Crock’s Thoughts

Fear and self-doubt are sneaky little joy-killers. They usually show up uninvited right when you’re trying to step out of your comfort zone… or, in my case, anytime I attempt to assemble flat-packed furniture without looking at the manual. Ugh… I hate assembling those things! Granted, I really should read the manual. Lol!

Anyway, you know how it goes… your brain starts whispering all kinds of nonsense about how you aren’t good enough, smart enough, or capable of handling what’s ahead. Well, when those mental termites start chewing on my confidence, I have to pivot hard to my favorite book.

Now, hang tight for a moment as I go all Jesus on you, but God’s word is how I handle these mental battles. While there are many verses that help, my go to verse is Isaiah 41:10, which states:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Note how it says, “do not.” That doesn’t give you any wiggle room. God’s very specific about this. It doesn’t say, “Hey, try your best not to worry, but if you want to hyperventilate into a paper bag, go right ahead.” It is a direct command, immediately followed by the ultimate structural support. When the Creator of the universe draws a hard line in the sand like that, it has a funny way of making daily anxieties look tiny by comparison.

But here is the real trick to making this work when doubt knocks on your door at 0300: you actually have to know it by heart. I can’t stress enough to memorize your favorite verse, too. This ensures it’s always available when you need it. You can’t exactly tell a sudden panic attack, “Hold on a second, let me find my reading glasses and scroll through an app to find that one encouraging sentence.”

Now, please don’t think I’m perfect at this… because I still tend to find a way to lose the whole fear-and-self-doubt battle at times. However, I’ve found this approach tends to work for me in many instances. And if the Bible isn’t your thing, then I recommend memorizing an inspirational quote… or simply dreaming about pizza and beer. I mean, the whole pizza and beer thoughts kinda work for me, too… Lol! Just saying…🤷

So, lock that verse into your brain treasury now, so that the next time self-doubt or fear tries to creep in, you can shut it down instantly with a firm, divine “do not”!