Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign, silent about your faith is one of the loudest ways to deny it. Yeah, I said it. And trust me, I've been there.
And there was a time when I felt like I was so inadequate to represent God that I basically put myself on mute even though I was in a community of believers. But for some reason I created my own little bubble of isolation because I didn't feel like my voice was strong enough. And I know sometimes we could, we could put ourselves in these boxes when we allow the, the past or just, just feeling of, I mean, we don't have no self worth. We, we allow other people to dictate who we are and where we are in God. Or we might, we might have just had a bad experience in a church community that for whatever reason actually swayed us in a different direction. And now we, we just, we don't feel like we have that, that power, that voice to actually represent God to the best of our ability. And we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about just how to break out of that mindset and find that voice and, and just be bold to represent God, even, even if it feels like you're standing alone. And so today we're just going to dive into something real, speaking up for God. Even, even when your self esteem tries to convince you that you're not enough or you're not good enough.
And I just want to share my story just briefly with you real quick. And we're going to get into it because there was definitely a time when I felt like I was the least qualified person to speak for God because of my past, because I've been divorced, right?
And because I might have mismanaged some finances or, I don't know, just my circle of influence wasn't the best. And I struggled. I struggled with like, you know, with low self esteem. And I thought, like, who am I really to talk about faith?
Even though I was in this community of believers, I still felt alone.
Like my voice wasn't strong enough.
And here's the thing. That wasn't God's perspective. That was me putting myself in this box. I was limiting myself. I had these limiting beliefs. But as my faith grew, I realized I wasn't weak. I was strong and unstoppable and a remarkable person, just like you are. And here's the key.
I had to rely on him. I had to build that community. I mean, that, that connection with God.
And that took some time because now you got to talk about now you, now you're, you're implementing some Trust, right? You got to have faith. And faith is one of those action words that we actually have to, to implement. We have to believe in him. Just knowing that, okay, things might not be turning around for the, for our benefit right now.
Because sometimes, I mean, we live in this instant gratification world right where we want things now. But I just want you to know that nobody could have taught me, nobody could have taught me that. I had to, I had to live it, I had to put forth some effort.
And that could be you right now. But one thing I don't want you to do is to worry because I'm going to share some powerful steps that's going to help you actually break out of this isolation and speak boldly for God. And so step one, let's get it.
Recognize what's holding you back.
What's holding you back. So when you, when you think about it, it's one of those times you actually have to get real with yourself because the first step is actually walking in that faith, recognizing what's holding you back.
And here's the fact that 70% of the people experience imposter syndrome.
That's that, that voice in your head saying you're not good enough or who are you to step at, step into this role that God has actually opened the door for you to step into. But for whatever reason you have this, this mindset that you're not worthy. And if you've been there, man, this.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: This is hitting home. This is hitting home because I know, I've been there.
[00:04:50] Speaker A: And I just want you to know that you're not alone because there are so many, there are so many other people that have also.
And the truth is self awareness is one of the key ingredients for that. Because you can't fix what you don't acknowledge. And once you actually become self aware and you start thinking about, thinking about it consciously, about the things that, that's actually holding you back, that's preventing you, you're going to actually start recognizing you have to deal with it. And so I just want you to pause and ask yourself this simple but powerful question.
What lies are you believing about yourself that aren't true? Maybe it's, maybe it's that you might not think that you're smart enough or that you, that, that you have the right talent or gift or you're not strong enough or worthy enough. Because the past, or whatever it may be, write it down, look at those lies and then take the most important step.
Lay those lies down at the feet of God.
Because here's the thing. God never called you to be perfect. He just called you to be obedient.
That means you just need to take action. Don't worry about anything else. Don't worry about anything else. So stop holding on to those lies and start holding on to Him. And when you give those, those fears and insecurities to God now, you create that space for his truth to fill your heart. Because here's what I've learned.
It's.
I'm actually enough.
And the reason I say that, because I've been chosen, just like you've been chosen. And when you're chosen by God, no lie can hold you back unless you let it.
2.
Build that faith and connect with God.
And when you talk about connecting with God now, before you, you know, you just roll your eyes and think, you know, here's.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: Here's one of those checklist type of.
