January 14, 2025 • 18 mins
Have you ever wrestled with that nagging voice that whispers, “You’re not enough”? Maybe it tells you you’re not smart enough, pretty enough, or even spiritual enough. Or perhaps it sneaks into specific areas of your life—your relationships, your work, or even your faith—and leaves you feeling unworthy.
In this episode of What’s God Got to Do With It?, we’re tackling the lies of unworthiness head-on and replacing them with the truth of God’s Word. Leanne explores what the Bible says about your worth, why it’s rooted in grace (not performance), and how to stop striving for approval and start resting in the freedom that comes from knowing who you are in Christ.
We’ll dive into powerful scriptures like Ephesians 2:8-9, Psalm 139:14, and Romans 8:38-39, unpacking how they speak directly to our struggles with self-worth. You’ll hear personal stories from Leanne's own journey, along with insights from women she's walked alongside who’ve faced the same lies.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re hustling for worthiness or doubting your value, this episode is for you.
HOST: Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @leanneellington
To learn more about Leanne, head over to www.LeanneEllington.com, and to share your thoughts, questions, feedback, or guest suggestions instantly, head on over to www.WhatsGodGotToDoWithIt.com.
Follow Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanneellington/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
If you want to go on a journey.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
If you're skeptical, don't worry.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Now here to preach. I'm gonna keep it clean and
talk to me and recall where faith needs fars nature
and get in touch with your creator with a baking
love and jew.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
She even speaks Hebrew.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
What's that, Gonzato? What's that?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
This well sabosation?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
You should talking transformation?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
What's that?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Gonzato? Hey?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Hey, and welcome back to what's God got to do
with it? And today we're diving into a topic that
combines two big topics that we've talked about before, which
is worthiness and wholeness. And I'm circling back to these
topics because they are so intertwined and you can't embrace
one without addressing the other. And So, if you've ever
found yourself thinking I'm not enough for just chasing that
(01:07):
one thing, whether it's the perfect body, the dream job,
the ideal relationship, or feeling like you're finally enough as
a mom, a wife, a woman of faith, whatever it
is for you, you are so not alone. I've been there.
I probably lived there more of my life than I haven't.
And my clients have been there too, And I know
how exhausting it is to feel like you're always one
(01:28):
step away from finally arriving. But here's the truth that
we're going to talk about today. You are already worthy.
You are already whole right now. And that's the part
that I know a lot of women understand logically, but
it hasn't, you know, sunken deep in the depths of
their bones. But you're already worthy, in whole right now,
not because of what you've achieved or how much you've
(01:50):
figured out, but because of who you already are in Christ.
And so today we're going to unpack where those sneaky
lies of unworthiness and incompleteness come from. We're going to
talk about what the Bible says about your inherent worth
and wholeness. We also, of course, and you know, we've
got to talk about what neuroscience says about how faith
(02:10):
and science work together to help you rewire your beliefs
about yourself. And then we'll leave with some practical steps
to live out of your God given worth and wholeness
every single day, or to even just feel more connected
to feeling that way. Okay, so grab a cup of whatever,
get cozy, and let's have this heart to heart. Let's
start by just keeping it real, okay, And I'm curious,
(02:32):
have you ever caught yourself thinking, Okay, if I could
just fix this one thing, I'd finally feel whole, complete, happy, whatever.
Or if I were better at that or had more
of this, I'd finally be enough or worthy or could
then go have the life that I want. And so
for me, it started really young, and I thought that
it started with my appearance, Like I thought, if I
looked a certain way, that everything would be great and
(02:53):
roses and butterflies. But then it turned into I thought, Okay,
if I just achieved enough, or if I fit into
some perfect mold or whatever, then finally I'd feel connected, worthy,
worthy of being loved and seen and whole and connected
and all those things that anyone wants. Right. But no
matter how much I did, I always felt like something
was missing. And I can't even tell you how many
times I hear my clients say the same thing things
(03:15):
like you know, leanne, I feel like I'm always behind,
like everyone else has it all figured out and I'm
barely keeping it together. And then, of course the comparisonitis,
because you see everyone's highlight reel on social media, and that,
my friend, that voice is not God's voice, that is
not coming from God. Those lies of not enough or
(03:35):
just missing something are one of the enemy's favorite tools. Right,
and John ten ten reminds us the thief comes only
to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that
they may have life and have it to the full.
