Dealing with Self-Doubt || A Conversation With Arlene Dihoulou
Updated: Mar 17, 2021
Arlène is a news presenter, producer and editor. She also creates self development and wellness content for her instagram and YouTube audiences.
How do you deal with feeling unqualified and unconfident in what God has called you for? First of all, The devil is a liar. When I feel insecure or unconfident in what God has called me to do, I have to lean on his own word. I really love 2 Corinthians 12:9 - 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”. There will be things that I’m not the best at or the most confident in but that’s always a perfect opportunity to call on God, and lean on God through study, prayer or fasting and let his power to be made perfect in my weakness.
What does trusting God mean to you and how have you developed your trust in the Lord? Trusting God means rolling with every turn and change, and adapting to every situation knowing that God’s hand is in it. God is our creator, our Steve Jobs in a way, God knows our functions better than we do. God understands us, our needs and even our desires much better than we ever will. Therefore, to refuse to trust him isn’t very wise to say the least. I have struggled to trust God my entire walk with God, having dealt with severe anxiety all my life has meant I feel safest when I lead and when I’m in ultimate control. I have also struggled to have trust in myself which sometimes made it difficult to trust holy spirit discernment within me. I developed my trust in the Lord with time. Our relationship with God is just that, a relationship. So giving God my trust and seeing how reliable, lovely and good he is to me time and time again has reinforced my trust in him. When life happens and my trust is shaken I thank God for my support system. They remind me that God has never let me down and that trusting him has always paid off. Most importantly Gods word is paramount in order to really trust God no matter what is happening in your life. One of my favourite verses is Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I suggest reading the entire book.
What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t feel confident in what their purpose is? My advice would be to focus on 2 key commandements Jesus repeats throughout the word of God in Matthew 22:35–40, Mark 12:28–34, and Luke 10:27. "Hear, O Israel! The Lord Our God, The Lord is One; Thou shalt love thy Lord, thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" and “thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Love is all of our primary and most important purpose, above organised ministry or politics and business. Make sure you’re working towards loving God with everything you have, loving yourself well and extending that same love unto others too. It’s not an easy thing to do, it is WORK but love is at the very core of our mission as believers. God will reveal where He wants you and what He wants you to do over time, but none of it matters if you don’t do it with love. 1 Corinthians 13 - If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
How do you deal with feeling doubt when God has promised you something? Doubt will come, it’s guaranteed to come around repeatedly and to test our faith. There’s no magical theological solution to fight off doubt. I choose to stand on Gods biblical promises that have stood the test of time and to have faith. Walking by faith and not by sight makes no sense to our human nature. Therefore, I need to be intentional about getting in my secret place with God to strengthen my spirit in order for me to believe what isn’t yet. Numbers 23:19 - 19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? These promises don’t usually manifest when or how we think they should but God is always on time. I may need to remind myself of this daily depending on the season, I’m currently in one.
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Instagram: @arlened__
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