Doubt. It plagues many of us each day.
I talked about this topic a few weeks ago before I headed out to the SCORRE conference in Orlando, Florida, where I had the privilege of coaching speakers from around the country in effective communication and the SCORRE method. (Next conference in Vail, CO, October 14-17, 2013!)
Coaching speakers isn’t a job for the faint at heart. Giving positive feedback is easy, but giving people constructive criticism about something that most people in the world feel completely vulnerable and self-conscious about is another story.
Honestly, I had my doubts.
Would I be successful the first time I flew solo with my own group? Would I measure up to the expectations? Would anyone ask for their money back because I was their coach? (Just being real!)
So, I armed myself with three swords to defend against the nagging doubts, and wielded them bravely each day.
photo courtesy of sxc.hu @sardinelly
Sword 1: Scripture.
Whenever I heard the lie in my head saying, “What are you thinking, you can’t do this! You’re not good enough,” I repeated that Jeremiah verse to allay the fear. Amazingly, it worked every time.
It was He who had equipped me and would continue helping me with anything I couldn’t handle myself. I trusted him and placed all my confidence in HIM, not myself. What a relief.
Sword 2: Prayer.
Before I left for the conference, I asked a group of people to pray for me the whole time I was gone. I knew it would be arduous and tiring to say the least (working 15 hours a day) and that I would succumb to many things, not the least of which was doubt, especially when I was tired.
I also asked these warriors to pray for my students; that they would be open and ready to learn and God would do a powerful thing in their lives.
I felt the prayers all week. I had an indescribable peace each day – even when I faced challenges.
Sword 3: Gideon
The day before I left for SCORRE, I was reading Gideon’s story in the Book of Judges. Read the passage yourself here, or what I wrote on the blog.
It was a hugely appropriate lesson that I clung to each day I was gone. The gist of it is this:
Even when we don’t think we have what it takes, God does.
When Gideon expresses doubts, God answers with confidence:
1. Go in the strength you have
2. I am (I AM) sending you.
3. I will be with you.
My swords helped me ward off those nagging doubts, and I emerged after one of the hardest weeks of the year with pure joy and gratitude. I felt God’s power, and I witnessed his ability to change lives.
Is doubt holding you back? What swords can you wield to step out in faith toward where God is leading?