Organizing the Inside 365 Days
Empowering Christian Women To Get Organized and Discover God's Plan for Their LivesArchive for Confidence
Organizing the Inside – Day 358 Faith to Live Victoriously
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 (NLT)
Plan to live the abundant life Jesus came to give. I’m a firm believer that without established plans things generally go terribly off course. Being the planner that I am, I tend to leave nothing to chance. Lately I’ve spent much time contemplating how to stay close to God and keep my relationship with Him tight. If your heart’s desire is to dwell in His house all the days of your life, and to walk in His ways then you’ve probably had this same concern. In my discovery of the true keys to the kingdom of God I’ve learned many things that greatly impacted my personal relationship with God.
Amidst all the commitments, expectations and stuff to do how do we keep God first? Fortunately your relationship with God doesn’t depend on ritualistic practices of religious customs. Your relationship with God depends on your faith. Of course when you have a relationship with someone you want to please them. If you made a list of the best ways to please God, FAITH would likely be at the top. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) Faith is the highest ranking necessity that pleases God, because it makes the other things that please Him possible.
How do we get this high ranking “must have FAITH” in our arsenal of Christian life best practices? How do we walk and live by faith daily? Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 (NLT) Read and print PDF.
5 Strategic Best Practices to Increase Your Faith:
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (KJV)
- Hear the Word of God preached and proclaimed.
- Hear the Word of God by meditating on it.
- Hear the Word of God through prayer.
- Hear the Word of God by reading it.
- Hear the Word of God by reciting or speaking it.
Call upon your courage by the power of the Holy Spirit. If your life sometimes feels like a rollercoaster ride being up on your faith today and full of doubt and worry tomorrow, ask God for the courage to get off the ride at once. You have faith; so allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to take the right steps that fit your lifestyle and personal needs. Be creative! If you don’t always have lots of time to formally sit and read the bible, look for the bible on CD’s. Also Apple and Android has audio bible applications that you can download for free. Pray about and consider (additional) new ways to spend time getting the Word of God in your heart. Taking active steps toward having the relationship God wants you to have will help change your life. If you are fed up with being up and down or in and out when it comes to faith and the things of God do something now to fix it.
God has given you and me great success, so let’s walk in it. If you have ears, hear what the Spirit is saying to your heart. Act now! Don’t delay…your schedule will never be perfect nor will your lifestyle be what you want it to be until you act on the Word that you have heard. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Hebrews 4:2 (NIV) Taking action will activate your faith.
Finally, my dear sisters in Christ, with your whole heart seek God and He will reward you. Don’t be afraid to believe Him for the seemingly impossible. Yes, you can live a full life, with family, work, home, ministry, and the rest and still keep a right, and fulfilling relationship with God. You don’t have to always struggle to get it right. Our Christian walk is not a rough climb up some imaginary spiritual mountain. Jesus told us to speak to the mountain and tell it to move. Oh, but this too requires faith. We can live everyday victoriously. He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower and teach us how. Jesus gave real life examples to live by, and God has given us the power of His written Word to learn from and stand upon. We have all we need to live without compromise as overcomers; nothing more is required. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4 (KJV)
We are the righteousness of God. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12 (KJV)
Please take a moment to share your thoughts and successes with others.
Organizing the Inside – Day 338 Choose to Live Fearlessly
24Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25About three o’clock in the morningJesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Matthew 14:24-27 (NLT)
Fear can be pretty unpredictable. I’ve often looked up, wondering what has me stuck and realized that fear has reared its ugly head once again. Some say you can smell it, but as far as I know it is colorless, tasteless and odorless. This thing “FEAR” is not something you want to conquer, not really. Fear must be eradicated. I’ve concluded in my limited knowledge about spiritual matters that we cannot make it go away on our own, and wrestling with it is definitely not part of God’s plan. Although fear manifests itself physically in ways that we can plainly see, it is clearly a spiritual problem.
What happened to Peter when he went from faith to fear? He began to doubt Jesus. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” Matthew 14:31 (NLT) Something happens in the heart and mind when there is fear; there is a sense of being stuck and or you dread the future. Like Peter when someone is walking in fear they start out questioning, (Lord if it’s really you) move on to obeying (So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.) and end up doubting, (But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.) There is only one way that we can truly live fearlessly and that is through Jesus Christ, by accepting God’s Word as the final truth and authority in our lives. (“Yes, come,” Jesus said.) When God says it, we have total confidence to do it.
16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 (NIV) Fearless living is a choice. We choose to live fearlessly by choosing to live a life of love, and refusing to compromise or doubt God because of what we see.
