What If You Lack Confidence As A Leader

WHAT IF YOU LACK CONFIDENCE AS A LEADER?

My name is Ray Higden and I teach Network Marketers faith-based mindset and Leadership principles that work.

What if you lack confidence as a leader? I always like to share a couple of verses that go along with the topic I’m covering today.

I Have Two Verses For You.

Number one is 2 Timothy 1:7. This is one you have to always come back to…. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Have to remember that.. matter of fact it reminds me of when you think about the 12 spies that Moses sent out. 10 of them came back filled with fear. They were like “yeah man there’s Giants and they have amazing weapons.” Caleb and Joshua were like “let’s go we have the arm of the Lord with us…let’s go knock him out…let’s go take that land.” When you feel fear that should be an indicator that is not of God.

Second verse and then I’ll get into takeaways. I don’t know that I can claim I say it every day but I say it quite a bit, Psalm 168 “I keep my eyes always on the Lord with him at my right hand I will not be shaken.” This is the concept of speaking to yourself more than you listen to yourself. Catching fear and saying no thanks.

A Few Takeaways For You.

Takeaway number one, anytime you experience fear it’s not of God. God is Not Afraid and He doesn’t want you afraid. Let fear be the alarm bell that you need to look more toward God than your own abilities or other people or your circumstances. Do you spend more time staring at your circumstances or turning your feet toward God? Most people stare at their circumstances, they stare at their lack, they stare at their financial struggle, the relationship struggle, the struggle with their children, the struggle in the school districts, the struggle with politics, they stare way more at all of these things that are lesser than God. They stare at themselves, they stare at others, they stare at their circumstances. When you need to plant your feet and look toward God, keep your eyes always on the Lord. Psalm 168.

Takeaway number two, I would suggest that you renew your mind and memorize that Psalm. memorize it. Say it with gusto. When you catch that fear, when you catch that lack, when you catch that scarcity, that confidence issue, that I’m not enough-ness or self-worth issue…when you catch it say, “whoa whoa whoa I will keep my eyes on the Lord with him at my right hand I will not be shaken.” Say it with power, let that power well up in you. Don’t just succumb to what’s going on in the world or what’s going on with others or what you’re thinking to renew that mind. Say it, get it, learn it, own it, possess it.

Then takeaway number three. and this may hit you a little hard, it often does. Remember you were bought at a price and it was full price. Jesus died on a cross after committing no sins and we have self-worth issues? It’s disrespectful. He died for us. If you have self worth issues know that someone that we didn’t deserve died for us, gave His only son. Asked it of Abraham but stopped him before he did it, but then gave His only son for us and our salvation. Remember, 1 Corinthians 10:5, we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. So every time you feel that lack of confidence, every time you feel a self-worth issue, every time you have fear…what are others going to think, what if they reject me. Every time you have that, take that captive and make it obedient to Christ. Say, “no Christ died for me. God loves me. I’m not here to have self-worth issues.” If it’s not of God then what might it be? It’s the enemy. The enemy is terrified of you stepping into your power. The enemy is terrified about you getting away from leaning on your own efforts, the enemy is terrified of you becoming more dependent on God than yourself. Terrified because with God, anything is possible…With God you can do great things.

How I’ve Applied or Failed At It.

Number one, I used to struggle with the idea of authority. As a leader there were like two different departments I guess. So if someone hired me as a coach I had no problem telling them what they needed to hear. No problem telling them you need to change this, stop doing that…no problem because they had granted me access and it was honoring them for me to shoot them straight. The best coaches I ever had always shot me straight, they didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear, they told me what I needed to hear. However there was this other department, compartment, or category and that was people who worked for me and my children. I struggled with mentoring them. I struggled with coaching them. I wasn’t even sure why….until I realized that I had a major problem with authority. See throughout my entire life I didn’t have any good examples. I had people that I should have been able to trust that betrayed me. I saw any kind of leadership over my family or over people that worked for me. Well they didn’t sign up for my mentorship…they didn’t ask me specifically for coaching…that’s more of an authority position, so I struggled with it. I really did because I didn’t have any good examples of it. It felt weird to me so it was always strange to me that I could have someone pay me (50 Grand, 100 Grand) to coach them or mentor them and I could shoot them straight, no problem. Tell them exactly what they need to change…they got more results. When it came to people who did not pay me I struggled.

For some of you the reason that you’re distant from God is because you had a father issue with your biological father. That issue with your biological father you are projecting onto your heavenly father but they are different. One is perfect in loving you, the other one did the best he could and the best he could may not have been very good. I realized that I looked at my biological father as mean, uncaring, I wasn’t good enough, he’d never be proud of me and that’s literally exactly how I viewed God. But that’s inaccurate, that is not true. I’m accepted by God. I’m loved by God. He gave His son for me…for you. Once I realized that my struggle with authority had to do with my past, then I could change.

Well what should it be? The answer is I should be mentoring the people that work for me, I should be mentoring my children as well and it changed the dynamics of how I interacted with my family.

