Overcoming inadequacy: What Inadequacy Sounds Like (And How to Silence It With Truth)

Do people see you as capable and high-functioning on the outside, yet you struggle with feelings of inadequacy on the inside? Many people who appear strong and confident externally wrestle with self-doubt, limiting beliefs, and emotional overwhelm. This post is a moment to pause, and a reminder that inadequacy is not your identity — and never has been.

The Many Faces of Inadequacy

From my old journal:

I’m inadequate so why try

I'm inadequate so I’ll mess this up

I'm inadequate so I stay in my comfort zone

I'm inadequate so I say no

I'm inadequate so I stress myself out

I'm inadequate so I don’t move forward

I'm inadequate so I don’t dream

I'm inadequate so I avoid hard decisions

I’m inadequate so I procrastinate

I'm inadequate so I give up easily

I'm inadequate so I freeze

I'm inadequate so I make excuses

I'm inadequate so I keep my dreams to myself

I'm inadequate so I run away

I'm inadequate so I hide

Replacing Inadequate Thoughts With Truth

I  used to struggle with inadequacy even knowing what I know — that I am a child of God, that I have God-genes. Inadequacy doesn't come from God. It also doesn't come from Satan.

Inadequacy comes from your thoughts about yourself. Whether those initial thoughts come from Satan or from ourselves I'm not sure, but we get to choose the seeds we nourish.

I have chosen to root out the seed of inadequacy.

I couldn't do that on my own in the beginning. I couldn't just flip a switch from saying that I was inadequate to I am adequate. It didn't work for me.

So I started with the thought — the deliberate thought — "God is adequate."

And I chose to deliberately think it, over and over again.

Overcoming inadequacy isn't a one time even, but when inadequacy tries to creep in, I chase it away with "God is adequate."

Because God is adequate, it doesn't matter if you believe you are or are not right now — choosing to focus on the truth that God is adequate, can bring you to your eventual belief/understanding/knowledge that you are adequate.

Overcoming Inadequacy by Stepping Into Your True Identity

Now that I know that I am adequate and because I know that I have received several identities from God:

I am unstoppable

a beloved daughter

light

I am a calming gift

patient

love

I am a disciple of Christ

a healer

His star

I am His

Welcoming the Identities God Has for You

I hope that you will start seeing your adequacy through Him. It is only then that you will start welcoming in the true identities He has for you.

You don’t have to navigate inadequacy alone. This is the work I help people do every day — untangle old thoughts, restore confidence, and step into your God-given identity.

Here's a free opportunity to find out more.