It is common to struggle with feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, and it is easy to compare yourself to others and wonder if you will ever measure up. After all, you can always find someone you think is smarter, more successful, more influential, or better looking than you.
Yet God made you unique for a specific purpose, and He intends to use the qualities He gave you for His glory. God is ultimately creative, and He made no two people alike. He wants everyone to work together using the gifts He has given them to advance His kingdom. Your identity does not come from worldly markers of success but from the God who made you and designed you with a unique plan to contribute to His kingdom.
Understanding Why God Made You
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well.” — Psalm 139:13-14
God knew exactly what He was doing when He made you. He made you in His image and knew everything about you before you were born. You have the ability to know, love, serve, and enjoy Him.
First and foremost, God made you to be in a relationship with Him. When you humble yourself and surrender your life to Him, who you are in Him becomes the basis of your identity.
When you place your identity in Christ…
- You are forgiven.
One of the biggest lies of the enemy is telling you that God hasn’t really forgiven your sins or that you have done something He can’t forgive. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The good news is that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to cover all your sins, and God has removed your sins from you “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
- You have the Holy Spirit.
When you surrender your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes into your life and is always with you. In fact, God says you are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit offers guidance along with loving correction to enable you to live a life pleasing to God.
- You are a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
When the Holy Spirit comes into your life, things begin to change, and He molds you to become more like Christ. You become someone new, and you are not defined by your past sins but rather by Christ in you.
- You will never face condemnation.
Because you are forgiven and have the Holy Spirit, you will never face condemnation (Romans 8:1), and nothing can separate you from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). You have nothing to fear because when God looks at you, He sees Jesus’ perfect sacrifice and not your sins. No matter what anyone in this world does to you, no one is able to take away your salvation.
- You have a living hope.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” —1 Peter 1:3-4
God made you to enjoy His presence, experience His goodness, and be a part of His kingdom. He wants to give you an inheritance that will last forever, and He provides us with hope for daily living.
Once you are secure in your relationship with Christ, you can focus on how God also made you to serve Him. Ultimately, only two things last forever: the Word of God and the souls of men. God made you to serve others and share the good news of salvation in Jesus.
Overcoming Self-Doubt and Comparison
“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” —1 Samuel 16:7
Scrolling through social media can very quickly cause one to feel inadequate, and it is a common method the enemy uses to stir up doubt. You can get an unrealistic picture when looking at people’s highlight reels online because they tend to overemphasize success and fail to depict their struggles. Such a perspective takes your focus off how God made you and the fact that God uses you even through trials.
God sees people differently than we do. God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt despite the fact he was insecure and had no confidence in public speaking. Later when God chose a king for Israel, He passed over seven strong, good-looking men in favor of their younger, unimpressive, sheep-herding brother named David (1 Samuel 16:1-13). In both instances, God knew exactly what He was doing and used those men in mighty ways.
When you feel God can’t use you, remember:
- God will empower you to do His work.
It’s not about your abilities but rather about what God can do through you. God loves using the most unlikely people as a way of showing His power. Because if God can use that person, He can certainly use you.
- God’s plans for you are different than His plans for others.
You shouldn’t look at what other people are doing and expect God to work through you in the exact same way. The fact that God can use you in the most unexpected ways should be celebrated and welcomed.
- God has positioned you in a unique way to serve Him.
The circumstances you find yourself in are an opportunity to bring God glory, and it is important to listen to God’s voice to see how He wants to use you in His plans. If you aren’t in tune with Him, you could miss out on amazing opportunities right in front of you.
Living Out Your Purpose
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”—1 Peter 4:10
How does God want to use you specifically? The first step might be determining your spiritual gifts. There are a wide range of spiritual gifts, and according to Romans 12:6-8 they include:
- Prophesying
- Ministering
- Teaching
- Exhorting
- Giving
- Leading
- Showing mercy
Once you identify how God has made you to serve, you can start looking for opportunities to use your gifts. If your gift is teaching, perhaps there is a class at church that could use your insight. If your gift is showing mercy, connect with people in need of a fresh touch of compassion and empathy. Each gift is important in the body of Christ, and God calls us to be active members of the church advancing His work.
As you grow in using your gifts, you might find God stretching you in new ways and developing gifts in you that you didn’t realize you had. It’s exciting when you begin to find your fulfillment in using your gifts.
Takeaway
It is a relief knowing you don’t have to create your own identity through success, achievements, and recognition. You don’t have to compete with others because God made you to be secure in who you are in Christ. That security gives you the opportunity to use the unique gifts God made you with to advance His kingdom. True fulfillment and purpose in life come through using those gifts in the way God intended.