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I don’t think I can make it!
I was on a long distance run and I couldn’t get this nagging and insignificant thought out of my mind. The thought was growing with every step and I was tempted to stop and walk home or slow my pace. I don’t know if I have what it takes today, started to overwhelm my thinking.
I started to think about what food I ate and water I drank. I wondered if that might be affecting my run. As I continued with my steps I wondered about the humidity and the heat in the air. Maybe these outside circumstances are holding me back, I thought. Pushing through those overwhelmingly loud thoughts was not easy, however, in the end I was able to overcome.
Our minds are powerful things and after I got back home I started to think about what I did on my run to doubt the doubts and push through to the finish line. I know that it will help you and your dreams. Because dreams bring you and I alive in our hearts and minds and they also make us go insane in the membrane. We can go from exhilaration, to crying on the floor wanting to give up on everything. Like a roller coaster of highs and lows, our minds can have us wanting to hurl.
When you want to give up, the thoughts often start out small. What you think about your abilities often, and then when doubt persists, it becomes breeding ground for further doubt. When I get about this far, my mind switches from doubt to reason. Reason at why I should stop and I got a list. I may focus on my actions and how that is why I should give up or on outside circumstances. However, the more I think about it, the more it’s logical to stop.
We don’t need help learning how to quit. Some of us have become masters at the art of giving up and we need help learning how to push through our feelings that may or may not be accurate. Doubt the doubts my friend.
Here’s how to doubt the doubts and defeat the wimpy parts of our mind.
Resolve
When thoughts of quitting enter my mind, my first step is to resolve to not quit. When I run I focus my mind and tell myself to find out how much is inside of me. I can stop when I fall over or cramp so bad that I can’t move my legs. One of the biggest gifts you can be given is finding out how much untapped potential is inside of you. Let me tell you that there is a lot inside of you that you probably don’t know about. You can push harder and further than what you think is possible. When you don’t think you have what it takes to fight for your dreams, I assure you that you have an untapped layer.
Resolve to push through feelings.
Your brain will limit what you can do. Tell your mind to shut up, remind yourself of what you think God is calling you toward. My thoughts changed from, I don’t think I have what it takes to I am going to find out if I have what it takes. Simple shifts in thoughts keep us focused on pushing through.
Micro Steps
Resolving to push will help, but you also need to breakdown your end goal into smaller pieces. When I run I set a mark ahead and think, I have what it takes to get there! When I get to that location, I focus on the next micro goal.
Your dream chasing journey may look insurmountable. When you get the feeling of impossibility, break down your goal into something smaller that you have to stretch a little to get to. Once you stretch to that point, set a new mark and stretch a little more. After a while you will gain confidence that you can make it to where God is calling you to go.
In a speech I heard recently, Barnabas Piper said, “Doubt can be fertile ground for faith.” Your doubts can be the beginning of greater faith. Faith has to have a measure of doubt or it’s called certainty. You will have doubts. I know this because I know you are human. Learn to resolve to push through, create micro steps to stretch your faith, and doubt the doubts.
Sometimes we need to say like the man in Mathew 9:24, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” If you believe you are on the path that God has set before you don’t stop. God will move; press in and press through. Be blessed on your journey.
Questions to ponder: Where do you struggle with doubt the most?
What helps you to overcome the doubts?
Prayer: God, forgive my unbelief. I doubt. Help my doubt drive me to you and not to hidden places. I know that you can do all things and that your plans are above my human reason. Help me to focus on you and what things you have set for me to do. Amen.
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This post was previously published on zechariahnewman.com and is republished here with permission from the author.
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