What to Do When Even You Don’t Believe What You’re Declaring
Recently, I read Psalms 138:8, which says, “The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” [NLT]. Notice that in a single verse, David declares a truth about God and his doubts about the very truth he declared. On one hand, he understood that the Lord would work out his plans for David’s life. On the other hand, David felt the need to cry out, “Don’t abandon me, for you made me.”
Sometimes, even the strongest leaders struggle with the very things we declare. We know God has a plan, but we fear tomorrow because we don’t see the outcome. We sing about God’s power to break every chain but aren’t certain if He can break the chain in our lives. We declare God’s ability to handle anything life can throw at us and fight anxiety over the situation in our lives at the same time! This is neither unusual nor wrong.
Reliance doesn’t mean quitting. It means moving forward knowing that He is working on your behalf at the same time.
The calling of every leader is to declare things they have not seen. Every day, they lead others in battles they’ve not won themselves. This juxtaposition in life can cause leaders to operate feeling fake or insincere. It can cause people to speak down when trying to lead up. It can even cause leaders to walk away from leadership completely.
Here are three things to do when even you don’t believe what you are declaring. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you!
Recognize
Recognize that victories come through tests. As a leader, you are inviting others to live life with you. Thus, your tests are usually going occur when others are around. Leaders carry weight so others don’t have to carry it. Leaders remain strong enough to do what is right because it is right. I encourage you to develop at least one up-line relationship to whom you can express your issues. Your downline does not need to hear them.
Relax
Every leader before you has experienced this unique dynamic in leadership. In fact, the leaders you follow may be feeling this weight right now. You are not fake, you are real. You are dealing with life as you work to lead others in the great effort to succeed. God knew what you were dealing with before He called you. He still called you. Relax, He is going to help you deal with it.
Rely
Rely on God’s promise to work out His plan for your life. You don’t have to make something happen. Focus on doing your best today and trust that He will handle the situation you face. Reliance doesn’t mean quitting. It means moving forward knowing that He is working on your behalf at the same time.
You will lead people dealing with a multitude of issues. Some of their issues may be like your issues. Declare God’s faithfulness into their lives. Rejoice with them in their successes. Recognize the test we are in, relax knowing that we are not alone, and rely on God to work it out for good! Lead strong!