OVERCOMING WEAKNESSES AND FEARS
What is your fear? I am not talking about the fear of the world ending by a meteor striking the earth, but more like the everyday fears that we face. I have a lot of fears, but maybe I am just more fearful than most people. One of my normal fears is that I am not good enough. Here is where Satan has a field day! He is the greatest deceiver of the world, and he wants to make sure that I keep believing the lies that he plants in my head. The fear of not being good enough is a common fear. I am not even sure what “good enough” means. You can walk through my house without tripping on things, so I guess that my housekeeping skills are “good enough.” So far, nobody had died from eating something at my house, so I guess that my cooking skills are “good enough.” I have managed to raise three children that are normal humans, so I guess that my parenting skills are “good enough.”
Blogging is another area where I find myself questioning if I am good enough. My sister is an author, and I would love to have her skills when it comes to writing. There are so many of the bloggers that I have had join me on my Friday with Friends series that I think dress better, pose better or write better than me, and it can be crippling if I listen to what Satan is whispering in my ear.
These Sunday posts are when the devil has the most fun. He is always whispering in my ear that I am not a learned scholar and that I need to leave these type posts to the experts. He whispers that these posts are the least read of my posts, and that is because no one wants to hear what I have to say. He loves to mess with me when he sees that I have lost subscribers, especially when they message me to tell that they are unsubscribing BECAUSE of my Sunday posts.
It would be so easy to give in, to quit, to let Satan win. But, I am stubborn, plus there is this verse that I love turning to when the enemy is beating on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
The enemy knows all of our weaknesses and fears, and he is a resilient adversary. However, he is no match for My Lord, and I can draw upon the knowledge that HE will give me all of the strength that I need to fight.
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
BOOM! POW! KABOOM! Take that, Satan! I can rest in the knowledge that His grace is sufficient for me, that His strength is all I need when I am weak, and that I will let the power of Christ rest upon me.
Have A Blessed Day!
I love your Sunday posts. They always give me new insight and something to mull over through the day. Thank you for sharing your faith with us readers. Have a blessed day Tania.
I cried when I read your post. Tania you are an amazing woman who God is using to reach many people for his glory through helping us look good outside and transform ourselves inside. I love fashion and started your blog for that reason but I love that you share from your heart with God’s word on Sundays. You always have an encouraging message for us that we can use in our everyday life. I find myself sharing your message with others throughout the week. Please do not ever be discouraged to be a light to the world. I work as a flight attendant and end up on the road most Sundays so your words are my church. Thank you for all that you are doing to help us and to reach others. Even if you seem to lose a few people on your blog I bet your words reach way beyond what you could imagine.
Quite honestly, I may skip your posts during the week if I’m busy. I NEVER miss your Sunday posts!!! I look forward to them and they are very encouraging! The devil is a liar! Do not fret about losing subscribers!!
I needed that today. I had a very lucrative and interesting career but it has stalled since moving to a new state. I feel like I am not good enough for any of the jobs I apply for and no one is ever going to hire me. You reminded me it is Satan putting those thoughts in my head and I need to trust in the Lord’s plan for me. Thank You!
Tania, I just read your Sunday post. I really needed to hear this and know that I’m not the only one that has this fear. The devil needs to crawl in a deep, deep hole and stay there!
Keep spreading the Good News as we are instructed to do! You are blessed to have a platform to do it from and we are blessed to be able to witness it. I am saddened to hear that ladies are leaving your blog because of it, but as believers we know that “Every knee will bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord”. There are no non believers, just people that don’t believe YET!!
Sue, I feel like the Lord “gave” me the platform. He just allows me to also use it for fashion.
Sunday posts are great! Never. Never stop!
Tania, I recently started court reporting school and I am constantly second guessing myself. I am too old, I am not good enough. I am not as good as the younger students. But I know this is where god wants me to be! So I will finish this!
I enjoy your Sunday posts. My first thought when reading this post was that if satan is taking the time to mess with you about your Sunday posts then you must be a threat to him. There are people out there that need to hear what you are sharing and it is making him nervous and/or mad because you are leading people to Christ. Keep on doing what you are doing!
Your Sunday posts are an absolute treat—please don’t stop doing them! Satan works on all of us, and it sure can be hard not to believe all the lies he whispers in our ears. Ramp up your time in the Word and in prayer, and draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. At least that’s what I’m trying to do. Have a Blessed day!
Tanya, I occasionally read a few other blogs but your blog is the only one I read every day. You are so real and that realness is including your faith. You are not afraid to express who you are and I love reading about that. Keep being who you are, including your love for Jesus! Like the woman said in a previous comment, if you can’t tell a Christian from a non Christian….are we living how Christ calls us to live? He shines through in you!!
I love your Sunday posts. Satan does a number on us all. This was a good one for me to read today. Going through some “stuff.”