Organizing the Inside – Day 332 A Reason Behind Every Season
9What do people really get for all their hard work? 10I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:9-11 (NLT)
There is a season for everything under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) If we accept the reality of this truth and learn to embrace the season we are in today, we can get the most out of every experience God has ordained for us to learn from. Is it harvest time or planning? Is it watering or planting season? What season is your life in now? Knowing and accepting the answer to this very important question will save you from a lot of the frustration and aggravation that comes with trying to do what you think is right. Sure God has a plan and His intent is for you and me to live out that plan with great success. I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NLT)
Confident living comes from trusting God. Our lives shouldn’t drag behind hopeful that we are pursuing what’s right. Nor should we hurry ahead being driven by the endless winds of today’s next new thing because of impatience. The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23 (NLT) Know your current season. Start now; seek God for the level of certainty that will allow you to confidently pursue your goals. If your life sometimes seems as though it’s flapping in the wind, remember your anchor is sure. 18So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. Hebrews 6:18, 19a (NLT) We can rely on God’s promise of success and grace in our hour of need. No matter what season your life is in, God is with you, and He also goes before you. He is already in tomorrow, waiting for your arrival as He prepares the way. Be confident about your season, God has impeccable timing.
Organizing the Inside – Day 316 Exercising Confident Judgment
4Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. 5She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment. 6One day she sent for Barak …. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. 7And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.” 8Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.” Judges 3:4-8 (NLT)
Deborah was a strong woman whose heart trusted God entirely. She never seemed to waver and found great strength in her faith. Her inner assurance that God would grant victory made her a great judge and a wonderful example of a strong godly woman.
As women we often feel as though we must first become strong before we can serve God. I believe the message God wants us to understand is that when we are in Him, then we are strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10) Indeed preparation is important in fulfilling the plan of God in our lives, but many times we make preparing the one obstacle that keeps us from actually pursuing our purpose. Go ahead, move forward with the same strong confidence that Deborah had. She relied upon God as she went about conducting business for Him. Even men looked up to her because of her unwavering certainty and trust in the God.
What kind of faith does your life show? Does it show a simple and unyielding faith in your creator, or does it show a trembling mass of uncertainty every time you must make a decision? Deborah was a confident judge who was respected by the people. She took her job as a judge seriously, but it seems clear that as she sat under the palm trees and rendered decision after decision she was not afraid of making mistakes, because she trusted the internal wisdom of the God she served.
Being confident is not about having pride in your abilities or gifts, the contrary is true. True confidence requires us to trust in the One who called us and is far greater. Be confident when faced with decisions, and reject the fear of failure. We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:4, 5 (NLT) Don’t allow your role as a woman to create a preconceived notion against the plan of God. Yes, Deborah was a great leader and she did it while being married. Know that just as God used Deborah’s gifts and abilities, as she led Israel to victory, He will also use your gifts to give victory over life’s battles, as you trust Him. Resist the temptation to be indecisive under the weight of responsibility. It’s easier to say, it’s all just too much, and look for the first rock to hide beneath! Remember, the greater one lives in you and has already won the victory. (1 John 4:4) The pressure is not on you to perform; that sort of thinking will only lead to defeat. Instead, trust God and rest (under the palm tree) confidently in His ability to do great things in and through you.
Trust God to minister to you and strengthen you, precisely when you need it most. Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” Daniel 10:18, 19 (NLT)
Organizing the Inside – Day 183 Let Confidence Soar!
4We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (NLT)
Let your confidence soar!
Your confidence will be strong when you know who you are in Christ and which dreams He has designed for you to follow. You may not always feel like you’re on the right path, but your greatest contribution to the plan of God lies in who you already are. We are often told that we must work to achieve a certain status; and our confidence is derived from how well we do in achieving more. For me, it would be foolish to put my confidence in anything that I can achieve. My confidence is completely reliant upon Christ. Without God working in me and through me all my labor would surely be in vain.
Thinking like a child
When I was a child I’d ask my parents question after question. I wanted to have all my questions answered, because I thought that was what being an adult was really all about, you just know stuff; you have all the answers. I can remember wondering what happens when we die. I would lay awake in bed contemplating various scenarios about what it would be like to be dead. Even as a child, not knowing much at all, I concluded the matter on my own. Death would be, well I decided it would just be nothing, a complete state of nothingness, an empty white space. I must have been about nine and I desperately wanted answers about life and death. Having not received any satisfactory answers, I drew my own conclusions.
Becoming an adult means things change.
Yet, when we become adults we somehow hold on to the same childish thinking that we should know everything. We hide our fears and cover our inadequacies behind a smile that tells the world, I know what I’m talking about. All this shows a false confidence and causes us to rely more on our intellect and achievements, and less on faith in God. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:3 True wisdom and inner confidence can only be found in a relationship with Jesus. There is something about fellowship with an omniscient and omnipotent God that deepens your belief in someone greater than yourself. The Word tells us, Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (NLT) I’ve chosen to abandon any phony sense of confidence and exchange it for what is real; a renewed faith in God. Real confidence can’t be based upon human wisdom, wealth or prestige; it must be founded upon a complete reliance in the strength and grace of God. Where does your true confidence lie?
Organizing the Inside 365 Days 