Public Speaking, Envisioning, and Faith
I have read that the fear of public speaking ranks far above the fear of death for many people. But public speaking seems to be almost unavoidable, if you want to progress and get ahead in life. So the question is what do you do if you find yourself in a situation where you have to do public speaking in front of a large audience, and are deathly afraid to do so?
The answer can be found in your Bible. Contained within the Bible are God's promises. These promises can subdue your fear and give you the confidence that you need.
If you find yourself devoid of confidence and ready to pull a no-show or make an excuse as to why you cannot do public speaking, you need to claim God's gift of confidence. Say to yourself, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13 KJV).
When you say this, envision yourself doing public speaking with total confidence and ease. Envisioning is integral to the faith process. Envisioning is power.
If you find yourself jittery and nervous before doing public speaking, you need to claim God's promise of peace. You need to meditate on the following: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27 KJV).
When you meditate on this promise, you need to envision yourself doing public speaking in a relaxed and peaceful manner. Remember. Envisioning is essential to the faith process. In fact, envisioning and faith are one and the same.
View public speaking as a test of your faith rather than a curse. Use public speaking to build up your faith muscles. Anytime you have to do public speaking, clearly envision yourself doing it successfully with confidence and ease.
Envisioning exercises your faith muscles. Even if you fail miserably at public speaking, keep envisioning yourself succeeding until it materializes in this physical reality.
Remember. If you fail miserably at public speaking, people will forget about your performance a few days later. People are more concerned with themselves than you. So don't exaggerate your poor performance. In the grand scheme of the universe, it really doesn't matter.