One of our associate pastors preached today and shared this quote: God is here. We are loved. It is enough.
You know what…in a world where now everything has to be so “politically correct” and some topics are taboo because someone may get offended, I find it quite refreshing that you stay true to your beliefs and keep your Sunday posts devoted to our wonderful Heavenly Father! Thank you!
Your Sunday posts are my favorite, please keep writing them! Thank you!
Satan is a liar!
You are fanastic! Keep up the wonderful post!
Dear Tania, As the song goes, “Fear is a liar”. May God keep blessing you on your daily post and Sunday messages. Proverbs 3:5-6. Janet
Your Sunday posts are awesome. Keep up the good work! They are just what I need at that time.
We all feel insecure & that we might not measure up to others at various times in our lives, so this is a wonderful reminder to stay the course & keep our faith! As a Christian, I love your Sunday posts. Sometimes what you choose to post is extremely relatable to something that has happened in my life or for others that I know, so I forward your emails on if I feel it can encourage them too. As for those who have unsubscribed because of your Sunday posts, you never know if sometime down the road, they may need a glimmer of hope & encouragement & just might recall something you wrote that will help them. Never underestimate your reach!!
On another note, I laughed out loud when I read someone commented that the photo of Joe’s bare torso behind you was creepy! That was just hysterical!!!
Shirley, your comment has made my day. Thank you for being encouraging! Also, thanks for not thinking that Joe was creepy. Lol!
Love your Sunday posts! God is using you.
Love your blog, your style, and your ideas. You are inspiring, interesting, and a good writer. Thank you for sharing your talents with us. Hugs,,
Well, if you and I were sipping hot mugs of something and splitting a huge muffin in a coffeeshop somewhere, this could not have reflected more clearly what I’d be sharing with a good friend on a Sunday morning after church. You’ve got this, girl, because He’s got you ?
Julie, a huge muffin and a large mug of hot chocolate sounds great right now!
Thank you for this post. I needed to hear it and be reminded that through Him I am good enough. It’s so easy to forget that each day. You know I’ve been trying to make some life decisions but there’s always this voice saying “you can’t do that”, “ you’ll never succeed “. Unfortunately I keep giving in to it. I’m going to put these verses where I can read them each day to help me keep those thoughts at bay. As for people who stop reading your blog because of your Sunday posts, well they are missing out. It’s the main thing that drew me to you. I mean I love the daily stories and clothes but the first Sunday post I read over a year ago grabbed me and I’ve been a faithful follower since. You are good enough, Tania because you inspire many people and I’m one of them.
You are good enough too, Johnna! The voices in your head are just voices. They have no power over you. You simply need to make your decision and then apply yourself full speed ahead.
Thank you being so brave. I really enjoy your posts.
this was such a timely post for me as i am finding myself at a crossroads with needing to find a new job at 53. i love all your posts so keep it up gurl!!
Good luck, Lunette with finding the job that you are searching for. It is not an easy task at any age.
You are so adorable, inside and out. You are doing a wonderful job. I appreciate your authentic self, so keep doing what you do! You are perfect just as you are!
Thanks, Teresa! I truly appreciate your saying that!!!
Love your boldness Tania! Although the enemy would love us to shrink back you do the difficult and ‘go’. Love it!!
I love your Sunday posts especially! I thank God that you are choosing to listen to Him and not the enemy.
I love your Sunday post!!
Don’t give in! Focus on those of us who have stayed with you and read your Sunday posts, because maybe we are “good enough”. ?
Tania, I personally love your Sunday posts! I love the way you write and feel I can relate to you in so many ways!! Please keep doing what you are doing….you give me the encouragement I need to push myself further!! Have a wonderful Sunday!!
How many of us ever meet “scholarly” folks in our daily lives? Not many statistically, I would guess. What encourages us
is the voice of a real person, in this case – you. You didn’t have to attend fashion school to cheer us on and give valid
advice about how to dress “over fifty” in a delightful way. You led by example. I’m pretty sure that’s how Christ wants
us to live. By example…flaws and all. You’re doing a fantastic job and I commend your sharing-your-faith Sunday posts!!
Nice to know that a woman can be pretty inside and out!!
Wow, Jo! I am humbled by your words. I never thought that a normal person would be the voice that someone would want to hear. I just assumed that everyone would want to hear the experts opinions instead.
Tania, I agree totally with Jo Cooper’s comments. Although I might not read your blog on a daily basis (only because my life is crazy busy) I do read ALL OF THEM and look at each and every one.
This week I served on Jury Duty and between the twelve of us, majority voted one way, then a few voted the other way.
Many of these other jurors appeared to me to be very educated and so called scholarly. I was one of the few who voted against the majority of others, which didn’t make the others happy.
