Goodbye, Self-Doubt!Sample

One of the classic Biblical examples of someone grappling with self-doubt is Moses. He had run away from Egypt after being recognized as a murderer. Sure, he had since gotten married and was busy rearing sheep but, by some estimations, he could still be labelled an outlaw with a fiery temper. Moses didn’t exactly fit the profile of a man qualified to lead a people out of slavery. 

But while Moses was going about his daily routine, God calls out to him from a burning bush and gives him the responsibility of speaking to Pharaoh and leading the Israelites out of slavery.

God assigned the leadership role of a lifetime to a man with no relevant prior experience and a somewhat dubious rap sheet. 

Moses’ response to God’s call is typical of someone who nurses insecurity. He begins with these three words:

“Who am I…?”

Honestly, that sounds like a pretty reasonable question for Moses to ask God: Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?

We often look at ourselves and we see past failures, our lack of skill, our mistakes, our limitations. We conclude for ourselves: I’m not the right person for this job. I simply don’t have what it takes. 

But let’s look at how God responds to Moses’ self-doubt. 

What God doesn’t do is answer Moses’ question with a little pep talk about his incredible leadership abilities or his unrecognized innate potential. Instead, God responds with five simple words: I will be with you.

It wasn’t, “You have what it takes.”

It wasn’t, “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”

It wasn’t even, “I believe in you.”

It was, “I will be with you.”

Moses’ sufficiency lay in God’s abiding presence. Our enoughness, the answer to our self-doubt, lies in God’s never-leaves-nor-forsakes-us presence. 

God’s presence with you and in you and for you means more than His beautiful companionship. God’s presence with you means that, in every moment and for every situation, He arms you with His strength and courage and resilience and perseverance and encouragement and hope. In every situation, He is with you to give you everything you need to fulfil your purpose. 

When we are plagued by self-doubt, the answer is not to look inward at our own sense of sufficiency. The answer is to look to the Great I AM who promises to be with us, even as we journey through all of life’s unknowns.

Lean In: Father God, May my past failures and sense of inadequacy not hold me back from my calling. May I trust that when you call me, you will equip me. Would you help me hold on to the truth that You are always with me? In that lies my sufficiency. In Jesus’ name, Amen