Facing Your Giant(s)

John 10:1-10

After You Have Dipped Your Toe In The Pool, Dive In With Both Feet To Overcome Your Fears

Soul Food

John 10:1-10 (NIV)

“ ‘Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ ”

Soul Search

• Is there something in your life that caused you pain and possibly deep-seated trauma?
  Can you talk about it?

• If you have buried that pain and trauma deeply and have chosen over months and maybe even years to keep it hidden and not allow the light of day to touch it, is it time to dig it up and out? 

• What close relationships do you have, and who are those people in your life, that you feel you can’t reveal those painful, traumatic things to?
  As best you can put it into words, why can’t you?

• Because of your pain, and your inability and/or unwillingness to look at those deep wounds, what things in life do you feel you have missed out on?
  What otherwise good and positive things have been hindered or stifled because of your pain?

Soul Moves

• Be looking for an open door – one that God opens – that you will need to step through in order to confront your fear or your pain head-on.

• When a door (opportunity) opens that you would normally avoid or refuse to step through because of your pain, ask God to give you the courage to walk through it.
  He will open doors of opportunity so that you can begin walking out your healing.

• Where you have closed your pain and hurt off from letting anyone else see it, ask God to give you the courage to let it out and share it with someone you’re close to you who you can trust.
  Having someone help carry your pain goes a long way toward your healing.