We have idea just how long it took for all of this to go down. BUT clearly Esther had to put the plan into Action if Haman’s evil plan was going to stop!
A person of influence movesforward, even if it’s baby steps.
They speak up
Esther 4:12-14 NIV
12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai,13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther had purpose, a very specific purpose. BUT HAVING PURPOSE is nothing if you don’t ACT on that purpose!
They embrace their circumstances and move forward.
They act on their words.It’s not enough to just say something we can say all day that we want to be positive influences but if we keep making choices including NOT to move forwardwe are really a negative influence.
Being a Active Influence is NOT comfortable!
The opposite of this powerful action of influenceis being comfortable. ,This person is satisfied with where they are. They don’t want to get outside their comfort zone. They don’t want to be “PUT OUT”. They are completely at home in the pew doing what they have always done. “New” is not in their vocabulary.
Just like a boat in still water cannot be turned we cannot be turned in the direction God wants to send us if we arejust standing there waiting for something amazing to happen.We have to pursue a relationship with Jesus.we have to be willing to step out in faith.Even if it seems completely Crazy.
Now I will say that sometimes God will pick us up and move us. THIS IS A VERY PAINFUL PROCESS!
An that’s where We come full circle. If we are WILLING to have FAITH, live in a TRANSPARENT fashion, with PERSISTENCE, and a CRAZY love to live life for Jesus, the Action part comes Naturally!
And that wraps up the first week (and two Days) of the writing Challenge!
Let’s Chat: Which of these Attributes is the hardest for you? For me it’s persistence. I must confess that I tend to give up WAY to easily!
What’s Coming Up
Starting Tomorrow we will kick off the second week of The Power of Your Influence. This next week we will be discussing more in depth the choices we have to be either a positive or negative influence.
Have you heard Steve CurtisChapman’s Song Something Crazy?Here’s the link to check it out on Youtubeand you can find the Lyrics copied below- THIS is the kind of CRAZY I’m talking about !
“Something Crazy”
He’s got a Bible and a megaphone standing on the corner
And everybody’s saying he’s crazy
Well does he really think anybody wants to hear what he has to say
He’s not screaming anybody in fact it’s as if
It’s a love story that he’s trying to tell them
And he knows it may look a little strange
But he just smiles and says “that’s okay”
Cause you know sometimes love makes you act that way
And it’s crazy when love gets a hold of you
And it’s crazy things that love will make you do
And it’s crazy but it’s true
You really don’t know love at all
Until it’s making you do
Something crazy
I know a lady in Uganda and forty kids call her Momma
And everybody thought it was crazy
She used to drive a beemer, but I’ve never seen her
Any happier than she is now
I’ve met them all around the world, they’re the boys and girls
Filled up with the love of the Father
And they know it may seem a little strange
But they just smile and says “that’s alright”
Cause love puts everything in a different light
And it’s crazy when love gets a hold of you
And it’s crazy things that love will make you do
And it’s crazy but it’s true
You really don’t know love at all
Until it’s making you do
Something crazy
Something crazy
Crazy
Crazy when love gets a hold of you
Crazy, crazy
Crazy thing that love will make you do
Well, some might say it’s a crazy thing
To believe in a man who would say he came
From heaven down to earth because of love
But I just smile and say “that’s okay”
Cause you know sometimes love makes you act that way
And it’s crazy when love gets a hold of you
And it’s crazy things that love will make you do
And it’s crazy but it’s true
You really don’t know love at all
Until it’s making you do
Crazy when love gets a hold of you
And it’s crazy things that love will make you do
And it’s crazy but it’s true
You really don’t know love at all
Until it’s making you do
Something crazy
When I was 19 I wason a plane headed for a country that persecutes Christians.
Everyone thought I was crazy. Maybe I was.(Ok I am-it’s an undeniable fact but that’s ok I’m completely comfortable with that)!
