“Why are you frightened?” [Jesus] asked. “Why are your
hearts filled with doubt?” Luke 24:38 NLT
Have you ever read something and said to yourself, “Yes! This is exactly what I’m feeling! And
I thought I was the only one…”? This has been my heart’s exclamation for
the past three weeks, as I’ve been reading A
Confident Heart by Renee Swope for this fall’s Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study.
Through Renee’s writing, I’ve realized the main source of my
doubts – worrying about what others think of me. Here’s what Renee says:
We find ourselves in the shadow of doubt many times because our thoughts are mostly about ourselves: how we’re performing and what others are thinking about us…. When we focus our attention on ourselves, we turn our attention away from God. We leave no room in our thoughts to listen to what He is thinking about us, because we have given that place away to be occupied by other people’s opinions. We become overly concerned about what others think of us instead of what God thinks about us.
In order to shift our focus, we have to turn our thoughts completely
toward God “by thinking about His strengths instead of my weaknesses,” Renee
says.
The example of Gideon is one Renee uses in her book to brilliantly
illustrate her point. At one point, Gideon was paralyzed by fear and insecurity,
and during his conversation with God, he listed all the reasons why he
couldn’t do the job God had asked him to do. Check out this conversation – I love
Gideon’s honesty in this passage:
When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon asked, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:12-15)
Well, at least Gideon was polite when he questioned God with his “pardon
me, but…” How many times have I talked to God and said similar things? “But
God, I can’t do that! That takes too much time, or faith, or talent, or (fill-in-the-blank)!
Ask someone stronger – I’m definitely not the one you want!”
But, you ARE the one God wants. And so am I. If He chooses me
for a particular task – no matter how hard that task may seem or how unsuited
for the task I might be – He will follow through. Not because of my strength,
but because of His.
So, starting today, I am actively moving forward and turning away from my doubt, worry, insecurity and
comparison. With God’s help, I am turning toward
Him and focusing on His truth. His truth
says that because of Jesus, I am loved, I am cherished, I am valued, I am good
enough, and I am His child. Nothing can ever change that!
Father, thank You for
Your truth. Help me to remember that if You call me to do something for You, I
have everything I need to complete that task. Your faithfulness is my refuge.
Deliver me from my doubts and fears, and help me to rest in Your plan for me. You
have begun a good work in me, and You have promised to complete it!
Julie -- thank you for taking the time to write and post this! I too struggled when things came my way and thought there's no way I can accomplish what I've been given. I'm slowly starting to learn that I've been given certain things to do BECAUSE Jesus knows I can. If we can have faith, we can do so much!
ReplyDeleteSo true, Jennifer! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope you have a blessed week!
DeleteThank you, Julie, for telling your story! I too have struggled in this same area and as I studied the life of Gideon earlier this summer, God spoke to me through Gideon's life. God's STRENGTH through my WEAKNESS. You are a wonderful writer...keep it up!! Abundant Blessings! ~Stacey
ReplyDeleteThank so much for your encouraging words, Stacey! May God bless you today!
DeleteThanks for sharing. I especially liked "If He chooses me for a particular task – no matter how hard that task may seem or how unsuited for the task I might be – He will follow through. Not because of my strength, but because of His." Debbie W. (OBS Facebook Group Leader)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Debbie! I'm learning so much through this study. I so appreciate all the hard work of everyone involved in OBS, and I especially love the Facebook page! :-)
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