Week #1’s post “How to ask for what you need” concluded with the next step, Take Action.
Faith without works is dead. When people talk about having blind faith there is no such thing. True faith requires you to act as if it is so. That means being bold and courageous enough to step out and take the next logical step towards what you desire. When I asked for what I needed, I started to live my life as if that prayer had already been answered. For example, I needed a new car and I began to make my selection. I went for test drives and I compared my choices online. I researched reviews and I narrowed down my options. James 2:14 my brothers and sisters, if a person claims to have faith but does nothing that faith is worth nothing. Faith like that cannot save anyone.
What keeps us you from being courageous? I can think of a few things that have impacted me.
- Fear of the unknown
- Fear of consequences
- Fear of failure
- Self-limiting beliefs
- Fear of success
Breaking it Down
Fear of the unknown says, if I step out in faith I don’t know what’s going to happen? It masquerades as thoroughness but leads to procrastination. Fear of the unknown usually has some deeper meaning based on a previous experience that we’re afraid to repeat.
Fear of consequences manifests itself as doing due diligence. We tell ourselves, I’m just making sure I make the right decision, when in fact, this false act of perfection becomes a stall tactic. Eventually, you make a decision based on your indecision.
Fear of failure whispers in your ear, remember what happened last time. You can’t do this. This is not for you.
Self-limiting beliefs are those words that others speak over our lives, we repeat them, and they produce rotten fruit.
Fear of success really exists. It’s the fear that we’ll be successful and that success will lead to bigger expectations that we can’t fulfill. Or perhaps, other people ill find out that we’re a fraud and we don’t belong here.
[Tweet theme=”basic-full”]experience fear, anxiety, or hesitation, but once you acknowledge it give it permission to leave and replace it.[/Tweet]
Keep Moving Forward
There’s a saying, be afraid and do it anyway. I almost like that phrase except I don’t believe in claiming fear so I have to find another way to express this. I prefer to say you can experience fear, anxiety, or hesitation, but once you acknowledge that feeling give it permission to leave and replace it. I believe courage is the opposite of fear because you can have faith and still be stuck in one place. On the other hand, when you experience fear, you call on your faith, and you take action by stepping out on courage.
Four Steps
- Stop pretending and claim your greatness. You don’t need to pretend to be brave. You are brave. You are anything you tell yourself you are so if brave is what you need then be brave. Be brave, strong, and courageous
- Ignore the crowd. I’ve said this over and over again and I know you’ve heard it elsewhere. Social media creates this false utopia where everyone is more successful than you. It’s not true. People on social media have felt vulnerable and uncertain before too. Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses in the bravery department.
- Surround yourself with likeminded people, not the super successful people you feel compelled to compare yourself to but the ones who acknowledge their humanness.
- One bite at a time. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time (sorry vegans and vegetarians). What do you want to accomplish that has you stalled at the starting blocks? Break it down into stepping stones that move you closer to your goal. Pick one a day and start stepping.
Take Action
Now that you have four simple tools that will help you, spend some time meditating on what you have asked for and how you can apply the tools and this message, Take Action. Keep It Simple Sister (KISS), don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. If you need help getting started click here for some one-on-one support or prayer.
