STEP UP!!!

I just want to take a moment and share with you from my life...

Okay, so, I'm getting ready to go on a mission trip, which is such an amazing opportunity!!! And I'm very excited!!! =D

I don't know if you've ever been in the place where you're moving forward with what God has told you to do, but fear and doubt keep trying to stop you or slow you down. Well, in the past when that would happen I would back down instead of continuing to press forward.

However, lately I've been learning, that I can't back down. God has been telling me very clearly not to back down on this or let fear and doubt defeat me. Actually, God used baseball to illustrate it for me- it gives me a picture to visualize what's really going on. God told me: "Step up to the plate; it's your turn to hit a home run! Don't let fear strike you out! Don't let doubt strike you out!"

I don't know where you're at right now or what God is telling you to do, but maybe He's saying the same thing to you...DON'T BACK DOWN! STEP UP!

So I've been learning. Have you ever been in a situation where you clearly understand what God has told you to do, you just don't know how to actually do it? Well, this week, I found myself facing fear's attack. In myself I didn't know what to do. Now, instead of completely caving in, I ran to God. He had the strategy. So, I ran to Him and asked Him to teach me how to fight. I needed to learn how to take fear down and not let it have the victory over me!

When I ran to God and asked Him how to fight, He reminded me of something that was taught in the women's Bible study I've been going to. It's this...change the mental picture, change what I'm meditating on.

Okay, so what does that mean? Well, we don't think in words, we think in pictures and then come up with words to describe the pictures. So, there are pictures in our minds, ways that we see ourselves in specific situations...these could be pictures of things that have actually happened in the past or just ungodly imaginations. What we have to do, what I had to do, was create a new picture for the situation.

For example, what I was facing is I've been quite frightened of needles (I can't say I like needles now, but I'm not so scared.) - and I have to go get a shot and some blood work done this week before the mission trip. My mental picture was of last time I had blood taken and I was very close to passing out...not a pleasant picture! So, as I prayed and looked to God for the answer, I began to see the way I want to be when I go to the doctor. It is a picture full of confidence and boldness- no fear. Now with this new picture of myself in that situation I am able to see myself how God sees me and not give into fear. =)

Maybe there's something in your life right now that you need to run to God and ask Him how to handle. You know what?! He is more than willing to help you...and He has the answer! Just listen to Him (that could just mean reading His Word, the Bible) and then obey what He tells you. Enjoy the new found freedom in Jesus! =D