The Real Antidote to Stage Fright

By Margaret Heffernan, Inc., Aug. 22, 2013

Do you suffer from stage fright? I am told that three out of every four people suffer from speech anxiety and that some of those would rather die than stand up and give a talk. I’m not one of them. I do a lot of speaking engagements, and that means I also get to hear a lot of speakers, many of whom I learn a lot from. But no speech ever taught me as much as the most disastrous case of stage fright I’ve ever witnessed.

The talk was in front of an audience of about 500 people and the speaker really knew her stuff. She’d given loads of talks before and there was no reason to believe that this wouldn’t go well.

I don’t really know what happened but clearly, about five minutes in, everything started to fall apart. You could see that she was struggling to remember the structure of her argument. In long, painful pauses, the audience watched as she mentally rehearsed what she’d already said and what she had yet to say. At times, she simply stopped, completely lost, confused, and appalled by an experience she didn’t understand. At no point did she give up, which meant that a 20-minute talk stretched out for what seemed an interminable period of time until, at last, she reached the end.

The audience cheered. Not because it had been a great talk but because she had shown great courage. And that was the powerful lesson I learned: The audience is on your side. If you struggle, stumble or make a mistake but can keep going, even acknowledging that you’re finding it hard, the audience will love you for it. The people in the your audience share your pain; they know how hard speaking is, and they respect you for daring to do what many would never attempt.

A great speech isn’t, finally, about the speaker but about the audience. People want you to succeed. You don’t have to be perfect. Just human.

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Attributes of God

A compilation


Audio length: 10:54
Download Audio (9.9MB)

The attributes of God tell us what He is and who He is.—William Ames

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Because God is spirit ... I will seek intimate fellowship with Him.
Because God is all-powerful ... He can help me with anything.
Because God is ever-present ... He is always with me.
Because God knows everything ... I will go to Him with all my questions and concerns.
Because God is sovereign ... I will joyfully submit to His will.
Because God is holy ... I will devote myself to Him in purity, worship and service.
Because God is absolute truth ... I will believe what He says and live accordingly.
Because God is righteous ... I will live by His standards.
Because God is just ... He will treat me fairly.
Because God is love ... He is unconditionally committed to my well-being.
Because God is merciful ... He forgives me of my sins when I sincerely confess them.
Because God is faithful ... I will trust Him to always keep His promises.
Because God never changes ... my future is secure and eternal.
—Dr. William R. Bright

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Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice.—Miguel de Cervantes

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“What are the attributes of God?”

(Editor’s note: The Bible references within this text are hyperlinked, so you can follow through to the verse text easily.)

The Bible, God’s Word, tells us what God is like and what He is not like. Without the authority of the Bible, any attempt to explain God’s attributes would be no better than an opinion, which by itself is often incorrect, especially in understanding God (Job 42:7). To say that it is important for us to try to understand what God is like is a huge understatement. Failure to do so can cause us to set up, chase after, and worship false gods contrary to His will (Exodus 20:3–5).

Only what God has chosen to reveal of Himself can be known. One of God’s attributes or qualities is “light,” meaning that He is self-revealing in information of Himself (Isaiah 60:19; James 1:17). The fact that God has revealed knowledge of Himself should not be neglected (Hebrews 4:1). Creation, the Bible, and the Word made flesh (Jesus Christ) will help us to know what God is like.

Let’s start by understanding that God is our Creator and that we are a part of His creation (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1) and are created in His image. Man is above the rest of creation and was given dominion over it (Genesis 1:26-28). Creation is marred by the fall but still offers a glimpse of God’s works (Genesis 3:17-18; Romans 1:19-20). By considering creation’s vastness, complexity, beauty, and order, we can have a sense of the awesomeness of God.

Reading through some of the names of God can be helpful in our search of what God is like. They are as follows:

Elohim - strong One, divine (Genesis 1:1)
Adonai - Lord, indicating a Master-to-servant relationship (Exodus 4:10,13)
El Elyon - Most High, the strongest One (Genesis 14:20)
El Roi - the strong One who sees (Genesis 16:13)
El Shaddai - Almighty God (Genesis 17:1)
El Olam - Everlasting God (Isaiah 40:28)
Yahweh - LORD “I Am,” meaning the eternal self-existent God (Exodus 3:13,14).

