Tag Archives: Confidence

Because You Say So…

July 21, 2010

Have you ever worked all day or perhaps all night at your job and feel like you have just been spinning your wheels? Things don’t always go as planned. Do you get frustrated when this happens, does the tension set in, and do you feel like things are out of your control? Well….they really are! Yes, we make our plans and more often than not they probably fall into place, but for the times they don’t we need to keep on trusting God, keep on being courageous.

One night Simon and his companions worked all night fishing and didn’t catch a thing. Jesus told him to go out into deeper waters and drop his net. Simon and the others were probably all very tired and sleepy, they could have rolled their eyes and could have put up an argument as to why they shouldn’t go out again and I suppose they could have simply refused. Yet Simon knew Jesus, and tired or not, discouraged or not, he replied “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

We know what happened next. When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. LK 5:6-7

Simon recognized the authority of Jesus, he trusted him, and he obeyed him. The fish even obeyed him! We’re not talking about a few fish here either, the nets were breaking and the boats begin to sink.

We are not to live in fear. Scripture is full of “fear not” and “do not be afraid”, why?? Because God will be with us. He is our shield, our peace our constant hope.

Like Simon, we are sinful men and women, and like Simon we are to “catch men.” The one thing that stops us regardless of our many excuses is FEAR.

We don’t have to be scholars and we don’t have to have all the answers. We are believers….fear not! Live the way Jesus has shown us, plant the seed and let him give the increase.

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We have had a guest teacher on Sunday mornings; he will be with us through August. He used part of the illustration I shared with you from Luke this past Sunday. He is one of those gifted humble men who you could listen to all day and all night and never fall out of the window. :)

In his first class he wrote the following on the white board – Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Self-Control, Faith, Love Hope. These should be part of who we are…daily.

Rather than fearing what people might think of us or what they might say about us our real fear should be displeasing God.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Rom 12:1-2
(from THE MESSAGE)

Is fear the opposite of Courage or is it Conformity?

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Past Events

June 11, 2010

Two Buddhist monks were walking just after a thunderstorm. They came to a swollen stream. A beautiful, young Japanese woman in a kimono stood there wanting to cross to the other side, but she was afraid of the currents.

One of the monks said, “Can I help you?”

“I need to cross this stream,” replied the woman.

The monk picked her up, put her on his shoulder, carried her through the swirling waters, and put her down on the other side. He and his companion then went on to the monastery.

That night his companion said to him, “I have a bone to pick with you. As Buddhist monks, we have taken vows not to look on a woman, much less touch her body. Back there by the river you did both.”

“My brother,” answered the other monk, “I put that woman down on the other side of the river. You’re still carrying her in your mind.”

How easy it is to be obsessed with the past at the expense of the future.
(from Christianity Today)

Last night one of my precious daughters called me; she was very distraught and in tears. Her ex-husband continues to make her life miserable since she has filed for complete custody of the children because of his abusiveness toward his oldest daughter.  His lawyer submitted nine pages of nonsense. Four pages alone where he (the ex) tries to paint a rosy picture of himself, patting himself on his narcissistic back. In his response to additional interrogatories he tells several lies; some of which involve me. He is petitioning the court to keep me from seeing my grandchildren, stating that “regular contact with me is contrary to the best interest of the children because of her past use of drugs/narcotics, orgies and using my child to entertain friends by displaying how well she could roll a marijuana cigarette and prepare cocaine for usage.” He continues on with his lies saying that I have never had regular contact with my grandchildren without having him or my daughter present during visits.

What he fails to mention is that I have been sober and drug free for 33 years. Further more, I did do many sinful things as I have always freely admitted, but I was never involved in orgies, nor did I ever let my daughter in contact with any of my drugs.

I tried to reassure my daughter by reminding her that besides being evil through and through, he is a desperate man. He is being exposed for the evil person he is and he is fighting back by trying to bring others down. I know she was hurt and concerned about the things he said about her, about me, and about others in his ramblings, and she was afraid I too would be hurt.

I am like the one monk; I have put my past sins down “on the other side of the river.” I know God has forgiven me and I have forgiven myself. That doesn’t mean I don’t have regrets, it just means I don’t let my past keep me in bondage.

