| JOY Blog |
Before I rededicated my life to the Lord, I was wrought with anxiety, especially when it came to meeting new people or walking into a room where I knew no one. I would barely say one word. People described me as shy and very quiet.
I thought after making the choice to live for God, all of my fears and anxieties would simply disappear.
They didn’t.
I continued to feel anxious in social situations. I would stay quiet because I really didn’t think I had much to offer to the conversation. I didn’t think my opinion even mattered.
After church or Bible study, I would bolt right out the door. Every time I did this, I’d get extremely frustrated with myself. How could someone who wanted to run and hide be “the light of the world,” as the Bible proclaimed me to be?
Why is it hard to believe what the Bible says about us?
We live in an imperfect world. If bad things happened to us, these experiences can become roadblocks, making it hard to truly believe what the Bible says about us.
But God can make a way for us to believe. Our journey might be full of wrong turns, but He is faithful to lead us and guide us. All we have to do is listen to His voice—and try not to be a distracted driver. He can and will steer us toward freedom, toward seeing ourselves as He sees us.
In my life, God used the book The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton and the corresponding small group study at my church to help me believe what the Bible says about me.
According to this book, we have a hard time believing we are princesses because our “pauper mentality” gets in the way. Paupers, as described by the author, are those who are born into insignificance and who feel they are of no value.
If we continue thinking of ourselves as paupers instead of princesses, we will never truly believe what the Word of God says about us. We will also never be able to lead others effectively.
{Take the Prince & Pauper Test to find out where you are on the pauper-princess scale.}
What if all Christians really believed what the Bible says about them?
What if we knew who we are in Christ, if we truly believed that:
- We are a special people
- We are chosen
- We have been created to do good works
- We are loved
- We are more than conquerors
- We are wonderfully made
- We are the light of the world
- We are to do greater works than Jesus did
If we knew we were destined for greatness, we'd be overcomers in every area of our lives. Our dreams would be bigger. We’d be able to influence the culture instead of the culture influencing us.
Not long ago, someone I was just getting to know told me how much she admired me. She said that I seemed to have so much confidence. I was stunned. Without even realizing it, God had helped me overcome the stronghold of anxiety in my life.
I still tend to be on the quiet side when I’m with a group of people and those I don’t know very well, but I no longer have fear about such situations. I know my value as a daughter of the King.
It’s time to take God at His word: we are all royalty in His eyes!
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)
If you believe everything the Bible says about you, you are one of the richest people on earth. Do you believe this or do you have a pauper mentality? What circumstances in life shaped the way you see yourself or keep you from believing what the Bible says about you?
Cari Bousfield is a freelance writer and blogger. Besides blogging for JOY, Cari blogs at Faith's Mom's Blog and writes on a variety of articles at HubPages. She is also the author of Having Faith. Cari has a strong desire to help people connect with one another and to God. She prays that through her writing, she can reach the hearts of others and help to bring hope, inspiration and courage to "walk by faith not by sight". See all JOY Blog posts by Cari.
Visitor Comments (0)