Then when I returned home 10 days later I headed off to Bible college. Through my time there. I got a lot f “you gotta be crazy”. comments. a couple were before each of 3 or 4 trips to NYC for street witnessing. One of which was 7 months after 9/11. We went to ground zero which was still a mess. The images, noises and smells will be forever etched in my brain. It was one of the single most hopeless experiences of my life. Watching as people waited in hopes that their family member was still alive. The wailing in mourning of loved ones. The unnatural nose burning smell that came from the smoke (not steam) from the manhole covers and sewer drains. The digging of the vehicles as they creeped along the rubble trying to clean out the massive destruction. and what felt like the miles and miles of memorial wall leading to Ground Zero.. This single moment – more than any other – helped me to understand the dire need our world is in – for their desperate need for HOPE- the HOPE I have In me – Hope that is a person! THAT IS CRAZY! And that is why we do what we do!
Getting married the same day we graduated. Yep that qualifies us as CRAZY BUT we didn’t do it for ourselves, we did it for other people. mostly our dad’s who both work weekends, and we were trying to eliminate the time they would need to take off.
When we had more than 2 kids we were told we were crazy. When we had 3 kids in 3 years we were told we were crazy BUT ya know what? Those four kids are some of the most amazing people I know. Hubby and I were talking just yesterday about how special they are I have never met four kids who love so deeply, EVERY SINGLE PERSON THEY MEET! We have watched as our oldest who is 13 now but mourned the loss of people from the time he was 4. Always thinking about the people they left behind. He also seeks justice for those who have been hurt deeply. He has such moral standards that he seeks to have a marriage that is morally sound AT THIRTEEN! Yeah he has his flaws BUT his heart ! Most people would say WOW that’s Crazy! And it is.
Our daughter is 12 and she is one of the most patient and sweet spirited kids I know. She can help out with almost any child she comes in contact with and cares deeply. She too is also flawed. but she is 12 and very reliable and trust worthy. She cares for children and animals. she has a hunger for learning.
And the two younger boys.:
One has such radical unconditional love! He might struggle with social cues and norms due to his autism BUT he will always be willing to give you a hug and tell you You’re beautiful.
and the other is the most hardworking and determined 8 year old I have ever Met. He laments from time to time not knowing what he is good at BUT I can tell you this kid is gonna kill it when he gets older. He has some challenges now with a learning problem BUT he is a fighter- literally ! Yep He’s got a temper BUT our greatest struggle oftentimes become our greatest gift.
So Yeah I guess I’m 100% crazy AND I wouldn’t change a minute of it. Outside of my salvation and Hubby these four crazies are the greatest blessing this mama could have ever asked for. Parenting is hard. Stuff kids deal with today is awful. But those who have truly gotten to know our kids REALLY know what kind of blessing they are. But those who think they know our kids but have never taken the time to get to know them and their hearts, they tend to be super critical. The funny thing is OUR kids know it. They know who really love them. And we didn’t;t say a word.
I’m glad that we didn’t;t listen to the negative voices around us telling us how to live our lives. I’m so grateful we followed God’s leading whether it looked crazy or not!
Being involved in many ministries. Im not gonna list it all but a couple of times a year I get asked Are you Crazy? MOSTLY BY MYSELF- and the answer is ABSOLUTELY!!!
I’m In GREAT Crazy Company!
If you look at history we look at people like Edison, Einstein, The Wright brothers,Corrie Ten Boom’s family, JESUS, the disciples Peter, Paul, Ruth, Rehab (I could seriously keep going) just to name a few. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that almost every single person in Scripture were Crazy by their culture’s Standards- and they lived out their faith ANYWAY!
Even Esther was CRAZY
Esther told Mordecai in Esther 4:8-11; 15-17 that it would be crazy for her to go before the king because EVERYONE in EVERY province knows that if you go before the king you will die.In a sense she saying are you nuts? Why are you asking me to do this? Everyone knows what happens when you do that!
Then after Mordecai gives his response of “well if you don’t, somebody else will and your gonna die anyway,”
She responds back If i die, I die.-That’s CRAZY!
Safe and Sound
The opposite of Crazy is Safe.We want to do everything that will keep us safe.Safe socially, physically, financially and even emotionally.We build walls and we protect ourselves from being hurt or ruin.
Peter when he denied Christ three times was out of a fear for his safety..He didn’t want to be put on trial, publicly humiliated and possibly die.
Im gonna be honest here.I have struggled with a few books as of late.They are books that either I have read on my own or our Ladies Bible Study have done.
