My friend Gary one time referred to doubt as a bully, and it really caught my attention. What he shared resonated with my heart. Here is what I read on his blog:
“My daughter Emily got me thinking of one of my bullies. I hate him. He’s sneaky and he lies. When I get busy and tired, and especially if I’m discouraged, he starts in.
He loves it when there’s several things that have to be done at the same time and it’s going to be a challenge but I have to get there, and I lack confidence, and fear I won’t finish. That’s when he starts his bullying.
He tells me a very simple, very subtle lie. He doesn’t say it out loud, but I sense my soul hears it, and if I’m not careful believes it: “You are what you do. If you fail, then that’s who you are.”
Funny, when I succeed, that’s never who I am; only failure becomes my identity.
There are two answers to that “You’re not good enough — you’re not as good as you should be” feeling:
- Admit it. “You got that right. I’m all wrecked up. You don’t know the half of it.” There, that settles the performance part. Because even when I succeed I’m wrecked up.
- Get your good enough from Jesus. When you belong to him, you’re clothed in his righteousness, forever beloved and accepted, a constant recipient of his steadfast love and grace. I was slouched over in church one day and my wife Brenda passed me a note: “You belong to the King.”
She’s right. We belong to Him, wrecked up and all. That should matter!”
Oh my friends. I need this reminder. We are broken yet beautiful. A mess entrusted with His message. Wrecked up, yet loved with reckless abandon by the King of Glory.
When we doubt ourselves, it’s because we are forgetting our value and worth as children of God. We lack confidence in the gifts God’s entrusted to us and question what we have to offer in a given situation because we focus on only the first half – mess, broken, wrecked up.
But the truth is when we belong to Jesus, we’re covered in His goodness. We’re loved and accepted forever. We can simply offer what we have and allow His goodness that makes us good enough!
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That Bully, Mr. Doubter, sure likes to mess with me… but praise the Lord that "greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world". I am so thankful for God's promises and that He created us each so uniquely and special. Thank you Renae for the reminder of where and who those doubting thoughts are coming from and that we are a child of the most HIGH KING.
Lee Ann
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He tells me a very simple, very subtle lie. He doesn’t say it out loud, but I sense my soul hears it, and if I’m not careful believes it: “You are what you do. If you fail, then that’s who you are.” Funny, when I succeed, that’s never who I am; only failure becomes my identity.
I identify with this 100%. I feel like I AM my failures.
Such a hard lie to break off….
valerie
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thanks for another great post! i needed to hear this right now. i am struggling with feelings of not being good enough. this blog puts a whole new spin on it! thanks so much for all of your encouraging words!
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GOD BLESS YOU Renee…you do not know How Much this has helped me!!!!!
I pray for the Lord God to continue to use you for His Honor and Glory..
You are a Blessing!!!!!!!
Numbers 6:24~26
You know, the Lord has a way of confirming things. I realize now that I've done to much believing the enemy. As a 17 yr old girl it can be so easy to do sometimes. When I make a mistake…the Enemy starts whispering to me that you I AM a mistake. All it takes is another sharp word or confirmation from my mother or a peer and all of the sudden, I start believing the lie.
The enemy can use all sorts of people to make me bellieve the lie, and he tends to use the people that are most important to me. He can even use my own thoughts standing at the mirror in the morning. It comes as a subtle whisper. "You don't look good in that outfit." Then, if I don't catch it right then and there…all of the sudden I find myself believing that I don't look good at all. Other days the lie is "you don't measure up" or "you don't deserve love or happiness." it's a slippery slope. The most dangerous lie is that I've run too far for God or I've disappointed Him too much. And the Enemy is good at convincing because it starts so subtle…then he brings in confirmation and I find myself believing the lie before without even realizing I've been fooled.
Thank you for this well timed post. It's sort of been a wake up call for me that I've been buying into the lies. I'm going to have to figure out lies from truth now…I guess the best way to find the truth is in His word, right? My Father tells me that I measure up, and that I'm forgiven, and that I am His beloved daughter. That no matter how far I've run or how many times I fall He's still there to pick me up. Thank goodness for His unending love and mercy!!
Thank you again, for this encouraging post!
Elizabeth
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I don’t normally do this, but my daughter, Bethany(age 10) just wrote something that I posted on my blog. I’m asking that you take a look at it and leave a comment to give her some encouragement. She was very nervous, but took a big leap because I asked her to. Please help me boost her confidence in sharing what God is speaking to her heart. Thanks!!!!!
Obedience… a ten year olds perspective.