Naomi Mohr
This Month's Feature Article
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The
Power of Confidence!
Message by
Naomi Mohr
One of the most
perplexing demands made on human beings today is navigating
through the alternatives in life.
The daily decisions each of us have to make can be overwhelming.
Do you have confidence in your ability to make good decisions? Have your lost your confidence? If so, is it possible to regain it?
that was reprinted in the Mpls. Star and Tribune. (1994)
- Today in America one out of every four births are to unwed mothers
- In 1983 there were 3.7 million children under the age of 18 living with a single parent who had never married
- In 1993 - 6.3 million children, or 27% of the children under 18 lived with a single parent who had never married.
- In addition, 38.4 % of children living with divorced mothers and 66.3% of those living with mothers who had never married were living below the poverty line.
- Today, when you get married - there is a 50% chance that it will end in divorce.
- The number of people who are divorced rose from 4.3 million in 1970 to a figure that tripled in 1993 to 16.7 million persons who are divorced.
- The number of women living alone rose 94% to 14.2 million in 1993.
- In
the same period men living alone increased 167% to 9.4
million.
In 1993 there were 3.5 million unmarried couple households in America - and census figures indicate that men and women alike continue to delay marriage with the rising median age for first marriages at it's highest point for both men and women since 1890.
Life has changed quickly and drastically, and none of us are certain how to respond to it! No wonder we've lost our confidence!"What can you say about a society
that says GOD is Dead, and Elvis is Alive!?"
Consider parenting!
When I grew up my dad was the head of our home. We had very strict standards of behavior. Manners were insisted upon, respect for our mother was demanded, and obedience was NOT an option.
Even though there were many times we felt my dad's standards were too tough - there was security in knowing what the guidelines were and safety in functioning within those guidelines.
Today - that is not the case!
Parents are afraid to discipline their children - afraid to set standards of behavior and afraid to fulfill their God-given responsibility to guide their offspring into becoming productive, confident adults.
When a child is disobedient in public - all eyes watch! Parents are not confident in handling their own children but are fearful they will be reported to authorities.
Let's look at
Confidence and see how we can regain and enjoy the
Power of Confidence!
Someone once
said
"Be kind, Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
That is so true! Most of us do not have the confidence to
handle the daily battles we face. Is confidence important?
Is it Something you and I need to have?
The answer is YES! In fact . . . . .
to live a successful life!"
One of Satan's most effective tools is to rob us of our confidence. Every day situations come up that undermine our ability to function. Our faith is regularly chipped away as we experience failure and defeat.
Fear, uncertainty
and doubt - eat at the root of our self worth and we
simply cannot function! Have you ever been there?
God is in the business of encouragement and all through
scripture we see Him as a re-builder of lives.
David was a young shepherd boy, who gained confidence as he learned to tend sheep. Soon he was able to defend the sheep from the attacks of wild animals. Imagine how good that made him feel!He went on to face the raging Philistine giant Goliath, vindicated the whole army of Israel, and eventually was crowned King of Israel. Where did David get that confidence?
Wouldn't you like to be that confident, facing the "giants" in your daily life?
What about Esther? She was a young woman selected to be part of the King's household after Queen Vashti had been removed. Esther was an orphan and was raised by her cousin Mordecai. Now she was taken to the King's palace to compete for the title of Queen over much of Persia.
Wow! What an awesome opportunity . . . and what a scary thought!
Where did she get the confidence to attempt this impossible task? How did she get the courage and wisdom to see this thing through and become the vehicle to save the whole nation of Israel?
What has your life
been like? Where are the places you need confidence? You and
I are always facing difficult tasks, decisions, and
conflicts. We have the choice to go ahead and
meet the challenge, or we can avoid it!
Our choices - not
our circumstances
determine our destiny!
God has given us a free will and we can choose to face the daily struggles and tasks or we can choose NOT to!
What do YOU do when tough times come? Do you panic? Do you get angry and stressed out? Or do you know how to find God's resources, get your confidence restored, and conquer that impossible task with JOY!
At one time or another we all experience a crisis of confidence! A time when we nearly give up! It may be a personal failure - a church split - a divorce - an illness - family problems - children in rebellion - betrayal. Whatever the event - it robs us of our confidence!
Maybe you tried to sing a solo and failed miserably. What was your response? Give up and never try again? Maybe you took a typing test, a drivers test, an employment interview and did poorly. How did you react?
Perhaps you remember
a comment someone made about you that you just cannot forget
- or forgive.
Will you let it haunt you the rest of your
life?
Let's look at three powerful keys to rebuild your confidence no matter what happens in your life!
- FAILURE is an
event - not a person!
The truth is that we all fail at one time or another. Just because you failed, made a terrible mistake, compromised your own integrity, doesn't mean that YOU as a person, are a failure!
The greatest men on earth failed many times before they finally succeeded! Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, the Wright brothers, and many others.
Failure is an event - not a person. Your value has not diminished because you failed. The value of a thing is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for it!
- You and I are
extremely valuable, and only GOD knows your true
value.
What was the price paid for you? Jesus paid the exact price you were worth. The ultimate price, His life! You are worth the very Death of God!
We can be confident in the fact the we - you and I - are important to God. He sees the whole picture, and He has not given up on you!
- You are full
of treasure. No one knows what you can become! No one
knows the REAL you!
All real treasure in underground. Gold, oil, diamonds, all of them are underground.
A diamond is still a diamond even if it's not discovered yet!
YOU are a diamond. You are so complex that no one can comprehend your value except God!
Moses was a murderer separated from his birth parents, adopted, raised in a foreign culture, but God knew his value! He sees the bigger picture. What is your bigger picture?
Whatever you are right now is a fact, but it's not the truth about you! Only God knows the truth. Only God knows what you can become!
These three truths must become a part of your life so you can realize the Power of Confidence! Remember this:
1. Failure is an event, not a person.
2. You (and I) are extremely valuable to God!
3. You are full of treasure!
"For the Lord shall be thy confidence,
and shall keep thy foot from being taken."
Proverbs 3:26
Why don't you pray this simple prayer with me right now!
Dear Lord Jesus,
I am so glad that I do not need to be trapped by the circumstances of my life, and overwhelmed by the difficulties that face me every day.
Thank you that as you hear my prayer you see me as an individual, very precious to you, unique, and very wonderfully made.
Thank you for loving me and not giving up on me.
Right now I place my confidence in you and in the assurance that your Holy Spirit will come and work in my life today! Rebuild my confidence, and teach me how to build confidence in the lives of others.
I want to walk with you and serve you all the days of my life! Amen.
Right now Lord, I agree with each one praying this prayer with me. According to Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
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At Mohr Ministries we have a vision! To touch women and men for Jesus Christ. Our desire is that you find and fulfill the exciting plan He has for your life.
Developing your gifts and finding a place of service will be the most exciting discovery of your life!
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