[00:07:04] Speaker A: Items or things that I need to take care of, like reading my Bible or, or praying. Hold up. This isn't. It's not about checking those boxes at all. It's about having that relationship, building that relationship with God. And for me, connecting with God really started when I really took it more seriously by diving into that scripture, praying, and having those brutally honest conversations with them.
You know, I'm.
I'm talking about. I'm talking about the God, the God that, you know, I'm just gonna.
It's something about when you have those honest conversations with them, and sometimes you could.
It might. It might elicit a little bit of confusion because you might feel like, man, God, are you really calling me to do this? Do you have me mixed up with somebody else?
[00:08:09] Speaker B: Are you.
If you're. I mean, if you're actually feeling like.
[00:08:14] Speaker A: That or having those thoughts of God. Are you. Are you really calling me? Yes, he is. Yes, he is. And it's those times when you really need to spend some more time in prayer.
And you just go back to, to what God told when he told Joshua just to be strong and courageous.
He told them, he told him that for a reason. Because Joshua was going to have to experience some things. He was going to have to get out of that comfort zone, right?
And when you're getting out that comfort zone with God, you have to be strong, you have to be courageous. You have to rely on him.
And, And I know sometimes you could be in that, that place where you're actually, you know, you sending up prayers, you sending up prayers one after another, and it's like leaving the voicemail for God and you just wonder if he's Actually listening, I want to tell you, he is listening. And so even when you feel like you're, you're talking to the ceiling, he's right there. He's right there. And here's the thing about it. Prayer isn't.
It's not about sounding super spiritual because God is ingrating you on how many these are thou's, you know, you throw out there when you're praying, oh, Lord D. Whatever it is.
Nah, it's about just showing up and being real. Because sometimes my prayers are as simple as God. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I know you do, so please help me.
Please help me. And you know what? He always does, because he's always there.
And let me add a little twist to it, because connection isn't just vertical like this way with God, it's horizontal. And what I'm talking about is, I'm talking about building that relationship and, and, and, and talking with other people, being in that community. Because when I started opening up to other believers, they saw strength, they saw resilience in me. And sometimes you could be in a place where you don't even see it in yourself because you just, you're so consumed with what you have going on.
But when you get that outside perspective now, they're showing, they're showing you another side of you that you might just been missing out.
So that's, that's just that important piece of just being a part of a community.
And it's, it's almost like having like a group of cheerleaders to be honest with you.
[00:10:55] Speaker B: And they're saying, hey, God made you bold.
[00:11:00] Speaker A: So, so just stop acting like you're that backup singer because you need to be taking that front. You need to be, you need to be, you need to be the one out there leading. So let me tell you though, just connecting with others isn't always easy because sometimes you meet that over spiritual person who says, I heard God say something this morning, or I heard God put on my heart to tell you such and such and that at that, and you probably thinking about, I don't need to be hearing this.
I don't need you speaking over, over me, whatever it may be, because I know I've been there a time or two where I just like, you know, you hear it, you're really not in the place where you really want to receive it because you kind of want to be in your own way.
Just that. And most time it's in a negative.
[00:11:53] Speaker B: It'S in a negative way because you're.
[00:11:54] Speaker A: Just Dismissing everything and everybody else. Because you kind of want to be in this funk, but you can't be in that funk.
You got to get out of that funk. It's when you think about being in a funk like that, how often are you taken out of the present, the present moment, it's like you're allowing yourself to.
It's like you're self sabotaging yourself to have these negative emotions that bring you down.
People might not want to be around you, but here we go. We just can't let that kind of stuff discourage us because God uses that community to strengthen us, even if it feels awkward at first. And so like, here's the bottom line.
Connecting with God is really about showing up, being honest and leaning into the people he's placing your life. You don't need those perfect prayers or that or to be in it, you know, to be participating in some type of 12 step devotional routine. You just need to, you just need to trust him. And the more you get with God, the more real he'll becomes to you.
And the more you connect that you are, the stronger you feel. And so it's not, it's not just in your faith, but in every area of your life. So grab that, grab that Bible and start that conversation with God. You got this now.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: 3.
[00:13:22] Speaker A: And this is getting down to the nitty gritty because this is where we actually start to practice boldness. Even when it's scary, this is getting out your comfort zone. And so when we talk about. Bonus. Here's the thing.
It's not, it's not a personality trait. It's not something that you're born with, like just being able to whistle or roll your R's, right? It's something that you have to practice. And I know sometimes when I'm just around.
