No More Nerves

Nov 22 2019

For some reason, it shocks people when I tell them I have struggled with self-confidence all my life, especially when it comes to leading teams and leading people in worship. For me, the struggle has been REAL! So real that it has made me want to run in the other direction, away from the opportunities God has given me to lead people and build His Church.

This lack of confidence has resulted in those sick-in-the-guts kind of nerves, nerves that I (and quite possibly many others) have to deal with all the time. While I am still no expert at overcoming nerves and lack of confidence, I have had a revelation that has revolutionised the way I lead people, especially in worship. That revelation comes out of 1 Corinthians 10:12:

“Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; He’ll always be there to help you come through it.” (MSG)

I’m a firm believer that we need to be diligent with the gifts and talents that we have been given and continue to get better at our craft. However, we can’t solely rely on the gift – rather, on the Giver of the gifts and the talents we have received!

We must always place our confidence in who Jesus is, and the power of the God we serve — not in our human efforts.

For me, as simple as it sounds, this truth is a game changer. This perspective allows us to overcome those thoughts of “I might stuff up”; or “Can I actually do this?” or “I’m not good enough.” Although there may be an element of truth in all these thoughts, there is a greater truth: that, although we can’t change a life in and of ourselves, a microsecond in the presence of Jesus can. The thought that the same God who was with Moses as he put his staff in the sea to split open the waters, and free the people of Israel, is the same God that is with us. We can take courage that God will never let us down. He will never let us be pushed past our limits, and He will always be there to help us! I’m grateful for this. I know I need His help every day, and I have experienced it. We cannot do what we are called to do without Him.

My encouragement to anyone who struggles with nerves or lack of confidence, is to not focus on whether or not you are good enough, but to focus on the TRUTH that God has breathed His Spirit into us, and there is nothing (and I mean NOTHING) that He cannot do! We can be so confident in a God that has the power to do far more than we can imagine — He is our sure thing (Isaiah 26:4)!

Let the truth of the bigness and greatness of who Jesus is, put courage and confidence in you to lead with the boldness that leads people into their God-given purpose!