How many of you have ever waffled between feeling like a champion and a loser? I have. It happened again the other day.
My publisher informed me that Moving From Fear to Freedom: A Woman’s Guide to Peace in Every Situation is going into another print run this month.
New cover for “Moving From Fear to Freedom”
They even put a new cover on it, one that I think is nicer than the original cover. Wahoo! The news made me feel like a winner for at least two hours. That’s when another email arrived. This one squelched my excitement.
Two years ago, a particular women’s ministry booked me to speak at their conference this May. Since that time, however, my contact person moved to a different church and the new leaders decided to restructure and cancel the conference. The news deflated me and left me feeling like a reject. I had to deliberately choose to ignore the negative self-talk and to trust that God is sovereign.
It’s easy to feel like a champ or a conqueror when all is going well. And it’s easy to feel like a loser when discouragement or fear sets in. The Israelites experienced this. Exodus 13:18 and 14:8 say they “left Egypt like an army ready for battle” and with fists raised in defiance. They felt confident that God was on their side….until Pharaoh’s army approached. Then everything changed: “As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them” (14:10).
Champions one minute. Losers the next. What a ride! How can we prevent or lessen the emotional ups and downs?
- By choosing to believe that God is in control of every detail of our lives, good and bad alike. When faced with disappointments, I find it helpful to remember that my situation hasn’t taken God by surprise. He’s either in control of all or not at all.
- By keeping our focus on God and His promises, not on our circumstances. The moment we allow our focus to settle on a discouraging or fearful situation, we’re headed for trouble.
- By praising through the disappointment or fear. When I’m feeling like a loser, I turn things around by saying, “God, I praise You for being bigger than anything I face right now. You will look after me and will accomplish Your purposes no matter what.”
These attitudes and actions help me overcome the loser mentality and remember that in Christ, I am more than a conqueror. What strategies do you use?
Recent Comments