When we're praying, we singles don't ask God for courage as often as we should.
Too many TV programs and movies have convinced us that being afraid is something to be ashamed of. In fact, we're even ashamed to admit our secret fears to God.
He knows them anyway. Nobody knows the dangers of this world better than the One Who Knows Everything. There is much to fear, both seen and unseen.
Why there's money
in fear
There's a lot of money to be made by scaring people. Companies that sell home security systems thrive on fearful clients. Every night on the TV news, the commercials try to sell us new medicines, warning that we're at risk for one illness or another. Everybody has a car alarm, and many singles are afraid to venture out because of crime and violence.
I'm not saying all of those warnings are exaggerated, but if you obsess over them, you'll find your life shrinking down into a paranoid compulsion to be safe.
Whenever someone is telling us singles something, we need to consider their motive. Too often their motive is to manipulate us.
What God knows
about courage
Ask God for courage. He knows you often feel inadequate just to handle the problems of everyday life. He knows you need to be brave to stand up for yourself.
Throughout the Bible, we find God telling his people to be courageous:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
God's command to Joshua holds true for you today. Notice that he warns us not to be discouraged <http://www.inspiration-for-singles.com/discouragement.html>. Discouragement is a very real, constant threat to single people.
Maybe you want to get married, but it hasn't happened. Maybe your life seems dreary and you can't seem to break free
Maybe your entire existence is dominated by fear.
That's when you need to ask God for courage, and keep asking.
The real reason for our courage
We need to ask God for courage, knowing that we can't summon it up on our own. Our courage does not come from our own abilities, but from God's.
Reread the scripture verse above. Did you notice why we can be courageous? "For the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Whew! That's a relief!
We quickly forget that the most powerful being in the universe is on our side. It's like having an invincible bodyguard.
Now that doesn't mean you can take unnecessary chances, but it does assure you that you're not alone. The fears that you magnify are no match for God. He wants to help you defeat them.
Never forget this truth: When you ask God for courage, he will give it to you, because it's a quality his son Jesus had, and God wants to conform you to the character of his son.
From now on, make this request in your daily prayers, fully confident that the Sovereign Lord of the Universe is with you and for you, wherever you go.
Lighten your load and find freedom
If you lighten your load, you'll find life much more enjoyable.
We all carry things we should have dropped by the wayside years ago, but singles are more vulnerable to this trait than married people, simply because we have more time to think about the past.
When we see someone hiking along with a huge pack and all kinds of gear hanging on them, we find it sort of funny. Yet that's exactly what we do with cares that are weighing us down.
Grudges are the heaviest burdens to bear
The most dangerous burden to carry is grudges. They're the only thing in our pack that actually gets heavier as we go along.
Grudges have a way of growing, fed by our hate, anger, and bitterness. avoiding-bitterness. Every time we pull out a grudge and re-examine it, it gets stronger instead of weaker.
The bizarre aspect of grudges is that they hurt us more than the person or organization we have them against. They drain a lot of energy we could use to make our life better.
If you want to be more nimble in life, you've got to lighten your load by letting grudges go. It's hard to do, I know--much easier said than done, but the Holy Spirit is always eager to step in and heal your heart, if you'll ask him.
When you give your grudges to him, trusting him for justice, you transfer a responsibility that was never yours in the first place. You'll feel a great sense of relief.
Fear keeps you from climbing higher
Fear keeps you wandering around the bottom of your mountain. Lighten your load and trust God more.
This would be impossible, except that Jesus commanded it all throughout the gospels. Time after time he told the disciples "Fear not" or "Don't be afraid." Christ doesn't order us to do things we're not capable of, and the tougher they appear, like letting go of our grudges, the more willing his Holy Spirit is to help us.
I don't give this advice lightly, because I was afraid for much of my life: afraid of failure, afraid of what others think, afraid of rejection, and a half dozen other fears I can't even remember now.
Gradually, in very tiny steps, I tried stepping out in faith, as some denominations call it. I trusted God in small things, then in larger and larger. He was trustworthy. Oh, I still failed sometimes, but he helped me get up again. Surprise! I didn't die, like I thought I would.
I'm not so tough, but I've got someone invincible standing with me every step of the way. You can lighten your load too. Let God show you how your fears are holding you back. Then, with his grace, try a little bit every day. Don't scold yourself when you stumble, but do congratulate yourself when you make progress. If I can do it, you can too.
Envy keeps you looking in the wrong place
Envy is another encumbrance you can do without. For much of my life, I envied more successful writers, authors who were constantly on the bestseller list because they had name recognition. All the while I was stewing about their success, I was taking my concentration away from my own work.
Envy is heavy because it distracts you from enjoying the journey. You can't go as fast or as far as you should because you're watching somebody ahead. Take your eye off the path for too long, and you may walk off a cliff!
The antidote for envy is gratitude. When you're thankful to God for all you have, right where you are, you stop fretting over others. We all have a tendency to take the good things in our life for granted. Appreciating what you have instead of wanting what someone else has is so much healthier.
You can lighten your load by thanking God for the talents and skills he has given you, even if they're undeveloped right now. Envy costs too much. Let it go.
Worry is a problem
for every person
When Dale Carnegie published his book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living in 1948, it became a bestseller and has sold more than 6 million copies since. Why? Because everyone worries, singles and married folks alike.
Carnegie's book will show you how to break this nasty habit--I highly recommend you check it out from your local library.
If you're a Christian, you know that despite your faith in God, you still worry sometimes. When things are going bad, it's hard not> to.
But if you look back over your life, you'll see that most of the things you worried about never happened, and even if they did, they weren't as bad as you expected, or you eventually recovered from them.
You may never be able to eliminate worry from your life altogether, but you can lighten your load by refusing to let it put you in a state of helpless agitation.
Willpower won't do it. This is the area where you'll need God's help the most.
Overcoming these habits won't happen overnight, but the benefits are indescribable. You don't have to go through life feeling out of control. You can know peace and security.
Trust God to do the heavy lifting. Let him lighten your load.