That's what God wants for us.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
So the enemy's goal is clear, right to steal your
joy and kill your confidence and destroy your sense of identity.
But Jesus offers us a life that's full, not one
spent chasing the next thing to feel worthy about. So
let's look at what the Bible says about worthiness and wholeness.
So here's where we get to ground ourselves in truth. Like,
that's what the Bible is. We get to just like,
(04:13):
try on this scripture, let it soak through our bones
and let it wash over us as truth. So God's
word has so much to say about who you are
and where your worth comes from. So let's dive into
three powerful truths. So the first one is you are
made complete in Christ. Okay, and Colassians two ten says
in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is
(04:35):
the head over every power and authority. And so the
word fullness really sticks out to me, and it feels
significant because it means that you're not lacking or missing
or incomplete, and through God, through Christ, you've already been
made whole. And what's even more powerful is this isn't
something that you have to earn. It's not based on
your accomplishments or your status or how together your life looks.
(04:58):
It's a gift. Okay. So so here's the thing. I
know I'm probably not saying anything that you haven't heard
a hundred times, but my big invitation for you with
this is like, how often are you bathing yourself in
these truths? Right? Because your brain just might need some
more air, some attention, intension, and repetition of what we're sharing. So,
as I'm sharing these new truths, even if you've heard
the scripture a thousand times, I want you to just
(05:21):
bask in it on a regular basis, okay, because here's
the real life impact of this truth.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
When those thoughts creep in, like ILL feel whole when
I lose the weight, or I'll be enough when I
land the dream job, you can counter them with the
promise that your wholeness is already done, like Jesus has
already done the work, right, And I remind my clients
all the time, it's not about achieving wholeness someday right
or someday maybe when you'd get there. It's about living
out the wholeness that you already have in him. Like
(05:49):
almost assuming, Okay, I'm not going to buy into the
lie that I'm not whole. What if I just tried
on the belief that I am already whole and I
don't have to earn it, And don't get me wrong,
I can go, you know, create more in my life,
be more, and have more and do more, but coming
from this place where I'm already whole right now, before
that happens. And so the next truth that I want
to talk about is you are God's art work. You
(06:10):
are his masterpiece. You are his handiwork.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Right.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Ephesians two ten says we are God's handiwork, created in
Jesus Christ to do good works which God prepared in
advance for us to do. And so the word handiwork
can be translated into masterpiece, right, Like you are not
a rough draft or a work in progress, you are
a finished intentional creation of God, designed with care and love.
(06:36):
And so I invite you to ask yourself like, are
you treating yourself like you are this you know, rough
draft work in progress and looking at like almost downward
on yourself, or are you looking at it like, Okay,
I am this intentional creation story that God is just
He's writing it. He like we're continuing to write it. Right,
Because when you compare yourself to others or feel like
you're falling short, this verse is your anchor you. You
(06:59):
don't need to look like her or be like her,
or achieve what she's achieved. God made you uniquely you
and just enough, just as you are. But what vantage
point are you looking at yourself from? Are you looking
down on yourself like something's missing, or you're looking upward like, oh,
God is helping me build this masterpiece and I'm just
in the middle of it. Right. The next truth is
(07:21):
you are fully known and fully loved. Now, this was
a big deal for me. When I first came to
the Lord, I was like, wait a minute, what like
I am known? Fully loved? I think felt like an
easier jump for me. But fully known, like, wait a minute,
you know all the parts of me, and you still
love me.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Like.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
That's why this truth you're fully known and fully loved
can be so revelational, right so Psalm one thirty nine
one through four says, you have searched me, Lord, and
you know me before a word is on my tongue.
You Lord know it completely. And so that was the
thing that really mesmerids me. Like God knows everything about us, right.
(07:58):
Our struggles are flaw our doubts, our addictions, our past
that we're ashamed of, where we think we have too
much fat on our thighs, like all the things. God
knows everything about us, and he loves us fully and unconditionally.
Like even though yep, even this, God, yep, even that too, yep,
still love you right Like that was revelatory to me.
