About the Author

Stephanie Bryant is the co-founder of @incourage and a podcaster at the #JesusLedAdventurePodcast. She owns a Marketing & Business Coaching company. She is passionate about guiding you to your promised land and personal brand therapy. She enjoys spending her days with her husband and their miracle daughter, Gabrielle, on #BryantFamilyFarm....

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Yes!
    I so needed this! I am up at 3:15 am, couldn’t sleep, and you put your finger on a lie I believed. Thank you, and praise God!
    The part about is God’s kingdom big enough for my dream plus hers gave me an immediate picture of the movie Akeelah and the Bee where finally it isn’t about competing to beat the other but together competing to share a win, both running to win the prize (and cheering each other on to do their best). Finally that verse makes sense to me, run in such a way as to win the prize (it always seemed über competitive)! Run (together) in such a way…(in)courage.
    Remember Mother Theresa’ “little things (for God) with great faith”?

  2. Love this post and just read the scripture this morning as part of a bible reading plan! What version is the one you used? I couldn’t find the specific reference and version for the last part about be glad for all god is planning… 🙂

  3. Thank you! for sharing this. It was exactly what I needed to hear on the exact day I needed to hear it. So glad I found this website. I’ll be back guarranteed!

  4. This was just such a timely post for me as well. Why is it that we read this today, and have this same conversation with ourselves next week and the one after!? Probably because it is an effective weapon of the enemy. And we ‘have need to be reminded’ as Paul says…
    Thanks for speaking Truth to me today!

  5. I actually laughed out loud when I read parts of this, because the great deceiver has been trying to get in to my head with some of those questions. Seeing them in black and white made me realize how crazy things get inside my head sometimes. 🙂

    THANKS!!!

  6. Yes! So often we can feel like someone will do it better so why bother? Or it was a silly dream anyway… Thank you for your encouragement! This is a huge world! Enough for all of our dreams 🙂

  7. Wow Stephanie!

    You hit the nail on the head. I personally feel this one challenge is how the enemy seeks to outwit. Thank you! Very timely, and very needed.

  8. Such basic truths, but some of the most difficult to believe. Thank you for the always needed reminder and encouragement. Great way to begin the day!

  9. I also liked your post! And now I am going to be incredibly shallow and ask you about that wonderful picture of the books somehow attached to that strip on the wall. I’m a voracious reader and have been mulling a way to keep all of my books at hand and close to my reading chair! Thanks!

  10. It is so affirming to read this encouraging post along with so many that share the feeling of never being enough. Having a tough time today.

    • Praying for you, Hope. That you’ll see yourself thru Christ’s eyes. He knows your worth it and has designed wonderful good works for you to do in advance. Just take the next step.

  11. Reading through the comments, I can tell that I am not the only one that feels like this is a very timely post.

    I don’t know about everyone else, but I feel like I believe the lies of the enemy all the time that what I do doesn’t matter. Whether it is teaching middle schoolers, writing, my art, or loving on my friends. I believe that I don’t matter, that my dreams are just dreams.

    For someone to say it out loud that it does matter helps drown out the lies a little bit! Thank you!

    • Maybe we should say it out loud every day! I think when the enemy is the loudest is when we know that we’re right where God wants us to be. . . with satan’s silence and our thriving in the Kingdom just around the corner. 🙂

  12. I am encouraged. He cares for me. I am important.

    I am into thinking of misery the whole day and I just went to our roof deck to check my dog but when I saw the beauty of the dark sky with stars so brightly there… I could not help myself but utter words to God… I prayed and then I felt relieved.
    Back to my computer, I clicked my bookmark icon of (in)courage again and this article appeared and I believe that the Holy Spirit invited me to read this.

    Thank you once again for sharing a wonderful message. May the good Lord use this website more and may this be a tunnel of His blessings.

    Many are lost but few only listens and everyday is always an opportunity to be encouraged and choose to encourage the needy.

    God bless us all!

  13. This was so beautiful and timely! I began my blogging journey last fall and find myself struggling with these very issues at times. Thank you for the reminder to celebrate my God-given talents by using them with joy!

  14. So encouraged by this today. Just what I was talking to some fellow believers about earlier. Love those verses. May we keep on sharing the Truth out loud with each other.

