9 Common Lies Christians BelieveSýnishorn

“Believe in yourself!” How many times have we been given this line as a pep talk? It is a banner statement in our new tradition of building up the self-esteem of a new generation. 

This kind of advice resonates with our human nature because at the end of the day, we all love taking matters into our own hands. We’d rather trust in ourselves because it makes us feel in control. Deep down, however, in the true essence of who we are, in our soul and spirit, we know it’s a lie. The truth is, the older you get, the more you begin to realize that one of your greatest enemies is yourself. No one has misled you more than you’ve misled yourself. No one has lied to you more than you’ve lied to yourself. No one has hurt, distracted, or hindered you more than you have. In fact, the more you believe in yourself, the deeper the pit you find yourself in. Have you ever noticed that the harder you try, the more you mess up? 

If you attempt to live life believing in yourself, you will be trapped by discouragement, fear, anxiety, and worry. The pressure of trying to be in control of all situations will set you up for failure. You were not made to believe in yourself, because you were not made to be in control. You were made to believe in Someone else. You were made to trust Someone else to be in control.

A great thing about believing in God and trusting Him with your life is that He does not struggle with the same things you and I do. He never gets stressed, anxious, or worried. We will fail. He never does. We will make mistakes. He never does. We will make a mess of things. He never does. He can be trusted.

Questions for Reflection: 

What do you think most people mean when they use the statement “Believe in yourself”? 

Why do you think it’s so hard to trust God to be in control of every area of your life? What is one thing in your life—just one—that you can turn over to God this week? 

Truth: 

You don’t have to live with the pressure of believing in yourself when you fully trust God to be in control.

If you enjoyed this devotional from Shane Pruitt, be sure to check out Shane's book, here .