to handle. There is nothing too small for Him to care about. Since we are the thing He cares most about, He is active in our lives. He wants you to be active too; actively pursuing Him. 

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added.” Matthew 6:33

What things? Your everyday, human concerns: those things. What to eat, where to live, what job to take, what school to send your kid to… all of these things God knows you have need of, because He cares for you. 

When we trust that God has our best interests at heart, that He makes our paths straight then what do we have to fear? What do we have to doubt? Why would we shake or feel uncertain or unsafe when the storms come? 

We can be secure in this: that God has a plan, that plan is centered on you and that plan is more than the sum of who you are alone: that plan needs God to make it happen! Trust Him to direct you and lean on Him when you are not enough.

BE certain of WHO you are: A child of God. BE steady in your faith, believe all things are possible. BE safe in the knowledge that God loves you and He has got you! 

One of my insecurities is centered on this blog. Do I have any business writing this, teaching, sharing, preaching here? Alone, the answer is no. With God, all things are possible. 

Join the Discussion and Comment Below: 
What is one of your insecurities?