Words of Empowerment for When You Feel Inadequate {printable}

My frustration grew. The school van drew near, yet my daughter struggled to get dressed because her fingers kept slipping through the holes in her shirtsleeves (yes, believe it or not, manufactured holes!).

No matter how much I coached and reminded, she just couldn’t seem to keep from slipping into those holes.

Wow, can I relate!

Feeling Inadequate

I seem to slip into holes daily. Holes of anger. Holes of criticism. Holes of jealousy. Holes of self-absorption. Holes of failure.

All, holes of inadequacy. 

You see, I walk an insecurity tightrope. There are moments sandwiched between other segments of time when I actually feel capable and confident, secure in the Lord’s strength and support. 

Yet, if I’m honest, more often than not, I slip into feeling inadequate for the roles to which I’m called. 

• There are far more kind, gentle, and giving mothers. 
• I’m not nearly bold enough to be a leader or generous enough to be an encourager. 
• As a Christian, I’m far too self-absorbed to make a good disciple. Oh, I love the Lord, but I am desperately lacking in the “living for Him” life. 
• And as far as my other roles, I’m forgetful, impatient, and an introvert of sorts. 

But I know that when we are weak, He is strong for us. 

I know that where we lack, God adds. 

I know that in my inadequacy is found His abundance. 

I know that in my inadequacy is found His abundance. Share on X

Replace Inadequacy with Empowerment

So let’s replace those words of inadequacy with the Lord’s words of empowerment. 

In Christ,

I am not a failure; I am a conqueror (Romans 8:37).

I am not a mess-up; I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I am not worthless; I am forgiven and redeemed (Colossians 1:13).

I am not abandoned; I am a child of God (John 1:12). 

I am not a mistake; I am His workmanship, fearfully and wonderfully made (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:14).

I am not weak; I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).

I am not irrelevant; I am appointed (John 15:16).

I am not inadequate; I am empowered (Acts 1:8).

I am not condemned; I am saved (Romans 6:23).

I am not___________; in Christ, I am __________ (Matthew 19:26).

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God Is Enough and That Is Enough

No, in and of myself, I’m not enough. At the risk of sounding mean, neither are you. 

No, I'm not enough. Neither are you. But God is, and He handles our inadequacy for us. Share on X

After 20 years of mothering, I still don’t get it. After 25 years of marriage, I still muddle through. After 33 years of knowingly following the Lord, I still struggle regularly with walking well as a Christian.

However, I’ve been living in grace long enough to know that I’m not supposed to be enough. God is enough. He handles our inadequacy for us.  

I don’t always see that. I don’t always feel that. But I know it to be true. 

And for now that is enough. 

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

Reflections: What areas of your life do you battle the feeling of inadequacy? How would you fill in a blank phrase of empowerment in Christ: “I am not___________; in Christ, I am __________. “?