“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3

Hello friends,

I’ve been encouraged by several of you to write more consistently on this platform, so I will follow through on this (and thank you for desiring to hear from me). 🙂

These last several months (and honestly, maybe even the past year or so), I have struggled with feeling like a failure. I’ve wrestled with this negative self-talk for so long that it is a common dialogue in my brain.

No one buys your books.

No one even cares you’re an author.

You’re not good enough to minister to others. 

Look at how dismal your book sales are! You’ll never amount to anything. 

People don’t buy your books because they don’t like you. 

This negative voice is relentless. Even today, I pulled up my sales report, and my shoulders sagged. I sighed. And the heavy weight of failure situated itself on my shoulders as if it was adjusting itself to get more comfortable. In my prayer time, I confided to the Lord how tired I am of feeling this way. “I accept that you’re in control, so why can’t I shake this?” I felt the Holy Spirit gently chide, “The real question is why, after years of my provision and blessings, you continue to believe it?”

It was then my brother sent a text message to me: “Good morning sis. I prayed that you would feel God’s tangible peace, comfort, and true joy today. I love you.”

W-O-W!

Okay, Jesus, I get the message. These negative thoughts of failure were being fueled by fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of insignificance. Fear of not measuring up to the standard I created for myself. When I am truly operating in the peace of God, fear must flee. The peace of God reminds us of His sovereignty, His presence, His purpose.

I choose to walk in the peace of God. It is there where He waits for me, where He reassures me of who I am in Him. And that makes all the difference.

I encourage you to walk in His perfect peace. He’s waiting for you too.

 

Sincerely,

Janice