Battling Self-Doubt PT 2

Learn how to overcome self-doubt and obey God with confidence.

Transcript

So in the last episode I posed the question: Are you living to the fullest potential of God’s great will for your life right now? Why or why not? I went into one potential issue that stops a lot of us and that’s self-doubt. When we don’t have confidence, it’s hard for us to step out in faith and obey what God is telling us to do because we feel not good enough, unprepared, or whatever that doubtful feeling is. We’re going to dive a little deeper into that self-doubt problem today because I feel that it’s really common and I wanted to explore God’s word a little bit more on it and give you some practical ways to overcome this.

So, in the last episode, if you haven’t listened to the previous episode, please do that. I left off talking about Romans 12:2 and the need for renewing your mind and how that transforms you and helps you determine God’s will for your life. Getting into the word and really making the necessary mental shifts in order to let God’s will take shape in your life. So how do we do that practically? How can you renew your mind and move from self-doubt to confidence? This can be a process, sometimes the holy spirit can touch your heart and speak to you and there is an immediate difference, but there is also a conscious effort that we need to make to renew our minds. I believe that comes from studying God’s word, meditating on it, memorizing it and really being intentional about that mental shift.

The problem is that when you are dealing with deeper belief systems, those are hard to change. If you have gone for years thinking that you aren’t good enough, you don’t have talent in certain areas, you aren’t smart enough, or whatever that deeply seeded belief system is, reciting a cute Bible verse isn’t enough to uproot something like that. So what do you do? How to you go from believing that you aren’t good enough to being super confident and being able to step out in faith and walk into some high calling. There are some steps that have to take place, right? We can’t just jump from one to the other, it’s a process and I think that we need to take our time and examine what that looks like so that we can move from a place of doubt to a place of faith, practically.

One of the things that I think, foundationally, is important to start with is paying attention to where our thoughts come from. Everything, absolutely everything, begins with some sort of thought. If we can find the truth about our thoughts, where they come from, what deeper beliefs are those thoughts revealing, we can really begin to do that work. We can renew our minds with the word of God by first discovering what we’re thinking about in the first place. When we discover there are a root of self doubt, we have to trace it back to where it came from, this didn’t come from God, so where is it coming from? We think our own thoughts sometimes, but it’s really important to acknowledge that there is a devil. Satan suggests things to our minds. Thoughts come from him sometimes, and we have to be aware of when that’s happened and be ready with God’s word to counteract that.

I want to take us back to the beginning, when sin entered the human mind, back in the garden of Eden with the serpent and Eve. The enemy hasn’t changed his tactics, and still uses the same twisting of the truth and the negative suggestions to get us to disobey God. So let’s look at it in Genesis3:1-7 NLT

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Wow. The very first interaction of Satan with humankind was to craftily get us to question whether or not what God says is true. The devil still does this to us today. We hear great truth like Jeremiah 29:11 NLT “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Then we start question if God has a good plan for us. Then we wonder if we are good enough for God’s good plan. And we wonder if there really is a plan for us at all, maybe it’s just for the ones who are more spiritual than us, or more gifted than us. Did God really say that? Or we look at Ephesians 2:10 (you know this one if you downloaded the memory verses to fight self-doubt) “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” And we question if God really thinks we are a work of art. Does God really think this hot mess is a masterpiece? And every thought of self-doubt that you have can be traced back to a deeper belief that is contrary to God’s word. It goes against everything the word says about you, and you are letting the devil challenge it and you think this is good fruit. It makes sense that I’m not really called to anything amazing. No wonder God uses her, she’s just naturally wonderful, I’m not. We compare ourselves, that’s a topic for another day, but look at other women and put ourselves down because of how wonderful we think someone else is. 

Listen, sis, only God knows their heart. You don’t know what she had to go through to become amazing. You don’t know what she is struggling with right now that she had to surrender to the Lord before she stepped out and is doing what she’s doing. All it takes is a willing and obedient heart. That’s it. That’s what qualifies you. Be willing and obedient. That’s all you have to be. 

So what do we do now? We know that self-doubt is not going to help us move forward. It’s hindering us form stepping out in faith and being obedient to God. It is blocking our blessings and we need to get it out of the way. How? How do we get rid of self doubt. Renewing your mind with God’s word.

In CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) there is a very simple process that you can try. You have to intentionally monitor your thoughts. Things happen, circumstances trigger specific thinking patterns. You have to identify what is triggering certain types of doubtful thoughts. What are those thoughts that come up in response to that situation? What does the Bible say about this particular thing? Take a verse from the Bible that counteracts the doubt “I was created to do good works. I’m a masterpiece.” Ephesians 2:10. Replace the old thoughts with scripture. Catch the doubt in the act and replace it with faith. This is a very intentional exercise, and it takes practice. You have to get into the habit of reading God’s word, studying it, meditating on it. Then, you have to pay attention to the thoughts that come into your mind. You can’t allow thoughts that are contrary to God’s word to sit in your mind. You can’t dwell on those thoughts.

One of the myths that I love to break is that we can’t control our thoughts. That is a lie from the pit of hell. Yes you can! You can control your thoughts. Whatever comes into you mind is a result of what you feed you mind. The social media scrolling, television watching, the music you listen to, the people you talk to, all contribute to the kinds of thoughts that are coming into your mind. Your thoughts are a result of what you feed your mind. Feed your mind God’s word, cut out the junk, and I guarantee you that your thoughts will be better. When it comes to self-doubt, you need to feed on the scriptures that remind you of who God says that you are. Don’t argue with what God says about you. Let go of the doubts and the excuses and the comparisons. God’s word is final. Do you believe that today? That God’s word is final?

If you want to overcome doubt, you have to make the decision that God’s word is final. If it is final, then anything contrary to it has to go. Those thoughts have to go. When thoughts come into your mind, you have every right to reject those thoughts. You have a responsibility to combat negative thinking with scripture. It is so powerful. This is absolutely the way that Jesus stood against the devil in a time of temptation! In Matthew chapter 4, when Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, the enemy came to try to tempt him. Jesus answered ever temptation with scripture. If the Lord himself modeled that for us, we need to absolutely do the same. We have to know God’s word for ourselves so when the enemy comes with these doubts about who we are and what we are called to do, we’ll be ready for him with an answer. 

You have to monitor your thoughts, control what you are listening to, reading, and watching. When thoughts come that don’t line up with the truth, replace them with God’s word. I can’t even express how important this is, get to know scriptures. You need to actively reject thoughts that are contrary to God’s word and stand on clear, specific verses that negate what the enemy is trying to get you to believe.

Let’s close with a few verses to help you stand against self doubt. Again you can download a copy of these on a pdf and print it out and make little cards out of them. You can sign up for free at patreon.com/jesuswomen for the weekly devotional and all the freebie download like this one. The paid community is so you can get real training from me and connect with other women in the faith and get accountability. Ok, so sign up, here are the verses:

So do not throw away this condent trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT

 It is not that we think we are qualied to do anything on our own. Our qualication comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 NLT 

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 NLT 

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. Psalm 139:13-14 NLT 

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 NLT 

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT 

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. Psalm 118:14 NLT 

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. Matthew 21:21 NLT 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT 

For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you. Isaiah 41:13 NLT

Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode and get over to patreon.com/jesuswomen and download your free copy of the verses. Don’t quit, get equipped! Take care!