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| Seven Secrets of a Confident Woman | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 11 2007, 03:31 PM (144 Views) | |
| oceanweed | Jul 11 2007, 03:31 PM Post #1 |
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Seven Secrets of a Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer After ministering to women all over the world, I think I can safely say that countless women struggle with feelings of worthlessness and a lack of confidence. This was certainly true in my life. After enduring many years of abuse as a child, my confidence level was severely affected. But over time, the Lord taught me many principles that have helped me overcome my past and become the confident woman I am today. Let’s examine some of these secrets to success together. Secret #1—A Confident Woman Knows That She Is Loved The first and most important secret to being a confident woman is to know that you are loved by God unconditionally. Romans 5:8 says, …God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. Even if your natural father did not really love you properly, you can still get the love and acceptance you missed in your childhood from God. I grew up in an abusive home, and as a result I was filled with shame, blame and disgrace by the time I was eighteen. I didn’t know what love was. When a boy of nineteen showed an interest in me, I married him because I thought no one else would ever want me. He had problems of his own and didn’t know how to love me either. We ended up divorced after five years. By the time I met my husband, Dave, I was desperate for love but didn’t know how to receive it. Dave really loved me, but I constantly refused his love because of the way I felt about myself deep inside. It wasn’t easy, but over time I began to learn about and accept God’s love. When I learned to receive His love for me, it changed my life. It enabled me to also begin receiving love from others and love them in return. The great thing about God’s love is that He offers it continuously and unconditionally. It is a free gift, and there is only one thing to do with a gift—receive it and be grateful. When we choose to receive His love, it’s the beginning of our healing and the foundation for our new life in Christ. I urge you to take a step of faith and say out loud, “God loves me unconditionally, and I receive His love!” Like me, you may have to say it a hundred times a day before it finally sinks in, but when it does, it will be the happiest day of your life. The more you realize how much God really loves you, the more you can love yourself. As a result, your confidence will grow, and you will be able to love others. Secret #2—A Confident Woman Refuses To Live In Fear I think you will agree that refusing to be led by our feelings can be a challenge, especially when it comes to fear. But we must remember that fear is not from God. It is the devil’s tool to keep us from enjoying our lives and moving forward with what God has for us. When we attempt to walk in faith, Satan immediately tries to hinder us through many things, including fear. Fear of failure, judgment or criticism will cause us to bury our talents. It will make us draw back and live in misery and torment. Unless we make a firm decision to “fear not,” we will never be free from its power. Interestingly, the words “fear not” appear in Scripture 365 times—one for each day of every year. Hebrews 10:38 says that we are to live by faith. Faith is placing our confidence in God and steadfastly believing that His promises are true. Colossians 1:4 in The Amplified Bible defines faith as …the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness…. This godly confidence motivates us to go forward and try new things. As women of God, we must learn to live beyond our feelings of fear and do what we need to even if we must do it afraid. On a daily basis, we can choose to trade in the pain and paralysis of fear for the power and excitement of walking by faith. As you refuse to bow down to your feelings and walk in the Spirit, you’ll experience the blessing of seeing the promises of God being fulfilled in your life! Secret #3—A Confident Woman Is Positive Being negative and being confident do not go together. Like oil and water, they just don’t mix. Being negative opens the door to a lot of problems and disappointments, which fuels the fire for more negativity. Fear is the “dark room” where all your negatives are developed. So why not look at the brighter side of life and believe something good is going to happen to you? Many people, when encouraged to think positively, often reply, “That is not reality.” But the truth is, positive thinking can change our current reality. God is positive—it’s the way He is, the way He thinks and the way He encourages us to be. Romans 8:28 says, And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose…(NLT). Therefore, being positive is simply a matter of looking at things from God’s perspective. It’s keeping our thoughts in line with the truth of His Word. What kind of thoughts are filling your head? Are they agreeing with Scripture? If they are not, then they didn’t originate with God. If you want to fulfill God’s plan for your life, you will need to learn to think positively so you can become the bold, confident woman God created you to be! Secret #4—A Confident Woman Recovers From Setbacks In this life you and I are inevitably going to experience setbacks. The important thing is that we not see them as failures. We are not a failure just because we try something that doesn’t work. It’s only when we stop trying that we fail. The truth is, many people get confused when they’re trying to figure out what they’re supposed to do with their lives. This was definitely true in my life. I discovered my destiny by trial and error. I tried working in the nursery and quickly discovered I was not called to work with children. I also tried being my pastor’s secretary, and after one day I was fired. The only reason I was given was, “This just isn’t right.” I was devastated at first, but then I was asked to start a weekly meeting on Thursday mornings at church and teach God’s Word. I quickly found where I fit. Again, everybody experiences setbacks and makes mistakes. But a confident woman is not afraid to make them. Instead of allowing