Now while I think that both books have some great points and areas ofsound advice I saw something in myself that goes against onemy core beliefs. That Core belief is that when I became a Christian and I gave my life to Jesus that it no longer was my own. It is His to do with as He pleases- My home is His- Our Home is His. My craft Stuff IS HIS!. It is the principle of dying to self! My life is not my own. This has radically changed the way we do life in our home.
When I became a believer I gave my entire life over to God It is not my own. I have handed it over to him.And it is His to do with as HE sees fit not me. And I’m not saying that you should not read either one of these books but they do have potential to create a negative influence factor in your life.So I’m gonna share my struggles with both of these books.
The Best Yes- There are many Positives to this book!And the first time I worked through this book I asked some REALLY hard questions about the things I was doing and God posted out something that was not my best yes- Gardening. I was doing because that is what all “good and frugal wife and mom’s do”. BUT I hate to garden and I don’t have the time to do it justice!! I was driving myself and my poor hubby insane. We often times put these ideals on ourselves (an sometimes on others). And if you take the 5 areas Lysa talks about in the Best Yes and question your ideals looking at deep at the choices you are making FANTASTIC that is what she means by it BUT I found myself busing these principles to build walls- putting myself (AND GOD) in a box- It became an area of control. I found myself beginning to seek to control my circumstances and protect myself from those around me who have hurt me. THAT IS NOT WHAT LYSA IS SAYING!
The second book is Boundaries by Dr Henry Cloud. Now it’s the same basic thing. I was using the principles in this book to build walls Protecting myself.
And then I heard a song: I mean I already knew it!! BUT I really HEARD IT.
Chasing after this world makes me tired
Praisin’ my own name leaves me dry
I wanna live with abandon
Give You all that I am
Every part of my heart, Jesus
I place in Your hands
I wanna live with abandon
I’ll drop everything to follow You
It’s only Your hands I hold onto
I’m not looking back
I’m done with that
Wanna give You all I have
EVERY PART- OUCH
My time
My enery
My Money
my sanity
EVERY SINGLE PART
We think it’s our job to protect ourselves BUT IT”S NOT. Sometimes it’s when we get hurt that the most beautiful parts of us show through. Like a refiner’s fire (yeah now I’m dating myself!). Gold or any precious metals has to go through painful things in order to become the most pure form of itself Because that fire burns off the impurities. If we protect ourselves from the hard stuff and we build walls- God’s gonna break free and use somebody else- Just like Mordecai told Esther! By building protective walls you have rendered yourself useless.
By The Way our Ladies Bible Study is currently working through LET. IT. GO. and it’s all about releasing the control we have (or so desperately want). Im breaking down those walls of control!
How about You?
let’s Chat? What is something that You have done that peole have looked at you and thought you were crazy and you chose to follow God anyway?
OR
What is God asking you to do and you are thinking NO WAY LORD THAT”S CRAZY!!!!!
Another way Esther influenced her world was by being persistent.She didn’t give up.She said she was going to do it and she stuck with it, even when plans changed.So what was she Persistent in?She had to add a second banquet because God had a plan to make King Xerxes remember some important details about the man Mordecai who saved King Xerxes’ life. We don’t know why exactly she didn’t spill her guts at the first banquet.There is a lot of speculation BUT for whatever reason we know that God used it for HIS good!!
Other Biblical Examples of Persistence
Moses didn’t think he could go to Pharaoh.He felt he wasn’t able to speak well enough for such a task and yet God equipped Moses to go before Pharaoh 14 times throughout the beginning of the book of Exodus.
How about Ruth- the Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi?Shealong with Orpah and Naomi losttheir husbands.When Naomi decided to leaveMoab the girls decided to go back to Israel with her.At one point Naomi urges the girls to go back to their families, stating that she had nothing to offer them and really had nothing to offer them. Orpah heeded Naomi’s instructions but Ruthtold Naomi That she would not leave her and that her Naomi) peoplewould become her (Ruth) people and that her (Naomi) God would become her(Ruth) God.She had no idea what she was getting into.I’m sure Naomi told her how the Israelites felt about foreigners. And yet THAT was not her concern.She wanted to care forNaomi. She worked so hard in the fields to providefor their little family.And yet God took that persistence and blesses Ruth greatly. So much so that Ruth will be in the line of David and eventually Jesus.