[00:13:52] Speaker B: Some friends who speak Spanish and they get to roll in those R's.
[00:13:55] Speaker A: And they say, hey, D. Well, say this, I can't do it. But over time I get it because of the practice. And practice and boldness is that scary thing. It's like jumping in the deep end of the pool and hoping you remember how to swim.
I know every time I've been, when I was young, when I was thrown in a pool, it's. It's scary because you're searching for that bottom and that bottom provides like that foundation. It's like now you have stability.
That's why I love this story about Caleb and Joshua in numbers 14. Because at this time, Moses sends out the people to go spy. We're not Spy. But they go check out the land of Canaan. And he wants them to report.
And most of the people who are with Caleb and Joshua, their report was there were. There were mass. Enough mass amount of people and the people were like giants.
And we look like grasshoppers in their eyes.
Nobody said that these giants said anything about them looking like grasshoppers, but they have that self perception of themselves being small and inadequate.
But Caleb, the. Caleb relied on God. He told Moses, like, look, we could go and conquer this. We could go and conquer the land.
And so I just loved it because Caleb said, the Lord is with us. Don't be afraid. They weren't just bold, but they were relentless. And now I get it, because we're not out there just fighting, fighting against like just real literal, literal giants. And if you are, and in that case we need to talk about it.
[00:15:38] Speaker B: Because that's a wild story.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: But you are facing moments where fear tries to silence you. And maybe it's that conversation you've been avoiding, the opportunity that you've been putting off or that nudge from God. You keep pretending that you don't feel. I've been there a time or two also doing this stuff. This is one of those things where God says, hey, you need to get out there. And my thing is, I know I'm not the most eloquent speaker. I'll mess up some words in a heartbeat. But God said, get out there and do it. Just be obedient. You're going to impact somebody. Same thing applies for you.
Because sometimes that fear whispers those things like you're not ready or what if you fail?
And when we listen, and when we listen, God is over here. Like, who told you that? Because I sure didn't.
And that's why one of the things I love about Tim Grover, the author who wrote that book, Relentless. He said being relentless means demanding more of yourself than anyone else could ever demand of you. So let me ask you, are you demanding boldness from yourself or are you letting fear sit in the driver's seat?
Because here's the truth. God already gave you boldness. You need like a muscle. It needs to be exercised. And the best way to practice boldness is to take action, especially when it's scary.
Because boldness isn't about being fearless. It's about being faithful. Caleb and Joshua weren't fearless. They were focused. They knew God was with them. And that.
[00:17:24] Speaker B: And that they gave and that he.
[00:17:26] Speaker A: Gave them the courage to speak up when everybody else is panicked. So here's a challenge for you this week.
When fear tells you to stay silent, speak up. When fear says you're not enough, remind yourself, but God is.
God is enough. And when fear says, this is too big, take the step anyway, because God's got your back.
So let me leave you with this. Boldness isn't just about big moments. It's about the little decisions you make every day to trust God over your fear. And the more you practice, the more natural it becomes.
Remember, you're not practicing boldness alone. God is right there with you, cheering you on. Demand that boldness from yourself and watch how God shows up in ways that you've never imagined.
You might not be facing literal giants, but you will face moments where fear tries to silence you. And those could be dangerous times.
That's when you really need to rely on God, like Tim Grover said, and relentless be. Being relentless means demanding more of yourself than anyone else could ever demand of you. So demand that boldness from yourself, knowing that God's got your back.
And one thing I will not do is I won't lie, because I know it takes time. But as you take these steps, you'll see your confidence in God grow. And here's the thing. When you speak up, you're not just representing him, but you're inspiring others to do the same.
So let me leave you with this.
What's one area in your life where you've been silent again?
Where you need to represent God boldly? This week, you got this. You got this.
You will never stand alone with God.
You got Him. You got me cheering you on. Why not you? You know what I'm saying? Why not you? Be bold. Stand up.
Stand up in the time when. When. When you're needed. Like Caleb and Joshua, they didn't rely on their own power. They relied on God to supply them with the power they needed.
So if this resonated with you, definitely share like and hit the subscribe button. And what we're going to do, we're going to grow in faith together because God's got our back. Why not you? I'm D. Wells and I'm out. Y'all have a blessed week. Talk to you soon.
