Face the Music (and Your Fears)

Myth: I’m Not Worthy of Success

Truth: God says you are! Again, it was David who exclaimed, “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. … You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head” (Ps. 139:1,5). Incredible! God’s blessing was on David despite knowing everything about him. Divine blessing has to represent the greatest success a human being can know. Jesus said He came to Earth “to give life in all its fullness” (see John 10:10). Sounds like success to me!

How many times have you heard people pray, “O God, I’m not worthy of Your goodness”? It sounds humble, but the problem is, it’s a myth. The truth of God’s Word teaches that Christ made us worthy. Maybe you’ve thought humility involves putting yourself down so you don’t seem too boastful. That doesn’t bring glory to God. Giving your testimony of how He’s delivered you from fear and empowered you to live a victorious life negates the myth of unworthiness.

Some people have endured physical or emotional abuse by people they trusted or cared about. Their sense of self-worth has been impacted by these very real and destructive experiences. Others may not have succeeded at anything they’ve tried in life and have resigned to a life of mediocrity. Their sense of unworthiness keeps them from even trying to succeed.

If you can relate to these or other negative experiences that have given you feelings of being unworthy, I challenge you to embrace the truth of God for your life. He knows you—every move you make, every word, every thought and every failure (see Ps. 139:1-6). Still, He loved you so much that, while you were still in your sin, He gave His life for you. When you say, “I’m not worthy,” you’re telling God, perhaps inadvertently, that you’re more informed than He is. You’re saying that He wasted His time in creating you in His image, and that Christ’s death on the cross to redeem you was a waste of His shed blood.

Reject this myth. Embrace the truth that God has made you worthy of His blessing. Then you’ll be free to enjoy a future in God!

Myth: I Can’t Handle Rejection

Truth: Yes, you can! God’s grace gives you strength to face the disapproval and rejection of others. The apostle Paul was persecuted greatly, and he declared, “For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (see Phil. 4:13). He understood that rejection is a part of life and that God gives grace to face it without fear.

I experienced a humiliating episode during gym class one day in grade school. As a chubby, bona fide dork, I dared to walk onto the basketball court, where the cool guys were hanging out and picking teams for a game. I thought this might give me a chance to connect with some of the jocks, and maybe by osmosis some of their “cool” would rub off on me. Instead, the guys ended up picking nine “cool” players—still one short for what they needed—and headed off to the foul line to play their game.

I don’t know if my fear of rejection and my insatiable desire for people’s approval was born that day on the basketball court or if it was just solidified there. I do know that I spent the next 20 years battling low self-esteem and dedicating my efforts to pleasing people. That painful gym class experience was eventually reflected in many areas of my life, motivating my decisions and actions, molding my relationships with others.

I hated rejection back then, and I hate rejection now. But by the grace of God, I’ve resolved the issue of rejection in my life. Just because in some people’s eyes I may not be the right size, have the right education or be the right color, I absolutely will not be denied the blessings of God.

Self-confidence is useless. It’s limited to the extent of what I think of my achievements or myself. God confidence, on the other hand, is everything because in Him there are no limits. You don’t have to play head games about who you think you are or what others think about you. When you walk in God confidence, you rely on the full force of the promises of God, knowing that He cannot lie.

When you feel like you can’t face rejection, begin to declare the truth of God’s promise: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37, NKJV). Rejection is a part of life. If they rejected Jesus, they will reject you at times. You must choose to believe the truth over the myth; then you will conquer the fear of rejection.