Taking the First Stone
If you want to pursue your dreams and make them a reality, you have to overcome fear and doubt. These mental states can be crippling. They prevent us from doing the things we desire to do and they can keep us from taking risks that could lead us to success.
Luckily, there are ways to deal with these feelings in a healthy way! One of the best ways to overcome fear and doubt is to challenge it. If you can do this, your confidence will grow and you will be more likely to pursue your dream!
The Bible contains a first stone story that illustrates how to face fears and doubt. It is known as ‘The Woman Caught in Adultery’ and it is found in John 8.
In this passage, Jesus is teaching in the Second Temple when a group of scribes and Pharisees interrupt his sermon by bringing in a woman they claim committed adultery. They then accuse her and tell him that she should be stoned to death.
Instead of stoning the woman, Jesus takes a different approach to the problem. He says, “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.”
This is an incredibly deft move on the part of Jesus. It is a small but epochal caveat on the right to lynch, preventing the mob from killing her unless they can be sure that they are the only ones who are guilty.
Taking the First Stone – Overcoming Fear and Doubt
He then calls the woman and her accusers to a meeting with himself, and gives her a chance to explain herself. He then asks her, “Where are they?”
After a moment of discussion, the woman and her accusers walk away. The scribes and Pharisees left as well, and they realized that not one of them was without sin either.
As a result of this conversation, Jesus sends her on her way with a gift to reaffirm that she was not the only person who sinned.
The woman was able to see the truth in this statement, and she decided to follow it. She was not a victim of the lynching she had been accused of committing, but instead she chose to live her life for the better.
There is a lesson here for all of us, but especially those who want to overcome fear and doubt. When you choose to do this, you are empowering yourself and others by putting your life in a position where you are able to succeed!
Once you are able to confront your fear and doubt, it will disappear. The more times you can think of yourself being successful, the less fear and doubt will take hold.
Getting clear on your goals and deciding to go after them is the most important step. Then, you must find ways to work around and over the obstacles that arise along the way.
You can do this by imagining yourself being successful, and then visualizing yourself doing those things that will help you reach your goals. You can also practice this by talking with a mentor or writing down your thoughts and ideas so that they can be reworked into something more positive.
The story of the first stone is one of the most well-known and powerful stories in the Bible. It is a story that teaches us about compassion, forgiveness, and the dangers of judgement. The story is told in the Gospel of John, and it begins with a group of Pharisees and scribes who brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. They asked him if they should stone her, as was prescribed by the law of Moses.
Jesus’ response to their question was profound. He said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” With these words, the Pharisees and scribes dropped their stones and left, one by one.
The story of the first stone has many important lessons for us to learn. One of the most important lessons is that we should not be quick to judge others. The Pharisees and scribes were quick to judge the woman caught in adultery, but they did not take the time to examine their own lives. Jesus’ words remind us that we all have our own flaws and weaknesses, and that we should not be quick to point fingers and blame others for their mistakes.
Another important lesson from the story of the first stone is the power of forgiveness. Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, but instead he offered her forgiveness and a chance to start anew. This act of mercy and grace serves as a model for us to follow in our own lives. When we forgive others, we release ourselves from the burden of anger and bitterness and allow for the possibility of reconciliation and healing.