I spent the next two days (which seemed like forever) trying to justify myself. I am a person that has never been able to feel comfortable speaking in front of a group of others. Finally the other juror that had the same verdict as I, stood up to the others (which I should of myself but deep inside me felt that I didn’t know what the heck I was talking about) and this other person told all the others to LAY OFF ME.
Well, it was declared a mistrial, unfortunately, but I stood by my convictions. And that is what I believe you do!!
Jo’s above comment and your post came to me at an opportune time!
Thanks again for allowing me to vent, but for your continued faith Sunday posts. They always seem to come to me when I have needed them most. And go figure, today is Thursday, (jury duty ended yesterday) and I was reading the post from this past Sunday!
See!
With love from Napa
Kim
Amen!! If satan can get our minds he knows he’s won……not today satan! Thank you for your posts every day, your Sunday posts are very encouraging!
Tania, I love that you write in a conversational way. It’s like talking to your best friend – comfortable, funny and honest. The weekday posts are entertaining and fun. However, it is the Sunday posts that feed and encourage my heart. Thank you and don’t stop!
I love your Sunday posts! Keep writing about faith and keep giving us fashion tips. Your blog is my favorite.
I keep reading your posts because you write these Sunday posts! I follow a few bloggers that are Christian and don’t mind saying it. These are the ones I will always follow. It’s important to me and I know it’s important to many others. Love you Tania! Keep putting your faith out there and defeating satan!
I like your Sunday posts. In fact, I used the one you published in 2016 about coffee for a devotional at our women’s ministry breakfast 2 weeks ago! That one stuck with me.
Eva, I know the one that you are talking about. I had a friend in town say that her husband was doing the devotional at their Church, and he used that one also. She teased him that he was using something from a fashion blog. Lol!
Thank you for your Sunday posts! I love reading it before I dress for church. Keep being faithful and don’t worry about those who are negative. Guess God knows it is ok if we suffer in some ways to serve Him. Love your everyday posts too!!
My favorite line when the enemy is trying to derail my thoughts, “Get behind me Satan, you are not in power, as I am washed in the blood of The Most High!”
Works every time!
I am going to have to remember that line. But first, I have to remember that it is Satan that is creating the havoc in my brain.
I love you blog, especially the Sunday posts. Your post on Sunday give me something to take through my week. A lot of times, I go back and read the Sunday post during the week; it gives me hope, strength and encouragement. Thank you!
I will not stop following you because of your Sunday posts! I respect you for having the courage to put your faith on display in a world that ostracizes Christian principles. There could be legitimate reasons that your Sunday posts are not read. Mine are the same as for a weekday post: I don’t have time or the topic is not one that I need to learn about. Satan is truly messing with you in this regard! Keep pushing through and let your light shine rather than hiding it under a basket.
Tania you have your own gift! Each day you come up with a topic and write about it. There aren’t many people who can do that!! I think you are a very talented lady with a heart of gold. I so enjoy your posts and funny stories. Also, the fact that you showcase other bloggers really does say something about the person you are….AMAZING!!?
AMEN!
I love your Sunday posts. You are so transparent with all the little funny things that happen on a daily basis….I’ve never met you but feel like I know you. The Sunday post’s really show who you are…a child of God. It helps us know you even more!
I love your Sunday posts, that’s why I keep reading your posts.
There is a t-shirt that I want to purchase that says “Not today Satan”. Thank you for your Sunday posts.
I am new to your blog… I was looking for ideas on Pinterest for outfits for women over 50 and found YOU! I can’t wait for your daily blog and I especially love your Sunday posts! You are such an inspiration! So glad to be one of your gurls!
Tania, honey…just follow your heart. When those feelings of doubt come into your mind, immediately remember this is the voice of “the enemy” and ask yourself if this is the voice you want to listen to. In my opinion, if what you hear is not positive, it’s not coming from the right Source! It’s not hard to see that you are a good girl with a kind heart. You are also a strong woman! You just need to remember that from time to time. We all do! The “enemy” never gives up, but he cannot defeat the child of the Most High God!
You go girl! I love your Sunday posts and by reading them you have helped me through some tough times so thank you!!!!!
Your Sunday posts are the way I start my Sunday morning! Thank you so much!
Oh Tania! I just love how “REAL” you are! In a society that is screaming for tolerance, it seems that people are becoming even more INtolerant and judgmental. Personally, I look forward to your Sunday posts. I like your “real, everyday woman just like you” take on things. Keep doing what you do, my friend…..anyone who doesn’t like your posts is welcome to ignore them. But don’t forget that many others, including me, enjoy hearing what you have to say <3
I agree with the comments that your Sunday posts are powerful and uplifting, Satan is so active in our world but he is defeated and Christ wins the battle, keep up the great work sharing His message!
