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Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
~ ~ ~
In His infinite wisdom, God knit every cell, emotion, skill, and talent specifically to be us. We look like He wants us to. We feel and talk like He wants us to. If we are surrendered to Christ, we can experience the greatness of who he conceived us to be.
What does it mean to be surrendered to Christ?
Spiritual surrender is an act of our will, a commitment to our faith and a willingness to embrace who we are and lead where He says lead. It means putting our plans aside when they conflict with His. We know without a doubt we can trust Him, but does He know He can trust us?
Surrendering is submitting to an authority that we may not always understand. It means at times standing against the ‘norm’ or the world’s opinion.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (NSV)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 New Living Translation)
Surrender is a battle term, giving up all rights to the conqueror. When a warrior surrenders, they lay down their weapons and commit to the influence and power of the victor.
God promises that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). When we find Him, we have a choice to make: do we continue following our own inclinations, or do we surrender to His will?
There should be evidence of our life committed to Christ. For example: If an apple tree could talk and screams over and over it’s a pear tree but you see apples which will you believe; the words or the fruit you see? It’s no different with our relationship with Christ, and the audience that watches us. What will they see? Is there evidence of the fruit in our lives?
Galatians 2:20 reminds us: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Luke 6:22-23 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
You already know, you’ve been called to leadership however that looks for you; the new year is coming, what part of you is playing small?
What is God telling you about you that you need to move forward on? List it/them here:
What (if any) is keeping you back? Why?
What’s the next step you can take to move forward?
