dream, pray, do

Remember a couple of posts ago, I mentioned taking a question from John L. Mason's book per week and posting my thoughts concerning it.....well, today is day one. I am calling this series of posts "Dream, Pray, Do".

Question #1

What decision would I make if I knew that it would not fail?

First and foremost, we must let go of the fear. Fear of failure is what holds us back from obtaining our dreams.

Worry is fear's twin brother. They go together like peanut butter and jelly (or cheese and wine). The word worry actually means "to strangle". Think about that......to strangle our dreams, our goals, our talents, our gifts and even our joy.

We cannot let fear and worry take over our thought process. If we do, we are essentially making those fears come true. We can build a negative thought into a debilitating mindset if we let those thoughts prevail.

Whenever a negative thought, fear or worry creeps into our minds, we have the power to stop it and replace it with a positive thought. For example, we might say "what if I start my dream business and it fails?", stop immediately and say out loud, "what if I start my dream business and it is a great success even beyond my wildest expectations!".....and let those positive thoughts run wild for a minute or so. It is surprising at the energy and enthusiasm you will have to get moving towards that dream business, job or whatever it is you wish to achieve.

Most importantly, through prayer we can conquer fear and worry. Have you ever heard of the saying "Let go and let God"? Through prayer we are open to hear God's "whispers". God will open doors to opportunity and put us in touch with the right people.

Here are some scripture readings that can help us overcome fear and worry.

*   Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.   Psalm 55:22

*   Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.   Deuteronomy 31:6

*  When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.   Psalm 56:3

*   For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.'   Isaiah 41:13

*   For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.   2 Timothy 1:7

From these readings we can see that God wants us all to realize our full potential.....to become the best version of ourselves (with His help, of course) and in doing so we will be a bright light in the world. We can inspire others to do the same when they see our joy. So dream, pray, do!