Perhaps the Most Persistent Man in American History
This person lost 8 electionsin various state and local positions (he didn’t win one single election),
he had two failed businesses,
Lost numerous loved ones including his wife.
He suffered a nervous breakdown ……..all before we called him PRESIDENT Abraham Lincoln.
I find this story inspiring because by the worlds standards he WAS a failure.BUT he was so persistentthat just by being so persistent makes him an inspiration.That He wasn’t willing to give up and throw in the towel. He fought through all of the negative and became a success! And he revolutionized the United States!
Abraham Lincoln like Esther had been persistent, and they were both called “for such a time as this”. Their Persistence paid off!
TheCommand to be Persistent- To Persevere
Another word for Persistence in the Bible is PERSEVERANCE!ToPerseveremeans to be steadfast in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success!
Hmmm sounds a lot like both Abraham Lincoln AND Esther AND a HUGE amount of people scattered throughout Scripture!!
Check out these verses that relay our need for perseverance in our everydaylives:
Romans 5 :3-4
3 Not only so, but we] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
James 1:2-5
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
I Quit….I Give Up….
The opposite of persistence or perseverance is Quitting.
We quit because bad things happen or because things aren’t working out the way we envision them or in the time frame in which we want to accomplishgoals.
Many times Christians will tack on it’s God’s will to quit. The problem starts though when they first say it was God’s will or God has told them to do something and then all of a sudden they say God told them He doesn’t want to do that anymore. If God had called or told us to do something then we really need to be persistent and persevere through all the hard stuff that comes with serving God! If we don’t it leads to a whole lot of troubles.
We are promised inJohn 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.In this worldyou WILL have trouble. BUT take heart , I have overcome the world.”AND YES that means in dealing with other believers.At some point we as Christians forget that we as Christians are still human and we let each other down. No one is perfect.GASP NOT EVEN OURSELVES.I’n guessing that you have hurt your fair share of people too.Just as I have.I try my hardest to make things right, this is where grace comes in.At this point this is where I begin to hear echos in my own head saying but you have no idea how much I have been hurt.You have no idea how much people have hurt me and then come all the stories flowing out like bitter flood waters that have been stuffed deep down within their souls.I deal with that same stuff.Because I have been hurt deeply.And then I remember one thing and it puts it into perspective: Jesus died for everyone including those who crucified HIM.Realistically if one person in this world would be justifiedin holding a grudge it would be Jesus.He was perfect, sinless and He was made the fool and died a humiliating death. The ultimate hurt and betrayal.AND HE FORGAVE THEM AND ME!!! I need to be persistent and persevere despite all the hurt.
Other times it’s a test from God to see just how serious we are to follow where He has called us.He wants us to trust him fo HIS purposesNOT our own.He wants to know that we are dedicated to HIS ways, despite our ideals and preconceived ideas of how things SHOULD go!
And when that happens oftentimes a person with influence in lookedas CRAZY.
One of our most powerful influences is Transparency.So many times we put on a front of “fine.” But when we share our struggles we help other people around us who are also struggling to see that:
1 It’s OK to struggle.
2 That they aren’t alone.
Esther 4:3
3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
Sackcloth and Ashes were a visible sign of mourning and sadness. It was a way that the people showed that they were is deep distress. It was a way of communicating with out saying a word. They were being honest about where they were in life. Something had happened, something very hard. There are moments in the Bible where it talks about people being in sackcloth and ashes for a year. This is a very vivid picture of just how long this mourning process can take. And in this Chapter of Esther Mordecai was mourning and lamenting before anything even happened. He was showing just how horrible this impeding massacre was going to be and the Jewish people in Persia followed suit!
The Command to be Transparent
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
Being transparent doesn’t mean we try to fix people who are hurting or act like we have every answer to every problem. Transparent means sharing our story, and comforting people in their hurt.For however long it takes.Grace never runs out or we are all doomed.
I had this Bible College Professor Mr. S. He Drummed into our heads, that “you can give what you don’t have”. And in a sense that is what the verse is telling us. We receive comfort from God when we go through those hard moments in life so we then can pass on those comforts to those who are struggling around us. Notice how we aren’t told to tell them:
how to get better
to fix their problems
tell them to get over it or move on
to pretend like we have all the answers.
