“I stood there and I prayed, but my mind kept coming up with different things – perhaps God wanted me to deal with this, or perhaps God wanted me to deal with that. I couldn’t decide. That’s when God revealed to me that, underneath, I had a double-mindedness that was rooted in fear.

“I was fearful of getting it wrong, or of making the wrong decision, or of failing … As a result, I’d often go back on decisions that I’d made, or I’d doubt myself and feel trepidation (even when I knew God had clearly led me to do something). It wasn’t helpful! But then that day, as I prayed, God gave me the verse in 2 Timothy 1:7 – ‘For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.’ It really helped me.

“I realised that if I’ve been made in the image of God, and been given the Holy Spirit … then I have the ability to step into a situation and trust God’s leading. If God has given me a spirit of wisdom and love … then I don’t need to feel that much fear.

“Not long after that, I met someone very special. We went out for a while, and I felt God put it on my heart to propose to her. I was driving to pick her up, and in the past, I would have needed to call my pastor or my family (to check whether it was a good idea, or not) … but I didn’t.

“I just picked her up and I asked her to marry me, and she said ‘yes!’”

Clive’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed. Click here for more Faith Stories.