7 Encouraging Scriptures For When You Feel Inadequate

Do you sometimes feel inadequate?

Like no matter how hard you try, how much effort you put in, you’re still not good enough.

Maybe you’ve recently stepped into a new position and you feel out of your depth. The all too well-known “imposter syndrome” is lurking, threatening to find its way into your mind.

Or maybe you’ve been doing your thing for a long time now and you still feel like you don’t have what it takes – even though you’ve been pulling it off for all this time!

You’re not the only one.

As I struggle against imposter syndrome in my current creative career, I also recall a time when I felt drowned by inadequacy. It was a season when I found myself in a place I had never expected to be. The people around me saw more in me than what I saw in myself. God saw more in me than I could see in me.

And He still does.

I remember this season now after unearthing an old journal from that time in my life. I was flicking through the pages the other day, admiring my penmanship whilst also searching for themes. What was I dealing with? What was God doing in my heart and in my life?

I wanted to revisit the journey He had taken me on and see how far He had brought me.

As I read through the journal entries, word by word, page by page, it became clear to me that I had been processing a real sense of inadequacy. I then stumbled on a particular entry that caught my attention. I had written down the steps needed to change a person’s mindset. Underneath these steps, I wrote:

“Thought pattern: fear of inadequacy”

I then followed this statement with God’s thoughts (from Scripture) to counter my thought patterns and renew my mind.

I had chosen to come out of agreement with the lie that I was inadequate and come into agreement with God’s truth and what He says about me.

Finding this journal entry was a timely reminder to be intentional about uprooting the lies planted by the enemy in my mind and instead sowing the Word of God into my thinking.

So, I want to share with you the same truths and supporting scriptures I wrote in my journal that day…

#1 You are chosen

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

#2 You are pleasing to God

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31

#3 You are God’s masterpiece

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

#4 God’s grace is enough

“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.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

#5 God is perfecting you

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

#6 You are called

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” 2 Timothy 1:9

#7 God enables you

“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5

The next time you begin to feel inadequate, draw upon these scriptures. Meditate on each one and allow them to encourage your spirit.

And remember – no matter what you or anybody else thinks – to God, you are enough.