I wish I would have thought to share this quote by Edward R. Murrow with my daughter last night… He said “To be persuasive, we must be believable. To be believable, we must be credible. To be credible, we must be truthful.

Her ex might be believable, but he is not credible and he is not truthful.

He is the enemy; may he be defeated!

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Acceptance

June 9, 2010

After the age of nine, I grew up with a lot of insecurities. Those of you who are regular readers know my history and likely understand the reasons for those insecurities and lack of self-esteem. Besides the “secretive” things I endured in my own home I also endured many hurtful words from other children. I was a “chunky” kid and I had a big gap between my front teeth and big black bushy eyebrows which looked like two oversized caterpillars sitting on my face. (Groucho Marx eye-brows) Rarely did some kid miss the opportunity call me fatty or some other equally hurtful insult. I soon learned to hate myself and most everything about myself. I desperately wanted people to like me, and at some point I realized I could make people laugh with my clowning around or with a good joke. I covered up my hurt with humor.

I was well into my late 30’s, early 40’s before I began gaining back my self-esteem and leaving behind the insecurities that had haunted me for most of my life. I attribute all of this to the seeds of truth which were planted in me, took hold and grew into a strong faith and to my growing in grace and knowledge and also, to Larry, my second husband, who taught me what true love is all about.

I still suffer occasional bouts of insecurity; however they are much less frequent. I have so many wonderful people in my life who I know love me “just the way I am”, who accept me with my imperfections.

Love truly does cover a multitude of sins!

I will never forget that hurting, sad little girl, because of her I am drawn to people who are hurting and struggling and I try my best to build them up and let them know they are loved.

We all long to be loved; don’t miss an opportunity to share your love with others.

God says to every person deformed by sin, “I wish you were my son” or “I wish you were my daughter.”

Without love, we are nothing!

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:1-13

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Where Is Your Confidence?

May 14, 2010

There have been periods of my life where I have not been confident. I spent many years being completely insecure, and without any sense of worth. I can tell you; it’s not a good place to be mentally or spiritually. The abuse which took place when I was a child, I’m certain is where many of these negative feelings stemmed from.

Occasionally I find those feelings trying to creep in and take a seat with my confidence, to make me the victim rather than one who is victorious. I remind myself that the confidence I now have comes from belonging to Christ. Too often Satan would have me believe a lie that I do not and can not possess confidence in Christ. Scripture destroys Satan’s lies. We can go to God in prayer with confidence through Christ.  Heb 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (NIV)

I am also reminded of Rom 8:12-17 So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?”  God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. (from The Message)

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

If like me, you occasionally find your confidence wavering, or find your confidence in man or in the world I hope you will remember these scriptures. Man will disappoint us and we do not belong to the world.

Prov 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. Neither of these sounds pleasant at all.

Hope you have a confident weekend. :)

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Don't Throw Away Your Confidence

March 22, 2010

I have noticed with myself and others that it seems as if our faith is unshakable when things are running smoothly, when there is enough money to pay the bills and maintain a household, when our health is good and when everything seems to be blue skies and sunshine. We can be God’s biggest fans when things are going the way we think they should be. What happens then when the applecart is upset?

There have been periods in my life when hardships and anguish have made me feel like throwing my hands up and saying what’s the use, or I quit, or I just can’t do this anymore. (If we were in the same room I would ask for a show of hands to see if any of you have ever felt like this). I believe losing confidence comes from a combination of discouragement, a faith that isn’t as strong as we thought it was, or unbelief. It can strike all ages and all levels of faith; to the new babe in Christ or the weathered mature soldier; and when those times come, I can imagine Satan standing off to the side doing a victory dance waiting for us to throw in the towel. Why do we suddenly shrink back from God when we should be drawing near? Satan knows our weak areas, he watches for that crack in our armor and he doesn’t waste anytime moving in and fueling our fears.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us against this act of giving up under hardships and trials. Heb 10:35-39 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

How do we keep from shrinking back? We exercise endurance (Heb 12:1) by practicing God’s will and trusting his promises.

When thoughts are consumed by the heaviness of our troubles, when it seems difficult to even draw our breath, we can be in danger of losing our focus, yet that is when we need to turn to God, lean on him and to draw on his strength, and that is exactly what he wants us to do.

Remember this when we fight our battles…Rom 8:31-32 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

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