WATCH WORD – Cast Not Away Your Confidence!
Do you ever struggle?
I am sometimes surprised by the heaviness that casts its shadow across my mind. I wonder if I am somehow too weak or inadequate for the calling on my life. I linger long, recalling my failures and missed opportunities of the past and wonder, frankly, if I am actually going to live long on this earth. I wonder if I have enough of a prayer shield. I can almost hear the words of the accuser against me.
Then somewhere, as my soul descends down this dark shaft of despair, my descent is stopped and a ray of light breaks forth with this thought…”Where does this dark voice come from?” Is it me, simply seeing the truth? No. This is a distortion of the truth! I groan under a heavy burden. But I am not usually depressed. Is it God? No. It is not His nature to depress.
And then THIS thought comes with liberating force… “The voice that is telling you to quit, stop, give up, admit failure, you're too weak, it's too late…” THAT Voice is a harassing devil assigned to you to hinder and block you. It is assigned BECAUSE THE ENEMY FEARS THAT SHOULD YOU PERSIST… YOU WILL SUCCEED. YOU MUST BE DOING DAMAGE TO THE ENEMY or he would not assault your mind so aggressively to discourage you.
Carry on. That voice of doubt and uncertainty is why you know you are on the right track!
You can't out-argue each critic but you can bury him under a pile of evidence as you “out-fruit” him.
What do you say? Am I alone in my private wrestling?
–stay strong
Lance
I was in a really awesome place in my walk about 3 years ago, blissed out, flyn’ high, then a death in my husband’s family, his mid life crisis, my world and very foundation shakin to it’s core. lol. I can laugh now only because I am on my way back up, it was a hellish 2 and a half years of self doubt, feeling lost, beating myself up , losing faith, gaining faith, questioning my sanity, every fiery arrow pointing and hitting me directly in the right spot repeatedly, oh but when all seemed completely undone, the Lord said “I will never leave you nor forsake you” , “you are perfect in my sight” , “in you I am well pleased my beloved”….me, doubter, crier, whiner even..but nothing could separate me from the love of God. I’m still a little shaken, I still wonder if I’m headed in the right direction sometimes, still feel inadequate and pathetic at times lol, He doesn’t care, just wants me to lean and love on Him and He just delights in surprising me with His unconditional love and acceptance. Nothing I can do about it no matter how messed up I feel which is every few days : ) but I keep on keepin on……
No, my Brother, you are not alone. When one member suffers we all suffer. I lift you up to the Throne Of God that He may attend to all your needs and questions!
We are given only 2 commands by Jesus: Love God and love others. ONLY TWO COMMANDS!!
He loves the WORKER more than the WORK!!
Remember the ONE Thing Mary found–sitting at Jesus’ feet.
Poor Martha was ANXIOUS n WORRIED n DISTRACTED by MANY things.
Jesus would have been happy with a peanut butter sandwich just to have Martha close by–
Rest yourself a spell upon His breast.
He will make everything ok.
Thank you for this post. You have always ministered to me in such a timely manner but this post by far is the most on point. Thanks for being help on my new path to Kingdom advancement and prosperity. May the Lord continue to bless you richly.
I have had those days. Knowing that God was there to protect me through all the failings and all the wrong turns, gave me the courage to continue. His voice tells me He accepts me just the way I am and that allows me to be who He made me to be.
This was a direct word from the Lord for me as well. Thank you for being open and sharing. Glory to God.
Thanks Dr. Lance! I echo what everyone else has said – thank you for the timely word – for sharing the burdens and doubts that plague all of us. I met you in Florida at Tamara Lowe’s event in February 2013 and was one of the beta test group with your online learning earlier this year. After returning from about 10 days doing work that is actually fun – I was hit in the gut with what looked like “failure” on the front that means the most to me so, of course, it frightens me the most. After “doing it afraid” (like Joyce Meyer says) and doing everything I was instructed by the Spirit to do, “nothing” happened (to my way of thinking). So immediately my mind started down the dark alleyways of doubt, fear, tears, and anger – only to hear the Spirit say that it was nothing I did – that He will correct and use the situation. But nevertheless, it has been a tough few days and so your message is important – and confirms that I am on the brink of breakthrough. I will keep you in my prayers.
Hi, Guy!
If I didn’t know that you already know, I’d say you have no idea just what warfare is transpiring in my neck of the woods,too! I wake up in a crossfire and have to declare GOD to get myself awake just to get a handle on the new day! The battle is fierce, and I am TIRED, and I think I have a clue as to why, but doggone it, the darkness seems to be gathering an intent to do real damage. Thank God for the blood! I am getting so angry that I refuse to quit just because I’m tired of being lied to, robbed, and aggravated to the nth degree on a perpetual basis. Pray without ceasing; that is all I know to do, because my fuse is growing shorter by the DAY……….Forward, comrades! On we go! Light to us all!
Dear Lance and friends,
How well I know those feelings of fear and inadequacy. So lonely. Such despair.
The child within my heart cries out for attention: hear me, see me, love me, show me who I really am, know me, set my feet on the path to Glory!
And, with your help, I am learning to hear, to respond, to receive, to re-member, to be led, to share, to be, to belong, to become!
There is a River, the streams of which make glad the city of God! Psalm46:4
I love you!
Dear Lance, The feelings that you described in your recent post are such important feelings. There are so many ways to address feelings. In my understanding they are the feelings of the abandoned child, the abandoned “real self”. These “abandoned parts” of the self are desperate to be understood, loved, integrated.
Wherever a child has been left alone with overwhelming feelings (either from Type A abandonment or Type B abuse trauma), the “real self” or the heart will be unable to process those feelings without mature caring help. The feelings (and beliefs) will be suppressed or locked inside and the child will believe that “I am bad” (worthless, a failure) whenever these beliefs are triggered by circumstances later in life.
This little “abandoned self” (a part of our spirit) needs to be heard, embraced and brought out into the open to the Lord in order to receive the Truth and comfort about who we really are – accepted, beloved.
The devil loves to push the buttons of our negative beliefs, but the Lord’s love casts out the fear. If we will embrace the child within that holds these beliefs because of what we have experienced when we were little and helpless, Jesus will love us into wholeness.
Respectfully submitted, Susan Austin