God is eternal, meaning He had no beginning and His existence will never end. He is immortal and infinite (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; 1 Timothy 1:17). God is immutable, meaning He is unchanging; this in turn means that God is absolutely reliable and trustworthy (Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 102:26,27). God is incomparable; there is no one like Him in works or being. He is unequaled and perfect (2 Samuel 7:22;Psalm 86:8; Isaiah 40:25; Matthew 5:48). God is inscrutable, unfathomable, unsearchable, and past finding out as far as understanding Him completely (Isaiah 40:28;Psalm 145:3; Romans 11:33,34).

God is just; He is no respecter of persons in the sense of showing favoritism (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 18:30). God is omnipotent; He is all-powerful and can do anything that pleases Him, but His actions will always be in accord with the rest of His character (Revelation 19:6; Jeremiah 32:17,27). God is omnipresent, meaning He is present everywhere, but this does not mean that God is everything (Psalm 139:7-13;Jeremiah 23:23). God is omniscient, meaning He knows the past, present, and future, including what we are thinking at any given moment. Since He knows everything, His justice will always be administered fairly (Psalm 139:1-5; Proverbs 5:21).

God is one; not only is there no other, but He is alone in being able to meet the deepest needs and longings of our hearts. God alone is worthy of our worship and devotion (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is righteous, meaning that God cannot and will not pass over wrongdoing. It is because of God’s righteousness and justice that, in order for our sins to be forgiven, Jesus had to experience God’s wrath when our sins were placed upon Him (Exodus 9:27; Matthew 27:45-46; Romans 3:21-26).

God is sovereign, meaning He is supreme. All of His creation put together cannot thwart His purposes (Psalm 93:1; 95:3; Jeremiah 23:20). God is spirit, meaning He is invisible (John 1:18; 4:24). God is a Trinity. He is three in one, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. God is truth, He will remain incorruptible and cannot lie (Psalm 117:2; 1 Samuel 15:29).

God is holy, separated from all moral defilement and hostile toward it. God sees all evil and it angers Him. God is referred to as a consuming fire (Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 1:13;Exodus 3:2, 4-5; Hebrews 12:29). God is gracious, and His grace includes His goodness, kindness, mercy, and love. If it were not for God’s grace, His holiness would exclude us from His presence. Thankfully, this is not the case, for He desires to know each of us personally (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 31:19; 1 Peter 1:3; John 3:16, 17:3).

Since God is an infinite Being, no human can fully answer this God-sized question [of what are His attributes], but through God’s Word, we can understand much about who God is and what He is like. May we all wholeheartedly continue to seek after Him (Jeremiah 29:13).—Got questions website1

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Never did the love of God reveal itself so clearly as when he laid down his life for his sheep, nor did the justice of God ever flame forth so conspicuously as when he would suffer in himself the curse for sin rather than sin should go unpunished, and the law should be dishonored. Every attribute of God was focused at the cross, and he that hath eyes to look through his tears, and see the wounds of Jesus, shall behold more of God there than a whole eternity of providence or an infinity of creation shall ever be able to reveal to him.—C. H. Spurgeon

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In learning about God’s nature, essence, character, and attributes, we should understand from the beginning that we can never know all there is to know about God. We are finite beings, and we are limited in knowledge. God is an infinite being, He is unlimited in knowledge, and the gap between the two can never be bridged. Christian doctrine teaches that God is incomprehensible, meaning that He is “unable to be fully understood.”2 This doesn’t mean that God can’t be understood at all; it simply means that He can’t be fully or exhaustively understood.

Even though we won’t ever be able to comprehend all there is to know about God, wecan know things about Him that He has revealed to us. Some we know in general terms, through the world around us—His creation. Others we learn more specifically, through the primary vehicle by which He has revealed Himself to humankind—the Bible. Within its pages are things which God has told humanity about Himself, and what He has said about Himself is true. He hasn’t told us everything about Himself, though, so no one can fully understand all there is to know about Him. But what He has said through His creation and through His Word are in any case the things that He has revealed about Himself to humanity. These revelations tell us a great deal about Him, and what we learn through these causes us to love, praise, and trust Him.—Peter Amsterdam3

Published on Anchor August 2013. Read by Jon Marc.
Music by Michael Dooley.

1 http://www.gotquestions.org/attributes-God.html.