Number two I started leaning more on God than other people or myself. In fact it was only a little bit more than a week ago that God completely changed my entire business thought process. We’re taught the Lord’s Prayer, right? Let His will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven, but you’re not taught to find out His will for you. Why not find out His will? “Lord, what do you want from me? What should my career be? Where do you call me? Where am I anointed?” It was a little bit over a week ago I prayed to God and I said, “Father, I want to know what is your will for me…where do you want me to walk? Am I in the right place?” He gave me a new tagline. He literally downloaded in my mind that, “I teach Network Marketers faith-based mindset and Leadership principles that work.” I wouldn’t have had those thoughts…my tagline was very different from it. I look back at my content just over this last week…I’m like man… It’s so dialed in now. All of a sudden my YouTube Channel’s been growing faster than it has…arguably ever. All of a sudden my Instagram started growing faster. All of a sudden things started taking off because I’m not only walking in His will for me but I’m also praying that His will be done. It is like a covenant between me and Him. I’m like okay that’s your will. Now He could have said ditch digger. If He said ditch digger I’d be digging ditches right now….you wouldn’t be hearing from me unless I was shooting a video of “hey guys out here digging ditches” right? The trick that most people do not understand…. you’ve probably heard the proverb of “commit your ways to the Lord and he’ll make your path straight” well why don’t you figure out His ideal plan for you and then walk in that…pray on that. To be done for His will to be done knowing His will versus some anonymous Lord just your will be done right. You don’t even know what it is…don’t you think it’s good that the instrument knows what the will of the father is? Is the will of the Lord and then you walk in that appointment.

Well you can do that too. You can ask! But ever since I did that….I look back I was just at World Equestrian Center (beautiful place) my wife had her horse carted up there and she rode around… that’s like her heaven. It was great. I shot a few different videos and I looked back at my content from the last week and it was so easy to knock out videos. I looked at my content from prior to that…before God gave me that new tagline and it was a little murky…it was out of my anointing. I look back at this last week and I’m like “yeah baby!” So easy for me to talk about…I look at the past I’m like…I mean it was good, but not in my anointing.

How can you apply?

Number one. Just in a worldly matter understand what confidence is? If you lack confidence… confidence is something you gain after you’ve done something. Confidence is something you have after you’ve done something. See you weren’t confident that you could swim before you jumped in the pool. “I’m totally confident, let’s go..”.no you’re like, “well I’m going to give it a shot, but I’m a little afraid.” You may have been brave, you may have been courageous, but you weren’t confident. You weren’t confident that you could ride a bike before you did. I got this…I’m just going to hop up there and balance myself and push the pedals. That’s all there is…. no you didn’t read an e-book and all of a sudden you could ride a bike. You weren’t confident about riding a bike…fell down and then you figured it out. Then you became confident. Understand that confidence isn’t something you can buy or smoke or whatever….you have confidence after the fact. So if you’ve never led a team and you’re being called into leadership, it’s pretty natural for you to lack confidence. However, don’t let that grow into fear because we know that He gives us a spirit not of fear, but of power and a sound mind. So you should “alarm bell” that fear and say “well wait a minute…am I worried of what others will think more than I trust in my father? Am I worried how people are going to judge me and how I’ll look to others more than I have faith in my heavenly father.”

So first remember, confidence is something you gain after the fact, after you’ve survived something, overcome something, learned something, done something.

Number two. Use fear as an alarm bell that “hey something’s off here…” I had to do that last night in prayer…I got bombarded. I know I already told my wife this, “I’m like hey babe just so you know this is a breakthrough month and then in the next 9 to 11 days we’re going to face some attacks I just know it…we’re going to face some attacks, but we have to stay strong in the Lord. With Him at our right hand we cannot be shaken.” You have to keep speaking fear out of you. You have to speak, keep speaking negative thoughts out of you and catch thoughts, right? Again we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. You have to learn to catch that because that’s not an indicator that that’s not what you should be doing, because you’ll never feel like doing something you’ve never done before…. So if you’ve never spoken on stage, if you’ve never led a team, then you’re not going to be confident. You’re not going to feel like doing it. You need to lean more on God than you do on yourself and your abilities and your past, your history. Just keep asking, “Lord what is your will in this situation” so there’s three things here...number one, “Lord what is your will for this situation.” Number two, what should I pray for in this situation? Number three, what wisdom do you have for me in this situation? Now a suggestion that I have… (and this is a new realization to me) get in His presence first, before you make these prayers. Before you pray for His will. What should I be praying for? Which usually is just His will right? but sometimes He’ll give you a word and then wisdom. Before you ask of Him, get in His presence. You get in His presence with two things I’ve seen…praise and worship.

“God You’re The giver of all good and perfect gifts, father you’re the maker, you’re the creator of Heaven and Earth, father thank you for being with me, thank you for being with me.”

If you don’t feel anything (I’ve had this happen) maybe you need to ask for forgiveness. To humble yourself. I’ll know if I’m not feeling His presence. I’ve had this happen twice now and I just actually realized it last night. Twice I go to get into His presence I don’t feel anything I’m like ahh right? This is probably the last month literally every time I pray I feel His presence on me. It’s just an amazing experience, but twice I didn’t feel it and so I said, “father father please forgive me of anything that I’ve done knowingly or unknowingly and I forgive anyone who’s done anything wrong to me like literally anything father please help me forgive anyone that’s done anything wrong to me…” All of a sudden boom! I felt His presence, so there was something where I had gone against His will. I don’t know exactly what, but there was something that I needed to ask forgiveness of and you may argue…well weren’t we forgiven at the cross? All I can tell you is personal experience of when I ask, when I humble myself and ask for forgiveness if I’m not feeling His presence all of a sudden…boom I do. If you’re not feeling His presence, you’re not hearing from Him then it may mean that may be a good step for you.

Words of Encouragement for You!

Don’t let a lack of confidence prevent you from moving forward. You have a calling on your life… there’s a reason that you’re here. I don’t know exactly what that is but He does. I appreciate you so very much and I hope that this is helpful for you. Know that God loves you, He loves you so much He won’t allow you to stay the same. We grow through our challenges. Now, “no discipline seems Pleasant at the time but painful, but it produces in us a perseverance.” Keep moving forward. This may be a challenging time for you, but just keep leaning on your father more than you lean on your own abilities and wisdom.