Self-doubt is probably one of the greatest contributors to stress and worry. There’s an old saying which states that most of us typically worry about things we can’t control. At the end of the day, we really don’t control anything, but many people still run themselves in the ground worrying about the situations of life. It can be a never-ending cycle of trying to please others and looking externally for strength that should come from within. God wants us off this hamster wheel of insecurity and anxiety. It steals our focus from our relationship with Him and causes us to forfeit the soul work we really should be doing.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that everything, without exception, has a season; and everything has a reason—a purpose for existing. God doesn’t deal in happenstance and ‘what ifs.’ There is no such thing as luck for a follower of Christ. We worship and adore an on-purpose God, and we understand that He has made us an on-purpose people. He tells us in 1Corinthians 14:33 that He’s not the author of confusion. He doesn’t allow ambiguity and chaos to hangout in His crib. He anchors His kids in purpose. This is good news indeed, but what if you don’t know this about God? A person can’t rise above what they don’t know or believe. So, if this person doesn’t believe in purpose or buy into the reality that they have one, they’ll most likely cast their net in the shallow soil of self-doubt and worry.

In the New Testament Book of Mark, chapter 4, Jesus Christ taught God’s people using the parable of a sower that had some seeds. As any good farmer would do, the sower spread the seeds in several different places. Jesus tells us in Mark 4:5 that some seeds fell on shallow soil that had rocks beneath it. One of these seeds did what seeds do; it sprouted. Jesus tells us that it sprouted quickly, and the reason for this is because, again, the soil was shallow. He then tells us that the seedling soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it couldn’t develop deep roots because of the stony ground beneath it, it died.

Our Beloved Big Brother goes on to explain to us in Mark 4:16 that the seed on the rocky soil represents folks who hear the Good News about all that he has made available to us, and they get happy. They receive it with joy, because it’s so different from the negativity they’re used to. They’re accustomed to hearing the wrong messages about their uniqueness, gifts, and value. “It’s too good to be true…” the devil whispers in their ears. So, as soon as trouble comes—as soon as the abusive behavior begins again, it gets too hot. They give-in to self-doubt, fall away, and don’t allow themselves to become deeply rooted in God’s love.

Jeremiah 17:8(NLT)
“They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

The seed is like us in many ways. We have more potential than we know what to do with. God has given us our purpose. It’s to spiritually grow, to be fruitful, and multiply in every good way. But self-doubt is rocks in the soil of our lives. It will only allow us to become a seedling, when God’s Will and intention is that we become a tree.

2Corinthians 9:8 tells us that Heavenly Father can pour on the blessings in ways that will blow your socks off. He wants to do this for us so that we thrive with confidence in Him, with roots that can reach water even when the sun’s heat feels too hot. We never have to doubt ourselves when our confidence is in God. So don’t give-in to negative thoughts about yourself. Instead, recognize how important you are to God and His plan, and let Him teach you about your purpose. He’ll nourish your roots if you’ll trust His Word. They’ll grow down into the Lord Jesus, and self-doubt will shrivel up and wither away.■

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

“What Happens When We Doubt Ourselves” written by Fran, edited by PMB for DomesticAbuseAwareness.Org ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus