Following the leader

This is what I learned from our dear friend (Beth) this morning:

Too often, we allow the enemy to mess with our confidence. The confidence that is evident all over and all throughout scripture. Why do we keep doing this- because it's unfortunately too common among Christians? Is that the excuse we're gonna use before the Lord when He asks why we didn't do more?! I don't know about you, but that doesn't set too great with me. (which is why I've been deciding to just be different-even within the body-and just do the thang.)
How often do we take on the attitude of defeat without even realizing it? You know what I'm talking about:
"Face it, this is just my lot. This is just who I am."
"This is where I am. There's no hope of change."
"I'm just stuck here, that is how it is."
unfortunately, I have to admit these thoughts go through my head every single day. And what's worse, they're the beginning in a whole string of destructive thought patterns that I am fighting to recognize and stop in the beginning of their tape hitting "play".

I'm learning that if we TRULY believe what Christ says about us all over scripture, we won't live like that. We won't have thougt patterns the belittle our self esteem or self worth. God has blessed us and called us to more.
To shrink back from fully livin with/in confidence is to CHOOSE not to live in what God has planned for us. Here's the problem I've had lately with that: knowing what scripture says about who I am and feeling it's true are two vastly different things. I am very aware of what the Bible says. The trick is living it out in deep-rooted confidence. How does one do this? Well, thank you Beth, for shedding light on this. She taught me this morning that to live powerfully and accurately, I need to show courage BEFORE I feel it, rather than wait to feel it before I act in it. I may not have the power to change the stressful job and financial situaton I'm in. I may not be able to change an uncomfortable family life. But what I CAN do is look at a situation and ask myself "now, how would courage respond to this?" And then act and respond according to THAT rather than to my emotions. When I do this, I am living out what God thinks & says about me and my emotions will follow. Which is awesome!!