2 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 150.


3 Originally published August 2011.

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Sharing the Faith

Words from Jesus, unless otherwise indicated


Audio length: 8:41
Download Audio (7.95MB)

What have you done today to save a soul? Have you asked yourself this question today? Have you done your part to save a soul today?—Not only in deed, but have you done your part through prayer and supplication?

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You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!—John 4:35–361

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Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are already white to harvest. The harvest is plenteous and the trees are laden with ripe fruit. But even now the fruit falls to the ground and perishes for want of those to harvest it. Lift up your eyes and look upon the fields. Be not secluded in your blessings, but let your heart be touched with the feelings of those without—those who don’t know the truth and who don’t know the Savior, those who are dying of starvation and who freeze in the cold for lack of the warmth of My Spirit and My love.

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Have I not promised that they that understand among the people shall instruct many?2 Be faithful to give what you have received. Freely you have received, freely give.3 I will give you boldness and conviction that you may go forth to minister and to pour forth the Word of God that so many desperately seek.

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The only cause that is big enough to satisfy the yearning of our hearts is the cause of Jesus Christ, and its flag is the blood-stained body that was lifted on the Cross of Calvary for the redemption of the world. This invitation to discipleship is the most thrilling cause we could ever imagine. Think of it: The God of the universe invites us to become His partners in reclaiming the world for Him! We can each have a part using the unique gifts and opportunities God has given us.—Billy Graham

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I begin a work in the lives of those who don’t know Me years in advance. I work in their hearts and in their lives in order to prepare them, so that they may be in the right place, at the right time, in the right frame of mind, and in the right position of heart to receive My words of life.

It is also a matter of your prayers, for your prayers have influence. I do not force people to do things that they choose not to do, but through your prayers you enhance the power of the Spirit which speaks to their hearts.

This is an age of cynicism, an age of fear—but greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.4 I have given you great love to overcome this spirit that would envelop the world in coldness and darkness, for the love of many waxes cold, as I foretold ages ago by the prophets.5

As you pour out your prayers and your tears for those who have yet to be saved, I will cause the fires of faith to burn brightly and illuminate and warm the hearts of many.

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That was the true Light, that lights every man that comes into the world.—John 1:96

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I gave My life for you, for great was My love and compassion for you. I reached out to you in your time of need, when all seemed lost and there was great despair and life seemed meaningless and empty. I came to you and embraced you through the life of another who reached out with My love and the message of salvation which welled with great joy in his or her heart.

So I ask you to in turn reach out to the lost and the lonely, for they call unto Me in the darkness and in the cold. If you fail to reach out to those whom I place in your path, the opportunity of experiencing the joy, the freedom, the compassion, the understanding, the wisdom, and the great love that I have in store for them now can be missed or delayed.

Therefore stir yourself up and don’t become complacent! Proclaim the name and words of the Lord before the lost and the lonely. Go into the highways and byways and gather them to My bosom. There is great turmoil and confusion, and there is a great lack of love in the hearts of many in the world, and they yearn for answers, which they will only find in My salvation.

Give and it shall be given unto you. As you reach out to give to the needy in heart and spirit, I will anoint you with My power and strength. Your faith will grow and your joy will flow forth!

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We are the Bibles the world is reading;
We are the creeds the world is needing:
We are the sermons the world is heeding.
—Billy Graham

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I see the love in your heart for Me and for others. I see your desire to be a blessing and to serve Me with all of your heart, and I will bless you for that love and faithfulness.

You think that you don’t have much to give, but you have great treasures to give, much more than you understand. These treasures are from Me, and as you give them to others, as you scatter abroad, they will increase and I will be able to use you in even greater usefulness and fruitfulness, and will bring you greater joy and fulfillment in serving Me.

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A missionary does not necessarily go outside of his country, his state or even his own community. A true missionary needs only to go outside himself.—Author unknown

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God has given us two hands—one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.—Billy Graham

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I have called and chosen you for the calling that you now find yourself in. I have placed the desire in your heart to be a representative of My love to the lost and to those who do not yet know Me and who do not yet know of My love. You have willingly taken up the calling and have accepted My will for you, and in this I am well pleased.