And so here's why this is so freeing. You don't
(08:20):
have to hide the messy parts of yourself from him,
and you don't have to strive for his approval. His
love isn't based on your performance. It's based on who
he is. And I remember this was actually a really
important lesson for me to learn before I got married,
because I had to learn that I was lovable and
not this broken thing that like whoever I would marry
(08:41):
one day would see me and not care about all
the stuff that I feel ashamed of, would support me
and love me, and is grateful for who I've become,
Like even those little secret parts of me that I
want to hide from everyone, He would appreciate those about
me the most. But I had to receive that from
God first, to be like, oh, my little quirks, my
little well eccentricities, the thing that I'm afraid will annoy
(09:02):
people or turn people off. It's like, you love that
about me too, And it's actually like great stuff about me.
Oh my gosh, that was so freeing for me.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
But what I love about God's truth is that it
doesn't just speak to our spirits. It also aligns with
how our brains work. And your brain is wired to
believe what you tell it most often, right, And if
you've spent years thinking I'm not enough, those thoughts become automatic. Right.
But the good news is you can rewire those patterns
through intentional practice. Okay. And when you meditate on scriptures
(09:34):
like Colossians two ten or Ephesians two ten, you're literally
creating new neural pathways, and over time those pathways shift
your thoughts from I'm incomplete or there's something missing to no,
I am whole right now in Christ, and I do
not have to earn that. So let's look at some
practical steps you can take to embrace your worthiness and
(09:55):
your wholeness. So let's look at some practical steps you
can take to embrace your worthiness and your wholeness. So
the first step is just to name the lies that
you've been believing, like, what are the thoughts that make
you feel unworthy or incomplete? And here's the neuroscience behind this.
(10:18):
Your brain thrives on patterns, and so if you've been
repeating lies like I'm not enough or I have to
prove myself, they've become hardwired beliefs. But when you bring
those lies and counter them with truth, or you bring
them to the forefront, you can start to break those patterns. Right,
it starts with the awareness, and obviously it goes beyond
the scope of this episode, and there's a whole process
(10:39):
I teach my clients, but it can literally be as
simple as starting out by writing down the lies that
you've been believing about yourself and then just find a
scripture that counters each one. And then when the lie
pops up right the drama, as I call it, speak
the truth out louds give yourself new data to latch on,
new truth to latch onto. Okay, And the Bible even
(10:59):
tells us this. So in second Corinthians ten to five
it says we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ. So the scripture is just aligning with
what we know about neuroscience as well. So the next
thing would be to shift from doing to being. Okay,
and so so many of us got caught in the
trap of thinking that we've got to do more to
(11:19):
feel worthy. It's a race that we have to that
depends on us.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Right.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
But God isn't asking you to hustle for his love.
He's inviting you to rest in who you already are,
Like we were just talking about, and this is where
it can It can be as simple as just starting
with a being with God practice right. So this could
be five minutes of sitting quietly. It could be reading scripture,
It could be simply asking him to remind him of
who you are in him right and this stillness, and
(11:47):
and invite you to start small. If five minutes seems long,
start with two minutes. Right, But stillness not only helps
you connect with God, but it calms your amigdala. It
gets you in your parasympathetic and it activates that prefrontal
cortex which can you can actually use to use your
thinking brain and get clarity and peace. And it can't
turn on when that anxious and go go, go, go
go mentality is on. And the Bible tells us this
(12:08):
as well. It's in Psalm forty six to ten. It says,
be still and know that I am God. So what
if you just did that for like one minute minimum? Right?
If you want to do more, you can just be
still and say, Hi God, I'm here and know that
he is God. The next step is to celebrate who
you are right now, okay, and gratitude and what I
call self endorsement and acknowledging where you're proud of yourself
(12:30):
or asking God to show you where he's proud of you.
It's such a powerful way to shift your mindset from
lack to abundance and from anxiety to just gratitude. Right,
and so, instead of focusing on what you think you're missing,
I want to invite you to celebrate the gifts and
the qualities that God has given you. And this is
(12:51):
probably the most challenging things for my clients at first
because there's probably cobwebs up there where. Because if you're
so focused, or you have been for many years of
looking at what you're not doing, who you're not being,
what's not working, what you don't have, your brain is
going to gravitate towards that, right, It's going to be
stuck in like almost default mode like that. So we've
got to if you want to become that version of
(13:12):
yourself who can receive that wholeness and worthiness, you've got
to rewrite that script. And so again it goes way
beyond the scope of this conversation on a podcast, but
it could be as simple as just every day, write
down three things that you love about yourself or you
appreciate yourself, and if that feels hard, ask a trustee
friend or sister to help you identify those things. And
gratitude literally rewires your brain. It not only increases dopamine,
(13:35):
which is the more obvious piece of it, which is,
you know, the feel good hormone responsible for reinforcing positive
beliefs about yourself. But what's magical that happens is because
of something called reciprocal inhibition. When you're in gratitude, the
part of your brain that's focusing on unworthiness, or maybe
it's focusing on fear and anxiety, it has to shut down.
