Hey guys! Today I wanted to talk a little bit about fear, and specifically, overcoming it! But before we jump into that, I wanted to mention how awesome the Bethany quiz was! It's always so much fun to see everybody, and to get some good competition in. Also, you may have seen on my Instagram account a few weeks ago (@TheBibleQuizzingJourney) that I posted a little poll to see what kind of extra YouTube video you'd like to see. You guys decided that you wanted to see a Q&A + My Testimony video, so I've been preparing that. I actually filmed it today, but because I like using natural lighting for the most part, and because the sun sets so early right now, the lighting by the end of the video wasn't very good. So because I always want to give you guys the best of content, I'll be re-filming and editing that video later this week, and will hopefully have it out with the TBQJ Vlog #12, which is coming out this Saturday :). So you can look forward to those two videos, at the end of this week! BUT ANYWAY let's go ahead and get into this topic! Most of us probably know the verse that says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7), but how can we practically fight and overcome fear in real, everyday life? Fear is all around us. It's in the world - the world is pretty much ruled by it, actually - and it seems to creep in on us around every corner. There always seems to be something to be afraid of, right? That's because fear is one of the most effective weapons of the enemy, and he loves using it to his advantage. When people are crippled by fear, they really can't do anything, and he swoops in and chains them up in bondage. Most of the problems we have, can be traced back to some kind of fear. Also, this is such an effective weapon for him, because it's the opposite of love, and therefore, the opposite of everything God is. 1 John 4 talks about how that God's love casts out, eliminates, fear, because when we know and trust in Him, there's nothing to be afraid of. But even when we're getting to know God, we can still be tricked into having fear sometimes, in different areas of our lives - and we might not even realize it! This is where a lot of stress and anxiety come from. From feeling fear of rejection or failure, or even just simple insecurity. Fear cripples. That's probably it's main result. It discourages you from making progress, and it keeps you from reaching your full potential. So obviously, this is something that is completely of the enemy, and something that is totally opposite of God and everything He embodies and stands for. He's literally called a lion, and He tells us to be as bold as lions ;). Because of this, it's easy to see how we can overcome fear through Christ - any kind of fear. But how does this stuff apply to quizzing? It's a huge part of quizzing! In order to jump on a question, and give an answer in front of other people, is more than enough reason to make some people stay away. Even more than that, there's the possibility that you'll get the answer wrong, in front of other people - and that's something that makes even more people stay away :P. But for those who can stand up, time after time, and give it their all, good things usually happen. Even if you're really good at studying, and you can answer generals at three syllables, and have memorized all the material backwards and forwards, you still have to jump. You still have to take the chance that you're going to totally blow it! But the good news is, that if you don't take that chance, you blow it anyways. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, so you might as well go for it, right? Right! But the thing is, that some people have a harder time getting over this. So I'm going to share with you, the three ways that we can go about practically overcoming this fear, so that we can start quizzing and living more victoriously.. Three ways you can overcome fear:
This is obviously easy for me to say on the internet, but learning that your value doesn't come from other people's opinions, is something I've had to learn in real life, too - and it's made life a lot easier :P. Of course, I'm not all the way there yet, but I can tell you this: Start out with the little things. If you're having lunch with some friends, don't sweat about how you eat your sandwich - they don't care. If you're exercising with other people, don't try to keep up with them if you honestly can't; do your best, and push yourself to your own limits (and have fun with it!). Life isn't supposed to be a constant, fake performance for other people. Life is just you, figuring out how to do it the best you can, with Jesus by your side. Everyone else is in the same boat that you are. 2. Be bold (even if it's fake at first) This is where I started. I had an idea of who I wanted to be, and when the time came, I kind of just went for it. And sure, it was tempting to take that boldness and just carry on with it and make it into a fake performance, like we were just talking about, but it's better to do this: Be bold when the times comes, and life calls you to, but after that, take a step back, and remember how it felt to be bold. The situation itself might have gone well, or badly, but that feeling of satisfaction, after being bold, is what you want to remember. Be bold once, and then, the next time an opportunity arises, be bold again. Don't forget to be completely and totally you, though. Be you, don't change anything. Just add a little more boldness here and there, and you'll find yourself with an extra dash of satisfaction. 3. Learn how to be confident in who you are. This is of course, the very best way to become bold, and to overcome fear once and for all. I'm not saying that it's an over night change, but I am saying, that it will probably happen faster than you think. If you're part of the TBQJ Newsletter Tribe (which you totally should be ;)), then you'll know that in the Newsletter this past Sunday, we were talking a little bit about superheroes. We were talking about how that each of us, actually are superheroes on the inside, and a little bit about how we can actually become that on the outside. It was a pretty fun Newsletter :P. But the point was that each of us is a child of God, and because of that, we are, and are capable of, incredible things.We are smart, courageous, strong, mighty, whole, compassionate, etc.. So we have every reason to be confident in who we are, and who we have to become in the future. Pretty cool. If you're part of the Newsletter Family, which you totally should be :P, you'll know that in our last Newsletter we were talking a little bit about superheroes. We were talking about how that since we are each a child of God, He has filled us with every good thing in Christ - we are strong, we are smart, we are compassionate, we are capable, etc.. And it was just an overall fun Newsletter.
But the point is, that since we are all those things, we can be confident in who we are, and who we still have yet to become in the future. So we don't have to have fear of what other people think about us, or about what might happen in the future, or about our possible failures. We can trust in the fact, even when all else fails, that our God loves us with an ever-lasting love, that will never run out, or fail, or go away. Pretty awesome. So anyways guys, I hope that God was able to speak to you through this post, and that you were able to take something away from it :). I love you guys, and again, it was awesome to see some of you at the Bethany Invitational this past weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again soon! Until this Saturday (or sooner), when I'm able to post a new YouTube video, or until next Monday for another blog post, I hope that you continue to experience more and more of God's love and grace. Keep quizzing and living victoriously my friends! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory
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Trending Posts:Author:Mallory is a graduated Teen Bible Quizzer originally from the Southern region, moved to the Northwest, coaching quizzing over the book of Matthew. Check out our
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