your mistakes to stop you, let them train you. Proverbs 24:16 says, For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…(NIV). When you make a mistake, give the pain and disappointment to God and go on. As Philippians 3:13 says, let go of what lies behind and press toward the things ahead. Your past has no power over you if you don’t give it power. If you aren’t doing anything with your life because you’re not sure what to do, then I recommend that you pray and begin trying some things. Think of it this way: When you go shopping for a new outfit, you probably try on many different things until you find what is comfortable, looks good on you and fits you best. Why not do the same thing with discovering your calling in life? As you take steps of faith, your destiny will unfold. Secret #5—A Confident Woman Avoids Comparison It is impossible to walk in confidence and compare ourselves with others at the same time. No matter how good we look or how talented, smart and successful we are, there is always someone who is better than us. I believe that confidence is found in doing the best we can with what we have. God wants us to find joy in being the best we can be, not in competing or comparing ourselves with others. The world is constantly giving us the impression that we need to be something other than what we are—that some product, program or prescription is just the thing we need to be accepted and noticed. But these claims are just a mirage—something that seems to be reality but really isn’t. Trying to be just like somebody else will wear you out. I know because I tried it. For years I struggled to be like different people I admired: my neighbor, my pastor’s wife, my friend and even my husband. In the process, I was rejecting and disapproving of the person God created me to be. Don’t get me wrong. Other people can be an example to us, but they should never be our set standard. That is reserved for Christ alone. Confidence begins with self-acceptance, which is accepting ourselves for who we are—with the gifts, talents and skills God gave us when He made us. This is a result of knowing and believing that God loves us. With His help you and I can learn to enjoy the talents and abilities of others and at the same time enjoy the wonderful person God made us to be. Secret #6—A Confident Woman Does Not Live In “If Only” And “What If” One of the worst things you and I can do is to focus on what we don’t have or have lost and fail to take an inventory of what we do have. I call it living in a state of “if only.” Does this sound familiar: “If only I had more education…more money…more opportunity. If only I were taller, shorter, older, younger…” and the list goes on. Realize that if only is a thief of what could be. Instead of focusing on what we don’t have, we need to focus on what we do have. God wants us to see possibilities, not problems. As you and I give God what we have, He will use it and give us back more than we had to begin with. How about the what if line of thinking? It is just as devastating as if only—when applied in a negative way. If we are constantly anticipating something negative, we give Satan an open door to wreak havoc in our lives. Remember, where the mind goes, the man follows. By paying more attention to our thoughts and choosing to think on things that will help us instead of hinder us, God’s power will be released to help us be the confident women He wants us to be. Secret #7—A Confident Woman Takes Action I have heard it said that there are two types of people in the world: those who wait for something to happen and those who make something happen. It’s true that we need to be careful not to get ahead of God, but we also must be mindful not to be lagging behind. I believe we need to step out into things and find out what God has for us. As I said earlier, if we make a mistake it is not the end of the world. When you want to do something that’s been burning inside of you and won’t seem to go away, don’t let yourself think about all the things that could go wrong. Be positive and think about all the exciting things that can go right. Stop sitting on the sidelines of life wishing you were doing the things you see others doing. Take action and get in the game! Search your heart and ask yourself what you believe God wants you to do—and then do it. You can be confident that where He guides, He always provides. As a believer, Christ lives inside you, and you’ve got what it takes! I believe that as you seek the Lord and apply these seven secrets to your life, you too will begin experiencing the boldness and confidence God desires you to walk in. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFIDENCE IN GOD MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE Testimony: Heather B., Warrenton, MO God changed my life when I did an internship in Tulsa for three years. I did a total 180. I went from always speaking my mind and saying things I would regret to learning how to communicate properly and submit when needed. Later God moved me to serve in leadership at another internship. It was an amazing experience and a real time of learning. The only problem was I became frustrated, worn-out and afraid to speak up. Then I went to your Confident Woman convention last fall, and God really began healing me of fears. He also rekindled my passion for speaking and traveling. For the first time in a long time, I felt confidence in my calling. I invested in a lot of your resources on overcoming people pleasing and developing confidence and have been listening to them ever since. Shortly after the convention, my leaders told me they felt it was time for a new season in my life and that I should move on. Instead of feeling crushed, I had hope. I realized that just because I was finished here, didn’t mean I was finished. Before the convention, I would have suffered from the hurt and pain of being “sent out,” but God showed me beyond today. He showed me the possibilities of tomorrow. And though I might not know the next step, I do know God has not forgotten me…and He loves me! I will continue in ministry wherever God leads. I will speak to the nations. I will serve God until my last breath. Thank you, Joyce, for everything. Now I can walk with my head up even when the water is rough! |
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7:27 AM Mar 15
