“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12 NIV)

I had that awful yucky feeling of not being enough … not smart enough or good enough. For weeks I felt inadequate and incompetent about everything–from the way I parented to the way I served God in ministry to the way I organized my time and my life.

I had begged God to take away my feelings of insecurity. Though He didn’t answer the way I hoped, He showed me what I needed to see in the most unexpected way.

One afternoon, I was putting on make-up in my bathroom when I noticed a huge nine-foot shadow on the wall behind me. And as I stood there looking at the humongous shadow, it dawned on me: all of my insecurities were creating a huge shadow over my soul–a shadow of doubt.

That day in my bathroom, I came to two important realizations. First, I could only see the shadow when I turned away from the light. And second, I was creating the shadow by blocking the light from the wall.

Shadows are created all around us when something blocks light, and so it is with the shadow of doubt.

When we focus our thoughts on ourselves and how inadequate we feel, or what others think about us and how we’re performing, we cast a shadow of doubt in our minds by blocking the light of God’s Truth in our hearts.

But we were not designed to block the light. We were created to live in the Light by focusing on what God thinks about us instead of what we think about ourselves.

Jesus said, ”I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12b NIV) When we follow Jesus closely and completely in our thoughts, turning away from doubts and lies, we can find lasting security and confidence in Him.

That afternoon, I realized my self-doubt wasn’t going to just go away. I had to purposefully shift my focus from my feelings of inadequacy to God’s promises of His all-sufficiency and grace in my life.

I had to choose to focus on truth {the Light} so I could exchange my feelings of low self-confidence with lasting “God-fidence.”

Feeling paralyzed and stuck in a place of insecurity is not where God intends for us to live. When Jesus spoke to the people in John 8:12, He called them out of darkness.

Now He’s calling you – to step of out of the shadows of doubt so that you can become the God-fident women He created you to be. A woman whose assurance and soul-security is found in what He says and thinks about her.

And, the next time you feel your heart dwelling in the shadow of self-doubt, ask God to replace your lack of self-confidence with lasting soul-confidence as you turn towards the Light and focus your thoughts on His truths:

When you feel inadequate, God says: You are CHOSEN. ”‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.’” (Isa. 43:10a NIV)

When you feel unstable, God says: You are ABLE. ”The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” (Hab. 3:19 NIV)

When you feel unworthy, God says: You are PRECIOUS and LOVED. ”… you are precious and honored in my sight, and … I love you.” (Isa. 43:4a NIV)

Dear Lord, You say I am a chosen woman, a royal priest, a holy daughter, a woman belonging to You. Help me believe that and live beyond the shadows of my doubts as I follow and focus on the Light of Your truth today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Written by Renee Swope

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.” ~Paul in 2 Cor. 4:8-9

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~2 Corinthians 8-10

Feel like giving up on whatever trial(s) you are encountering at the moment? Don’t… His grace truly is sufficient for you…

Honestly, especially in the last year, I have had a hard time with keeping my eyes on Him and found it very difficult not to focus on my family’s challenges. We have truly felt like we were getting hit from every side in a multitude of ways and there was a point not too long ago where I got overwhelmed with it all and for a time was fed up and ready to throw in the towel.

While I am certain it did not compare, I wondered if this is what Moses felt like with the Red Sea on one side, 2 million angry Israelis crying out “What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” and the greatest chariot army in the world coming down on them from the other side.

The enemy wants us to feel alone, divided from others and more importantly from Him and ultimately give up. Fortunately, God sent some friends our way that have truly encouraged us and spoken to me about quieting the noise and being still in Him. On this earth we will forever have personal battles with our families, with our health, with our friends, with our careers, with our church etc… And, I am becoming more and more convinced the battles with the enemy are getting stronger and more deliberate so as to try and convince us to give up and throw away our gifts, our destiny and with some even their very own life.

However, our Lord will fight for us and He will give us the grace and strength to persevere and He will use someone as insignificant as me to glorify His name as long as we allow Him. So, do as Moses said, “Fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will deliver for you today”.

Hang in there friend. Don’t give up. Know you are loved and that you are certainly not alone. With Him, you will overcome.

by Chuck Williams