What to Do When You Feel Unqualified

Do you sometimes wonder if God picked the wrong person? Do you feel in over your head? If so, you’re in good company.

• Moses’ stutter made him feel so unqualified that he asked God to pick someone else to lead the Israelites. (Exodus 4:10-13)
• God gave Gideon an assignment to rescue Israel, but Gideon argued with God that he was the least of the weakest clan. (Judges 6:15-16)
• Jeremiah felt too young to accept God’s purpose and assignment. (Jeremiah 1:5-6)
• Jesus’ disciples were such unlikely choices that the council described them as unschooled, ordinary men. (Acts 4:13)

If you relate, here are some steps to take. 

1. Take Your Feelings to God.

Feeling unqualified isn’t such a terrible thing. After all, it allows us to take that feeling to God and remember where our qualification comes from. It helps us depend on God as our source and take our eyes off ourselves. 2 Corinthians 3:5 reminds us, “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” 

If God called you, He will equip you. It may take time, and it may require a learning curve, but trust that the God of the universe is in your corner.

Corrie Ten Boom said, “It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability that counts.”

2. Practice Declarations and Scripture Memorization.

Jesus said we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free, but we can’t expect to read truth once and receive instant transformation. So if we still struggle to feel qualified in God, we need to utilize the power of repetition. As Pastor Julie says, “We need to repeat it until we believe it.” 

Here are some verses to memorize with corresponding declarations:

3. Develop a Growth Mindset

Often we fall into the false mentality that our qualities and capabilities are carved in stone. On the other hand, a growth mindset believes in the ability to grow, change, learn, and overcome. 

“When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world—the world of fixed traits—success is about proving you're smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other—the world of changing qualities—it's about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself.”
― Carol S. Dweck

When you feel defeated, discouraged, and unqualified—remember, you aren’t stuck where you are today. God is going to finish the work He started in you (Philippians 1:6). 

Take your feelings to God, practice Scripture memorization and declarations, and remember to develop a growth mindset. With God in your corner, the best is yet to come.