I got this devotion in my email and it really touched my heart. Hope it speaks to you as well...
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV)
Have you ever felt beat up by discouragement? Has your mind been bullied by thoughts of doubt such as:
I can’t do it all!
I am not cut out to be a wife, a mom, a daughter, a _______, a _____ and all the other things God has called me to.
In my Proverbs 31 devotion today, I share how I felt bullied by doubt one morning when I woke up. My thoughts were completely
against me, and my feelings were too.
While I was laying in bed feeling completely inadequate, my radio
alarm came on and my thoughts were interrupted by Twila Paris singing to
me.
With confident assurance, she told me it was no time for fear, but a
time for faith and determination. She challenged me not to lose my
vision or be carried away by my emotions, but to hold on to all that I
had hidden in my heart, and all I believed to be true. Then she reminded
me of the most important truth of all:
God is in control. [1]
Her words aligned my thoughts with God’s truth, and I went from
feeling afraid to feeling determined and from feeling out of control to
knowing God is in control.
We have the choice either to let doubt beat us up or to let God’s truth build us up.
I had set my radio to that station the night before so I would wake
up hearing encouraging music and truth. Just like I intentionally set
the dial of my radio alarm, we need to get intentional about tuning our
thoughts into God’s thoughts toward us – every day.
In the same way a radio has AM and FM frequencies, so do our
thoughts. They are either AM (against me) or FM (for me) thoughts. The
truth is, we are often our worst critics and have a lot of AM thoughts.
If our thoughts are against us, our feelings will be too, BUT we don’t have to let doubt bully us anymore.
We have full access to God’s power and His promises to
live with a confident heart. Yet it won’t just happen because it’s
possible. We have to take action.
So, the next time we get feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt,
let’s stop and ask the Holy Spirit to show us what we’re thinking that
is making us feel that way. Then let’s compare our thoughts about that
situation to God’s thoughts, which are reflected in Scripture.
Do they match? If not, find a promise in God’s Word to replace the
lie that has filled your heart with doubt. Here are few to get your
started:
• When doubt comes against me, saying I’m weak and all alone, I will
focus on the truth that God is for me! I can be strong and courageous
because the Lord my God is with me. He will never leave me nor forsake
me. (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV)
• When doubt comes against me, saying I’m not good enough for a
certain role or position, I will remember that God is for me! He says I
am His masterpiece, created to be new in Christ so that I could do good
things He planned long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)
Lord, thank You that You are with me to fight for me against my
enemies of insecurity and inadequacy. In all these things, I am more
than a conqueror through You who loves me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[1] “God Is In Control,” © 1993 by Twila Paris.
© 2012 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.
