Secondly, here is the second part of God's strategies for success. May this word come forth and take you to greater heights in your walk with God!
2. BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR DESIRES
Typically, once you set a God given goal, you will begin to doubt it. You will begin to question it and you will begin to ask yourself things like, “Is this really God’s will?” “Does God really want me to have this? Do I really deserve this? Is this just a selfish request? What if I’m wrong?”
And this will soon lead you to start second guessing yourself. And the bible says “A double minded man is unstable in all of his ways.” Therefore to overcome all these self-doubts, you not only have to be clear in your destination, your direction, what do you want out of life but you also have to be confident in that desire!
Its just like playing in a competitive game.
Case scenario: You are in the clear and you look set to score the winning point for your team. The fans are on their feet, cheering u on. Suddenly just as you are about to shoot, you begin to entertain thoughts that say, "What if I miss? Then i'll look really bad. Hmm... I better pass the ball to my teammate, I'm sure he/she can finish off the move better than i do." And what do u kw; that the moment you do just that, you lost the ball! The Fans immediately start to groan...
Haha, sounds so dramatic eh? Yes, i kw, this case scenario that i've just stated may nt be applicable in your life but friends, how many of u kw that it doesn't have to be in a competitive sports game that u begin to face doubts about yourself? (your gifts, talents and abilities etc...)
The truth is, we start doubting the very goals that God gives us. You’ve got to have confidence. You’ve got to believe in God. You’ve got to believe in yourself. You have to believe that God wants to bless your life. You have to be confident in your desires!
Evidently, Joshua had a problem with this. Over and over he felt very inadequate. In this passage, God is seen to be persistently giving Joshua a prep talk. Four times in the passage, God says to Joshua “You can do it! Go for it!” In verse 6; God says to Joshua “Be strong and courageous.” Verse 7; He says “Be strong and very courageous.” Verse 9; He says “Be strong and very courageous.” Verse 18; He says “Be strong and very courageous.” Four times! He’s trying to say “Get the point, Joshua?!”
The literal translation of this in Hebrew and this is the way the Good News Bible translates it, is “Be determined and confident.” Joshua, believe! Believe I can do it. Believe you can do it. “Be determined and confident.”
So why does God say that? The reason is simple, it is the fear, and not the problems that is keeping you in the wilderness. It’s not the problems of the Promised Land. Even the Promised Land has problems. In fact, it has giants in it. You have problems wherever you are. But it’s the fear that keeps you in the wilderness and you must be confident in your desires. Then you can overcome your fear!
So nw i will share with everyone 3 things that threathen to rob us of our confidence. They are:
1. Experience. Experience robs us of confidence. You say “but experience should make me more confident what?!” Haha. Well friends, that is not necessarily the case. It all depends on what kinds of experiences you’ve had.
If you’ve had a bunch of failures, heartbreaks, and hurts, you might have the tendency to say “It’s never worked before. It’s never been done before. Why should I try again? I’ve always failed.” Thus, sometimes, inexperience is an asset because you don’t know what’s impossible. You just go ahead and try to do it. You never let a bad memory ruin your future. In short, experience will rob you of confidence.
2. Emotions. Emotions will rob you of confidence. A lot of people – and i mean most – tend to make decisions based on their moods. They say things like “I don’t feel like it!” “I’m just too tired.” If you’re going to be successful, you have to learn to master your moods. The fact is, most things are accomplished by people who don’t feel doing it at the time. Thus, we all have to learn not to let our emotions dictate the direction of our lives.
3. Excuses. This can be in the form of rationalisations or justifications. Here are some common excuses: “I don’t have the time. I don’t have the money. I don’t have the ability. I don’t have the energy. I don’t have the education.” All of these are excuses. The bible says “you have not because you ask not.” So, don’t use your inadequacies as an excuse, but rather, use it as a prayer request instead!
To end off this segment, i just want to say... That when you are committed to doing the will of God, God can speak through your desires! Yes, thats right!! This means God can use your desires as guiding steps when you are sincerely saying “God, I’m predetermined to do Your will.” Therefore, be clear in your direction and be confident in your desires and i believe you will have a breakthrough in your life!!!
end of part two...