Your Sunday posts are my favorite. If you lose people because of them, let them go. You help strengthen me every week. I love your fashion pics and that is what drew me to your blog. The first Sunday post made me want to follow you even more! Keep working for God!
I LOVE your Sunday posts and if someone doesn’t like it or ‘approve’ than they can go somewhere else and will NEVER be missed! I follow other bloggers (several) who have NO problem sharing their faith and have had the same ‘unhappy’ readers and they don’t quit and neither should you! We don’t HAVE to be perfect in the Lord’s eyes…..just trust Him and believe that He is the only One who matters!!
Love your transparency, humor, fashion sense, makeup tips but especially your boldness in sharing your faith. Your Sunday posts are the best!
Tania, please don’t ever stop the Sunday post. It is always inspiring and gives me my spiritual food for the coming week. I send the Sunday post to my Pinterest board so I can look back on them when I need a pick me up. You will never be able to please everyone but one thing is for sure, you are pleasing God and the majority of your gurls. Enjoy your trip and I will await next Sunday’s post with anticipation.
Tania, I agree with these ladies – I love your Sunday posts, plus all the other days of the week. I understand Satan’s lies and sometimes it’s hard to not believe them but what God says about us is the truth! We can and should always believe Him! Please keep doing what you’re doing.
Those who have unsubscribed due to your Sunday posts need these posts the most. ??
Your Sunday posts are actually the reason I do subscribe to your blog. It is my favorite way to start my Sunday. Keep them coming sister!!!?
Keep doing what you do. Even though I am not Christian, because some truths are universal, even I can find value in your Sunday posts.
I have to admit that I was dismayed by these posts because I really don’t need another person preaching to me. Often I do just skip the Sunday posts because I’m not in the mood. Down here it takes a big effort to avoid Jesus. I was raised in church, this is my choice. Honestly, because I think that if I can’t tell someone is a Christian by the way they behave when they’re not in church, what they have to say about it really doesn’t matter because they clearly don’t know anymore than I do. I know very few people who can walk their talk. The universal truth about living in the Deep South is that there is no escaping the “good news”. This message of hope and struggle is a common one throughout the English speaking world, so it’s not what sets you apart from the crowd in the blogosphere.
Don’t sell short your story-telling abilities, you have a gift for it too.
i love all your posts but today’s particularly resonated. Had a fabulous day yesterday singing with a choir at a local event. Really enjoyed myself but have today looked at pics and videos online and the “wee small voice in my head” has really taken the joy away!! Its got me comparing myself to other singers in terms of looks, voice, stage presence to name but a few. After reading your blog i now think “i was great and had a great time so blow everyone else”! Praying for the peace that comes with Gods grace. So thank you for your blog.
PS – I love the style ideas too!
Love your writing and look forward to reading your blog every day! Thank you for keeping the faith and ignoring the negative comments that Satan brings to the forefront of your mind from time to time. I realize it takes a great deal of time and energy to deliver a daily blog; however, you are a beautiful blessing to so many! Thank you for sharing snippets of your life with us in such a fun, uplifting way!
Well it is 4:30 in the morning. I don’t need to be up this early, and yet I am. Reading your post and finding one more reason ( as I do every Sunday) why I follow you. I LOVE your Sunday posts!
I think you are very brave to put so much of yourself out here.
Seems so many of us have the same fears , but you push through.
I like having coffee with you on Sunday Mornings.
A sweet cup of encouragement.
The devil is a liar.
Ps. I can’t resist your daily posts as well!!!
Sherry, I love having coffee with you also. ?
I love reading your posts and look forward to them everyday, especially on Sunday!
I love reading your posts especially the Sunday ones?
I second that, Nicky! Tania, your Sunday posts always speak to me!
Yes Satan is alive and well and messing with us all the time to take away glory belonging to God and to put all kinds of doubts and fears in our heads. I wondered if you encountered rejection so i applaud you for marching forward anyway. Your fan base keeps growing so trust your writing, it’s being blessed while the rest of us enjoy your message.
I’m not particularly religious but I take a great deal of comfort in your Sunday entries. Keep going, keep strong and keep smiling x
Thank you, Hayley. I hope that my Sunday posts are seen as encouraging.
Thanks for the encouragement, Monika. It is funny because rejection is probably my biggest fear. Lol! And, yes, I do encounter that because of my Sunday posts.
Tanya, you can tell the Devil that I read your blog BECAUSE of your Sunday posts 🙂
You got it, Lynn! I will tell him that the next time that he rears his ugly head!
Your Sunday posts are the posts I enjoy the most!
Please stay true to yourself and keep posting the Sunday faith posts. I’m a 48 year old who finds each of your blogs to be very uplifting and down to earth. Like others have stated, I feel like I know you. You are inspiring and you give me hope. Please don’t change a thing.