Thank you for answering My call, for following the path where I lead you. You are My mouth to speak words of love, to be a channel of My love toward others; you are My hands to comfort and soothe the hearts that are broken and the hopes and dreams that are shattered; you are My feet to carry My message to those who have not yet heard of Me; you are My eyes that weep tears of joy for each soul that finds Me. What a high privilege you have been called to—as My representative. Great is your reward.

Originally published 1997. Updated and republished August 2013.
Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Dooley.


1 NLT.

2 Daniel 11:33.

3 Matthew 10:8.

4 1 John 4:4.

5 Matthew 24:12.

6 NKJV.

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Letter to a dear friend like you!

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your message. We are hoping the best for you. Moving is like dying. It's the ending of one life and the beginning of another, but normally it helps us to grow as we broaden our horizons and move out of our comfort zone to face new challenges and in the end find new strengths. The Bible tells us to "look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." In moments like these as we open our lives to Him, we can rest in His arms knowing that He is in control and He will lead and guide us down the path He wants us to follow.

I had wanted to talk to you more deeply about this point at the meeting I attended with you, but was unable at the time. In my own personal life, it wasn't until I asked Jesus into my heart that I found that everlasting peace that I was looking for. I was a young university graduate facing the prospect of the Vietnam War and desperately seeking for answers to the many questions I had about life. The FBI was looking for me as I had not attended the required pre-military examinations and later induction. It often takes desperate situations that cause us to call out to God for His help. I had been reluctant to do that because I thought God was something to do with the religious system which I wanted nothing to do with. I thought believing in God would be taking a step backwards as I had been freed from the crutches of religiosity through my college education.

But when my mother called me on the phone telling me the FBI was looking to arrest me, I prayed crying out with tears that if there was a God could He please help me. When I got up off my knees, I thought, "that was stupid, there is no God, what's happening to me?" I had seen the falseness of religion and had seen what so-called religious people do. America was the epitome of religious hypocrisy with its wars and selfishness and greed. You see, I was having a hard time differentiating the religious system from God Himself. The Bible says God is love and that God is a spirit. So God is that loving invisible spiritual being who created and made the universe contrary to the Theory of Evolution.

It was a few weeks later that I met two your people who were hitch-hiking that led me in a little prayer. "Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me for the things that I had done wrong. Give me the gift of eternal life. In Jesus' name I pray." I didn't hear the thunderclap or see stars or hear music of feel ecstasy. But I knew I had found what I was looking for. I also prayed to receive the Holy Spirit. My new friends explained to me that the Holy Spirit was a gift God had given to help lead and guide and strengthen His people. If I wanted to follow God then asking for the Holy Spirit would help me. And so I did. I prayed for an infilling of the Holy Spirit and that God would lead me into all truth.

These young people were travelling to a three month discipleship course, and so I decided to drive them to there destination. Tuition was free but all needed to participate in the running of the school. I was allocated a job in the school's cafeteria as breakfast overseer/ dishes overseer organizing the dish and kitchen clean-up crews for each meal of around 200 students plus staff. I dug into the Bible and eagerly attended all classes. I was especially interested in Bible prophecy and the classes on Daniel chapter 2 and Matthew chapter 24 which talked about the "last days." Hadn't I felt that the world was headed for its "last days?" I fell in love with Jesus and His word and spent all my free-time reading the New Testament, even memorizing important passages, or passages that spoke to me or gave me strength.

After the three month course, I received my certificate for the Ministry of Evangelization and was offered a position in a new youth center. I decided to dedicate my life to God and to helping others. Most importantly I decided to dedicate my life to sharing my God experience with others that they too might come in contact with the One who created all things, Jesus.

That's why I am sharing this e-mail with you, Dear Friend, in hope that you too will say that little prayer, if you haven't already, to let Jesus into your heart and life, that you will ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into all truth, that you will begin to have a personal relationship with Him by starting to read His words many of which are found in the New Testament. The famous social critic and writer Charles Dickens said that the New Testament was the best book that ever will be written. If you haven't read it recently, please pick up a copy and read it. Pay close attention to the words of Jesus. His word is food for your soul. He loves you and wants to be your closest friend and companion. He will never leave you nor forsake you and will help you through every difficult moment that you will experience in this life on into the next. It's just that simple and He’s just that wonderful. If you are interested in more reading material outside the New Testament, let me know. Praying that your new experience will be rewarding and will bring you to the place He wants you to be.

Much love,  Dennis

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