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October 30, 2012
When You Feel Like You're Not Enough |
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" (John 8:12 NIV)
I had that awful yucky feeling of not being enough ... not smart enough or good enough. For weeks I felt inadequate and incompetent about everything–from the way I parented to the way I served God in ministry to the way I organized my time and my life.
I had begged God to take away my feelings of insecurity. Though He didn't answer the way I hoped, He showed me what I needed to see in the most unexpected way.
One afternoon, I was putting on make-up in my bathroom when I noticed a huge nine-foot shadow on the wall behind me. And as I stood there looking at the humongous shadow, it dawned on me: all of my insecurities were creating a huge shadow over my soul–a shadow of doubt.
That day in my bathroom, I came to two important realizations. First, I could only see the shadow when I turned away from the light. And second, I was creating the shadow by blocking the light from the wall.
Shadows are created all around us when something blocks light, and so it is with the shadow of doubt.
When we focus our thoughts on ourselves and how inadequate we feel, or what others think about us and how we're performing, we cast a shadow of doubt in our minds by blocking the light of God's Truth in our hearts.
But we were not designed to block the light. We were created to live in the Light by focusing on what God thinks about us instead of what we think about ourselves.
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12b NIV) When we follow Jesus closely and completely in our thoughts, turning away from doubts and lies, we can find lasting security and confidence in Him.
That afternoon, I realized my self-doubt wasn't going to just go away. I had to purposefully shift my focus from my feelings of inadequacy to God's promises of His all-sufficiency and grace in my life.
I had to choose to focus on truth {the Light} so I could exchange my feelings of low self-confidence with lasting "God-fidence."
Feeling paralyzed and stuck in a place of insecurity is not where God intends for us to live. When Jesus spoke to the people in John 8:12, He called them out of darkness.
Now He's calling you - to step of out of the shadows of doubt so that you can become the God-fident women He created you to be. A woman whose assurance and soul-security is found in what He says and thinks about her.
And, the next time you feel your heart dwelling in the shadow of self-doubt, ask God to replace your lack of self-confidence with lasting soul-confidence as you turn towards the Light and focus your thoughts on His truths:
When you feel inadequate, God says: You are CHOSEN. "'You are my witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.'" (Isa. 43:10a NIV)
When you feel unstable, God says: You are ABLE. "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." (Hab. 3:19 NIV)
When you feel unworthy, God says: You are PRECIOUS and LOVED. "... you are precious and honored in my sight, and ... I love you." (Isa. 43:4a NIV)
Dear Lord, You say I am a chosen woman, a royal priest, a holy daughter, a woman belonging to You. Help me believe that and live beyond the shadows of my doubts as I follow and focus on the Light of Your truth today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
In her book, A Confident Heart: How to Stop Doubting Yourself & Live in the Security of God's Promises, Renee helps you see how self-doubt overshadows your heart and how it can hold you back from all God has for you! Then she equips you to overcome your doubts and live with lasting confidence in ways you never thought possible. Click here to find out more.
Sign up for a week's worth of FREE Confident Heart devotions here.
Visit Renee's website for a FREE printable of her "When You feel...God says" statements and promises she listed in today's devotion and others from her book, A Confident Heart. Also, enter to win her "Lasting Confidence" giveaway too!
Reflect and Respond:
"I had to choose to focus on truth {the Light} so I could exchange my feelings of low self-confidence with lasting "God-fidence."
What are your most common thoughts of self-doubt? How do they make you feel? (inadequate, uncertain, indecisive, etc.) Click here for a list of more promises truths to replace them.
Power Verse:
Romans 8:6, "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace ..." (NASB)
© 2012 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Tuesday, 30 October 2012.
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