The Worst Kind of Doubt

It doesn’t take much to cause me to doubt.

I don’t struggle too much with doubting God, I struggle with the worst kind of doubt: self-doubt.

God is big enough to handle my doubts. No matter how much I doubt God…he doesn’t change. Self-doubt changes me. I’m not big enough to overcome doubt in myself. Self-doubt is defeating. Self-doubt is paralyzing. Self-doubt causes you to question your dreams; withdrawal from your calling; allow failure to define you.

Self-doubt is always saying two things to you: “What if”… and “If only…”

-What if you fail?

-What if you aren’t good enough?

-What if you never change?

-What if she won’t take you back?

-What if he finds out?

-What if you never get married?

-What if he breaks up with you?

-What if you get rejected?

-If only you had your degree.

-If only you made more money.

-If only you had a bigger house.

-If only you could lose weight.

-If only you were more popular.

-If only you were better looking.

-If only you weren’t divorced.

-If only you hadn’t messed up.

Self-doubt sucks life, erodes joy and emotionally drains you. The longer you doubt, the more you doubt. The more you doubt, the less you live the life God created you to live.

Maybe you’re struggling with self-doubt today. You’ve lost your passion. You’ve doubted whether God has really changed you. You’re feeling like a failure as a mom or wife. You doubt your role as a father or husband.

God doesn’t doubt you…He died for you. God placed His Spirit within you and is preparing a place for you! He believes in you…so you can believe in yourself.

Allow your heart to soak in these words from Romans 8:

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?… ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

How do you overcome self-doubt?