So the big question is, “HAVE YOU ALLOWED YOURSELF TO BE COMFORTED BY GOD?” But I know that for many of us we would say yes but the reality is that we want things to be fixed. Immediately. In our time. In our way. we May rely on God’s comfort for a time but when things don’t happen in our time or to our liking we say “ok what can I do to change my circumstances”.
Protecting Ourselves with Walls
The opposite of transparent is Hiding, because of fear, or our pride, thinking that we need to have it all figured out and all put together.If we do that then we are in danger of making other people feel that they are failing because of their struggles, like they aren’t good enough, or like they have done something to deserve punishment.
We start protecting ourselves. We build walls and Barriers. God is not a God of walls and barriers, matter of fact he is in the business of tearing them down. Walls and Barriers are NOT transparent. They are meant to keep people out. To keep our hearts hidden and protected from being hurt.
Being transparent or real about where we are at and the struggles we are going through helps us comfort others. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was transparent when He told His disciples that He was anxious and in great distress. He asked them to keep watch and to pray for and with Him. Did they? NOPE. They could not comfort Jesus in his great distress because they had not experienced that kind os struggle. They didn’t understand, so they slept and Jesus struggled with God. THAT is the very reason why Christ had to die. That is why He is called the Comforter.
Lessons From My Own life
My eyes- because of having a visual impairment, I am very much aware of those with special needs and whatever it is that they may need. Whereas other people who aren’t familiar may not have any awareness at all that there is a need to be met. It’s not their fault and they aren’t being mean but when I see a mom in a store struggling with a child who is in an all out fit I tend not t judge her for her parenting, but instead I send a warm smile in her direction. Saying “yep I get it, parenting is hard stuff”. I’m not called to judge but I am called to share the comfort I have received from God.
And the second thing that really has impacted. our lives is an event that happened four years ago. It opened my heart to a whole new realm of ministry and it has impacted it greatly. You can read about that here. and since the time God has done some amazing things and we have had a chance to help others maneuver through these sticky muddy swampy waters of the same circumstances. He have been able to give hope to those who are hurting because we let God comfort us through it. Yes we tried to help things along and struggled when things didn’t happen like everyone told us it would OR should.
and then there is working at the Pregnancy Center. And as a volunteer I can teach 2 different mentoring classes. I can teach Expectant Moms, because as the saying goes, “Been there done that.” the Center has a policy that if You haven’t been pregnant you can’t teach that Class. Same with Happy parenting. I have 4 kiddos. AND I have custody of them. Now I have not been able to teach this class for people who have teens because until this year I have never parented a teen. However if someone comes in seeking mentoring and they have a child with special needs I am their go to girl because I have a son with Autism and I can share hope with them!
If I let God use those hard things in my life to comfort others (not fix or solve) God will use us. We have to be willing and have faith that he will use those hard circumstances for HIS glory NOT ours.
Yesterday we discussed Esther’s Willingness. She was willing to do what was right and as we see by the end of the story she was blessed but more on that Later! Today we will see that Esther’s second attribute that really influenced others around her was her Faith. And this REALLY piggybacks off of the attribute of willingness and really they all do. Faith is a choice. Transparency is a choice. Persistence is a choice. Action is a choice and we ALL know that being crazy and making the seemingly illogical CRAZY is a choice!!
Missing BUT Still Present
Ya know what though as we get deeper into the book of Esther we realize that there is a person not yet mentioned in this book. Do you know who it is? It’s GOD! But just because God isn’t mentioned in this book does it mean God isn’t there? NOPE! God is ALWAYS there, even when He is not acknowledged, or talked about.
The {Faith} Struggle is Real
As I look back over the Bible and I take a deeper look into the people’s lives who are documented in it’s pages I see a pattern. I see that they ALL struggled with their FAITH!! EVEN JESUS did but more on that in a second.
So What is FAITH?
A few years ago I wrote that on the very first page of this super cute journal I had purchased- and then I promptly lost the journal. That was the only thing written in it. Fast forward a few YEARS later, I was organizing my book shelf making room for new books and there neatly on the shelf was my journal. I opened it up and chuckled because of the question. I set it on the table and I was determined to use it for my summer/ camp journal. The next morning I opened this thing of beauty and I was reading my devotions ( I was reading through the book of HEBREWS). when I started Cjaper 11. My mouth fell open.