  15. I often think like this, and this morning I was affirming to myself that I am an extension of God and what I do is part of His work! Thank you.

  16. Thank you for exposing this lie in my life! I make prayer quilts for people and lately I’ve believed the lie! I’m ready to go back to the sewing machine and start praying and sewing again!
    In Christ,
    Sue

  17. You are encouraging, Stephanie, very encouraging.

    Thank you for posting on (in)courage today.

    Which scripture passage is this from:
    “Through Paul, God asks you to “Be honest in your estimate of yourself, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you.””

    Blessings
    Patricia

  18. It’s so easy in Blogville, to compare one’s self to others… Those with more readers, more clever reparte and ideas of grandeur. It takes real discipline to remember our own self worth and our personal priorities and all the important qualities we bring to the party.

  19. I want to tell you that God used this post you wrote today to touch my life. I was such a grump today again, tired, overwhelmed, burned out, and yet I saw this in my mailbox and realized how strange and wonderful God is to use you; you probably thought you wrote this and hoped someone needs to hear it, but it gets published and it sits out there in the cyberspace and you can’t see the impact. Let me tell you. It’s like God had you write it just for me today. Thank you.

  20. I love this ! Wonderful truth. Thanks for posting, because it’s a reminder we all need.

    And….how on EARTH are those books held up on that wall design?? I WANT ONE!!

  21. Wonderful words of wisdom! I was feeling down on myself last month. My new knitting pattern wasn’t selling at all, why? I thought it would sell like hotcakes, and it hasn’t even moved. I was so down, feeling unworthy of my new venture. The Lord works in mysterious ways, I heard him say ‘slow down’ take your time, don’t rush, and enjoy the process” I’ve slowed down and enjoying designing an infinity scarf for my daughter.

  22. Amen Amen & Amen! These words resonate with me. I don’t have a ministry, per se, but the devil can do a number on me and make me believe that “I’m stupid, dumb, not good enough, smart enough, etc” He just moves in quietly, especially through my job.

    Working on debunking ALL Satan’s lies and believing & trusting God!

  23. It seems like this is me all the time lately! In everything I do, my mind wanders to those doubts of myself, my actions, my efforts. From the mundane, daily doings of life to the larger things. I love the way you propose that we look at Paul’s words. God gives us great faith in order to do great things. It is true. But so often I let the doubt overcome my faith in His ability to do great things through me.

  24. Thank you, Stephanie. I need to hear this. I have stepped back from engaging in life because I feel like my contributions don’t matter. I don’t like myself this way. Thank you for calling me out of the closet.

  25. That is great encouragement for women of God everywhere Stephanie! The more we can seek God and find the gifts he wants to give us, the greater power the body of Christ holds for helping the world! Go for it!!!

  26. I often find myself struggling with these thoughts.

    I am really wanting to persue writing, it’s been a lingering dream of mine forever, but I’ve always intimidated myself out of it.

    I don’t have a fancy writing degree like some of those in my family. And if THEY aren’t successful (with writing), HOW could I possibly be?

  27. Hello Stephanie!
    I read your absolutely WONDERFUL posting today about “When You Feel Like It Does Not Matter.” It was such a blessing to me that I decided to put it up on my blog site this afternoon for my friends to read and be encouraged by as well. All of us need encouragement and hope in our lives along this journey called LIFE and you surely gave that to me today through your LIFE GIVING posting. THANK YOU so much!

  28. Thank you! This was a very timely read for me as I’ve been struggling with this. I just had a conversation with God last night asking him to reveal His plan for me and to help me listen to it (without my own desires and wants as an influence).

  29. Through Paul, God asks you to “Be honest in your estimate of yourself, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you.”
    But what if God has given you great faith, a large amount that has been pressed down and is overflowing?

    I disagree with your statement that God sometimes gives us great faith and your alternate interpretation of that verse. I understand your statement as implication that our faith in God (as referenced in the verse) is a gift from God. Instead I believe God’s gift to us is grace and our gift to God is our faith that has to grow and develop through our relationship with Him. I would appreciate your feedback so that I can understand more clearly what you meant

  30. I’m glad that I decided to check out this site today. I’ve been thinking and dreaming of things, but have been telling myself that it’s probably all been done before…by people who can do much better work than I. Maybe I should just dive in and see where God takes me.