Fear and Insecurity

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

 Is insecurity, fear, and self-doubt its own form of sin?

When we believe we aren't _____ enough for whatever is placed before us to do - we are doubting God's wisdom and His power.

We are essentially saying to Him:

"You are not enough."

"You have made a mistake"

"You are wrong"

"You might let me down"

It's time to let go of the fear.  Let go of the insecurities.  Let go of the self-doubt.

Turn to God's truth when thoughts full of fear and insecurity come creeping in.

He promises that His grace is enough.  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

He promises that He has plans to prosper us.  To give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)

He promises to complete a good work in us (Philippians 1:6)

He promises that He created each of us to do the work He prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10)

He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Take your courage from the Lord.  Trust Him.

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Lean Not On Your Own Understanding (repost)

originally posted to My Really Real Reality on December 5, 2012

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ~ Proverbs 3:5

I've been thinking about this verse a lot.   

You see, I'm a bit of a control freak.  I like things to go the way I think they should.  The way I expect them too.  And I get more than a little flustered when they don't.  When I'm faced with something I don't feel I can control, I tend to get discouraged and doubt whether I am up to the challenge at all.  As a matter of fact - when that happens it's entirely possible that I might even talk myself into just walking away from that particular mountain rather than risk failing to climb it.  

This aspect of my personality makes trusting God and His Word - really leaning on Him and relying on Him - a bit of a challenge.  When I'm faced with something that challenges or scares me, my first thought is almost always along the lines of "I can't do that! It's impossible"

I was pondering all of this in the car the other day when this thought occurred to me:  

When you find yourself thinking "I can't do this!"; God is right beside you whispering, "You're right - you can't... but I can." 

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:13

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ~ Isaiah 41:10

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6 

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on
 me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

 

Yes, Way!

When I find myself thinking "there's no way!" in response to some situation, circumstances, idea, thought, or dream - it helps to remember that Jesus calls Himself "the way" (John 14:6).  All things are possible with Him! (Matthew 19:26, Philippians 4:13)

I don't have to have my act all together.  I don't have to be perfect. God can use us right where we are.  With all our faults.  All our shortcomings.  All our weaknesses.  He is going to provide whatever I need to handle anything he has planned for me at any given moment. 

God doesn't expect perfection.  He expects weakness.  In fact, he tells us that His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

If it's part of God's plan for me, and I do the work required on my part - anything can happen.  I just have to be willing to say "YES" to His agenda and accept it with open hands - Palms Up!

In Weakness

Recently our small group at church was having a discussion about strength in weakness.  A line of conversation sprang up about how we find how strong we are in our times of weakness and how even our weaknesses can be strengths in some situations

But as I considered it later, I began to feel that in chasing that rabbit we were missing the point somehow.

It's not about how strong WE are in our weakness.  It's finding GOD'S strength and learning to rely on Him in our times of weakness and hopelessness.

I truly believe sometimes we have to come to that point of where we find the end of ourselves.  Where we have no strength left and are completely over come with our weakness.  Where we give up.  Where there is absolutely no other answer. 

That's the place where we really learn that the only answer is God.  And we realize that we have to lean on Him for everything.  It is only in those times that we can catch a glimpse of how small and weak we are and how BIG our God is. How great He is in our weakness. It is here that we find our full dependence and learn to trust. 

This is the place where our faith grows strongest. In weakness.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:25

Lean Not On Your Own Understanding

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ~ Proverbs 3:5

I've been thinking about this verse a lot.   

You see, I'm a bit of a control freak.  I like things to go the way I think they should.  The way I expect them too.  And I get more than a little flustered when they don't.  When I'm faced with something I don't feel I can control, I tend to get discouraged and doubt whether I am up to the challenge at all.  As a matter of fact - when that happens it's entirely possible that I might even talk myself into just walking away from that particular mountain rather than risk failing to climb it.  

This aspect of my personality makes trusting God and His Word - really leaning on Him and relying on Him - a bit of a challenge.   

I was pondering all of this in the car the other day when this thought occurred to me:  

When you find yourself thinking "I can't do this!"; God is right beside you whispering, "You're right - you can't.  But I can."

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:13

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ~ Isaiah 41:10
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6 

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

Made Perfect In Weakness

Last week I wrote about being weary. I just feel weak. It feels as if it's one thing after another. First, I was sick. Then I had the infected tooth that had to be pulled.  Then the allergic rash attack. Now, I am either fighting the worst allergies ever or some sort of autumn cold.  Pile the chilly, gray weather we had the last few days on top of all this. The weariness has led to flat out exhaustion.

It's having an affect on me. It's wearing me down. Making me feel weak and frustrated. These things always seem to hit me on Tuesday or Wednesday, which means I haven't made it to my women's Bible study for 3 weeks now. I'm not writing as much as I would like. I'm not feeling up to doing much of anything. The kitchen isn't as clean as it should be. The bathrooms need a good scrubbing. The laundry isn't staying caught up the way it should. And the family menu shows a distinct lack of creativity this week.

It's easy to start slipping into the "why me" mind set. I want to shake my fist. I want to cry. I want to give up and just go back to bed. We've all been there, or some place very similar to it at one time or another.  Maybe for you it was even a worse place with darker circumstances.  I know my little health issues are tiny compared to what so many others deal with on a daily basis. But this is where I am.

This morning I was thinking that if one more thing comes up anytime soon, or if I don't start feeling much better quickly - I was going to lose my mind.  Then during my morning quiet time, while flipping through my Bible on my way to 1 John - my eyes landed on this piece of scripture:

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

The Lord knows we will have times of trouble.  He knows we go through times when we are sick, hurt, tempted, scared or weak.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” ~ John 16:33
But He does not want us to be alone or to carry the full burden without help.  He wants us to seek his presence.  To cry out to Him in our time of need.

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!" ~ 1 Chronicles 16:11

"In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." ~ Psalm 18:6


He is there to support us.  To encourage us.  He will refresh us and give us rest!

 "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." - Jeremiah 31:25

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." ~ Matthew 11:28

I don't know about you - but I feel a little better already!