Have you ever struggled with shyness to the point that it kept you from moving forward?
The other day, I was thinking how much I used to battle this oppressive enemy.
Then, over time, I discovered the ONE path that led to the breaking of those chains of relational anxiety, which I’m about to share with you.
As you might know from experience, trying to shake off anxious thoughts can take a long time. In fact, maybe you believed that you’d never eliminate that roadblock from your life.
As a kid, I wondered if I could get past those feelings. The voices of anxiety taunted me saying, “you can’t make it!” You probably know what I mean.
As you might imagine, I tried different methods to defeat feelings of inadequacy including affirmations. Arguing with this internal enemy, I burst out with, “I can do this!” but remained stuck because I didn’t take steps forward.
The pivotal year arrived in 2002 after graduating from Cedarville University in Ohio, where I majored in Communications. I officially launched my career in news/talk radio.
Before sharing 10 encouraging Bible verses about overcoming shyness and gaining confidence, I want to say that what I hope inspires you is the ONE thing I learned, which helped me gain victory over shyness:
In other words, I decided to embrace courage and then stay the course.
Now don’t get me wrong…things didn’t change overnight. I went through a process.
But I stepped out of my comfort zone and persevered in the journey.
For me personally, my faith in God helped me continue to possess courage. I prayed a simple prayer, which you might relate to: “Lord, please help me!”
As a result, I’ve succeeded in uniquely merging my ministry niche with the broader communications field in the following ways:
• Overcoming fear of public speaking--using my Master of Divinity degree to regularly speak (preach and teach) in a ministry context
• Taking the bold step to reach the masses on radio and serve the community-- reporting news and announcing special events.
• Expanding my relational opportunities and communication skills to include visitations, leadership, teamwork, as well as connecting the church with the community.
I pray you’ll find the same encouragement and find helpful information including Bible passages, illustrations, and resources on this website.
Now, I'd like to share the following 10 verses about confidence. By no means is this list exhaustive. It's not meant to be that way, but the list provides a good starting place...
1. II. Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2. Deuteronomy 31:6: Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
3. Proverbs 29:25: The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
4. Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
5. Hebrews 13:5-6: Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
6. Isaiah 41:10: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
7. Isaiah 26:3: You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
8. Psalm 118:8-9: It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
9.Nehemiah 6:16: When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
10. Proverbs 14:26: In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
The messages in the above verses include encouragement to trust the Lord and focus on Him. The instructions also involve revering the Lord and seeking Him for help and strength. In other words, the basis of our confidence should be the Lord and not on temporary earthly resources or other human beings who can fail us.
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For a list of 10 specific verses that can help you eliminate anxiety from your life--ones that helped me break that intense struggle--See my page:
Bible Verses About Anxiety (encouragementscriptures.com)
For Steps to overcoming fear of speaking in public:
Overcoming Fear of Speaking in Public: Encouragement from the Bible (encouragementscriptures.com)