The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith; the beginning of faith is the end of anxiety.
In one of my recent CEO Fireside Chats, a monthly seminar I give to my real estate and private money clients, I talked about Power Teams and why it’s necessary to depend upon others for personal and professional success. I’m ashamed to say it, but I forgot to mention the one person that should be first and foremost on your Power Team… God.
We may believe in God, but many of us keep God benched during our most trying hours. We trust ourselves, our money, our talents, or our status long before we trust God. During my presentation, I talked about “The Lone Ranger Syndrome” and how most people believe that self-reliance is more important and powerful than dependency. They reason this by saying things like:
- “I don’t want to be a burden on them.”
- “If I ask for help, it’s selfish.”
- “I feel obligated to help them in return.”
- “I’m not that important.”
- “I don’t want people to know how bad it is.”
- “I feel they have better things to do than to help me.”
- “I don’t want to come across that I can’t handle x, y, z…”
- “I don’t want to appear weak.”
- “I don’t want to be perceived as ‘failing.'”
- “I don’t have the time to find or look for help.”
- “It won’t be done the way I want it to be done, and I’ll have to redo it.”
How does God respond to each of these excuses? Well, let’s address each one.
1. Over and over, God tells us to cast our burdens on Him. Nothing is too big to handle or too small for Him to care about.
2. Asking for help from God is not selfish. In Matthew 11:28 God says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” God specifically asks for your burdens.
3. God does request that you help others and love others as he has loved and supported you.
4. You are important, God’s own creation.
5. and 6. God already knows how bad it is. By not casting your burdens on him, you are not pulling the wool over God’s eyes.
7. and 8. You are weak and you are failing but that doesn’t mean you’re not worth helping. God never wastes energy or effort on things that are unnecessary or unworthy. In other words, if you didn’t need a Savior, he wouldn’t have sent one. The very fact that God sent a Savior means you need one.
9. Prayer takes only a little bit of your time. By keeping in constant contact with God, you are always one word away from seeking His help.
10. God’s answers may not always be your answers. The burdens may not be lifted the way you desire, but know there is a reason for this. In Romans 8:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:17 “God promises to orchestrate everything—including every pain, sorrow, and trial—to bring you even more joy in Him.”
I encourage you to put God first on your Power Team and to go to him for counsel and understanding in ALL things. Only in this, will you find true peace.