Hebrews 11:1 gives the definition of faith, as clear as crystal it says, ”
Faith isConfidence in what we hope for.
AND
Assurance about what we do not see.
!!!!
Esther’s Faith
Esther had confidence and assurance that God would fulfill the promises made throughoutthe Old Testament. Promises that He would protect His People the Jews. She, though it was hard, trusted that she was put into this placefor such a time as this.To bethe one used to save an entire nation from another Man ruled by his pride and anger.
But Esther had to battle through doubts and fears. She knew that if she entered the kings presence with out being summoned, she would more than likely meet her demise much sooner than she had hoped for. And what good would that do her OR her people. And yet she had to make a choice to trust God or Trust logic. to have faith that God would do what He said He would do.
Jesus’s Faith Struggle
Now before you go excommunicating me for hearsay, let me explain.
Jesus didn’t’t want to die! Three times we see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane toiling and struggling asking God to “Let this cup pass from me”. Matthew 26:39-46.NIV. In this passage He tells his disciples that He is greatly distressed and overwhelmed with sorrow and he asks them to keep watch and Pray with him. I can’t even imagine how much more sorrowful he was when he found them sleeping THREE times!
In another Gethsemane account we are told that Christ was so anguished that He sweat great drops of blood Luke 22:41-46.
And in the end as this passage says the angel of the Lord came to Him and strengthened Him. and in the end He surrendered His will and says ” Not my will Father But Yours. The struggle to trust God for His best not ours is what REAL FAITH is all about.
The Hall of Faith-Hebrews Chapter 11
Basically this chapter is a reminder of who God used and how. They are a pretty Wiley group too. They were not perfect. they had stained pasts AND presents. And the underlying 2 things about each one of them
they were willing
they had faith that God was who He said He was and He was going to do what He said He was going to do!
Hebrews 11:32-38 Msg
32-38 I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.
WOW!!!
The “OTHER” Choice
I have been rather clear that each one of these attributes is an active choice. You have two options: Be willing or unwilling. Have faith OR DOUBT!!! and let’s be honest EVERYONE struggle with doubt! And everyones doubt looks different.Sarah Laughed when she was told she was going to have a baby at 100.Thomas didn’t believe that Jesus had raised from the dead though Jesus had promised it on multiple occasions
Doubt is often used by Satan to keep us from influencing others.
Doubt can be caused by many things. It can come from people. Or it can from our hearts, when we let questions (Like Eve) roll around about God’s goodness, his love for us. Did He really sayThat? How can He love me?? We all do it but how do we chase the doubts out?
3 Practical Steps to chase out Doubt
Learn who you are in Christ- memorize these post the Scriptures and place those answers Scripture in prominent places as constant reminders as to who you are are in Christ!
In her book Loving God with all Your Mind Elizabeth George recommends taking Philippians 4:8-9 and asking yourself questions based on this passage. So ask yourself is this TRUE? -Say that God is not with you during this trial. Your answer should be No because God says He will never leave us nor forsake us in TWO places! Deuteronomy 31:6 and then the author of Hebrews encourages the Hebrew believers He is writing to reminding them of what is written In Deuteronomy in Hebrews 13:5 &6.
PHILIPPIANS 4:8-9. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
PRAY. this is not just some pat Christian answer. This is our biggest defense against every temptation we face. This can be as simple as “God help my unbelief”. Or it can be a fall to your knees, crying out to God,Eat Carpet type of prayer. No matter what it looks like you cannot overcome this doubt alone. You NEED God’s help. Who better to help you break down your doubt THAN the very person in whom your faith struggles!
These three steps have become my hope renewers when my faith falters. God has used these three things to bring healing to my people pleasing heart and has brought me to a place of understanding that I answer to Him. Putting aside when others let me down and claiming the promise that HE WILL NEVER LEAVE ME OR FORSAKE ME helps me to realize that He is the ever constant LOVE in my. life that has NO conditions tied to it!
Let’s Chat: How about you? what doubts has God broken through? oOR is currently breaking through?
