Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36

Why is it that we hit such pronounced peeks and valleys when it comes to our confidence? One moment we are on top of the world, ready to do conquer whatever challenge we face and the following week (sometimes it is later in the day) we are scared out of our wits at the thought at what we are asked to do.

I find it incredible how we give in to negative and self-doubting thoughts and furthermore, allow deliberate attacks from the enemy to steal our confidence. We have all been there, and for some of us we have allowed our doubts to tear up at our dreams. We have allowed it to stop us in our tracks in moving forward with what God has planned for us. I will be the first to admit it. I have allowed fear to stop me dead in my tracks, to lose out on some wonderful opportunities and meet some pretty neat people. Sometimes fear even holds us back from a job promotions, getting that much deserved break in life because we are afraid to go for it. Why? Because we are afraid of failure!!! Let’s call it for what it is, we are afraid that others will see our limited capabilities. (unless you are God, I have news for you, YOU DO have limited capabilities!) We are not perfect on this side of heaven so we should not place that expectation on ourselves. We may fail at some things and royally fail at others, but the worst failure of all is to never have tried!

Here are some interesting quotes found on the topic of failure:

Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness. Oprah Winfrey

Remember that failure is an event, not a person. Zig Ziglar

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. Henry Ford

What gets me through some of these feelings, I?

1.) Surround yourself with people that will encourage you and yup you guessed it, stay away from those negative people in your life

2.) Read the word of God and place post-its, if necessary, of promises that God has given you

3.) Remember the last time you were afraid of something and you did it, remind yourself how good you felt afterwards

4.) Do as Joyce Meyer’s states….DO IT AFRAID!

5.) Replace your Fear with Faith in the One who is with you! Do it for an audience of One!

6.) I say to myself, If I don’t step over this stone then I can’t get to the next level in my life

In Renee Swope’s books The Confident Heart, she states “Self-doubt blocks the promise of God’s power and truth to change us from the inside-out so that we can live with a confident heart. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to block ANYTHING that God has for me!!!!

My friend God tells us today… I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?.. Isaiah 43:19 (The Message Bible). Are you ready for what God has for you today? Are you ready to take some risks in order to fulfill His purpose for your life?

Today, I remind you to Just Breathe and take the plunge into what God prepared for you long ago!!!

Reflection Corner:

1.) Identify 3 of your biggest fears?

2.) Which one of these can you conquer during the next month to 2 months?

3.) Make a listing of past fears and how you conquered them with God’s help. Keep this list handy for when fears come knocking at your confidence.