It is just science because of the law of reciprocal inhibition.
(13:58):
And this scripture in Psalm one point thirty nine fourteen
reminds me how powerful gratitude and praise is too. When
it says I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Right,
it doesn't say I praise you because I'm hoping that
one day I'll be fearfully and wonderfully made. It's like, no,
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
(14:18):
So the next step is two and again easier said
than done. But to trust God's timing and plan. And
this is something I need to be reminded of over
and over again. This whole God's timing thing and my
timing thing. Wow, that's probably the source of most of
my fights with God. Right, and so comparison is a
thief of joy and can make us feel like we're
falling behind. But God's timing is always perfect, and his
(14:42):
plan for you it's uniquely yours. And so the next
time you're tempted to compare, I want to invite you
to pray instead of compare, like, thank God for the
season that you're in, and ask him for contentment and
trust in his plan, and ask for wisdom and discernment
to like go forward with with good skills and intention. Right,
but what if it was about like simultaneously to that,
(15:04):
trusting that He is paving the way for you and
Jeremiah twenty nine to eleven. I know, one of the
most famous scriptures for I know the Plans I Have
for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future. And it's just for I know. The plans
I have for you is what it says, it doesn't
(15:25):
say for you know. And so that is so much
easier said than done, obviously, But it's so much easier
when you turn to faith over you know, self sufficiency
or taking back the steering wheel from God's life. And
so here's the truth I want to leave you with today.
You don't have to hustle for your worthiness or strive,
you know, to create and accomplish some metaphorical standard to
(15:45):
get your wholeness or prove your value to anyone, not
even to God. You are already enough and God doesn't
need you to prove that to him. You are already
loved and you are already whole, not because of what
you've done, but because of what Jesus has already done
for you. And so here's my challenge to you this week.
Recognize the lies, okay, call them out, and then replace
(16:08):
them with the truth of who God says you are
with scripture, and celebrate the beautiful, unique, you know, work
of It's an art You're an art project. This is
the way I think of it. I'm like, does an
art project look great in the middle of the art project? No,
but no masterpiece does. You are a masterpiece God has
created you to be. And most importantly, it's about trusting
(16:29):
his timing right and walking with him through that. And
so this isn't just about head knowledge, it's heart work right,
and it's about letting those truths sink so deeply into
your soul that they change the way that you see
yourself and the way that you speak to yourself, and
the way that you show up in the world, okay,
So just carry that with you as you go throughout
your week. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, You are
(16:52):
complete in Christ. You are God's masterpiece, and you are
fully known and fully loved. Nothing, absolutely nothing can separate
you from His love or make that not true. Okay,
So I invite you to just speak this when the
lies creep in. Thank you so much for listening, Thank
you for spending this time with me today and until
next time. Remember you are not striving for wholeness, okay.
(17:15):
It is about living from it. Living from it right now. Okay,
see you next week. Bye. We'll be back with more
What's God Got to Do with It? But in the meantime,
I would definitely love to hear from you, so just
tell me where you are in your story or maybe
what questions you have, like where do you feel you
(17:37):
need clarity or support or wisdom in your own journey.
I definitely want to hear from you, So head on
over to What's God Got to Do with It? Dot
com and scroll down to the form to share your thoughts,
your questions, your feedback, and you can do that instantly.
So What's God Got to Do with It? Dot Com?
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(17:57):
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(18:18):
God Got to Do With It is an iHeartRadio podcast
on the Amy Brown podcast Network. It's written and hosted
by me Leanne Ellington, executive produced by Elizabeth Fozzio, post
production and editing by Houston Tilley, and original music written
by Cheryl Stark and produced by Adam Stark
If you want to go on a journey.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
If you're skeptical, don't worry.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Now here to preach. I'm gonna keep it clean and
talk to me and recall where faith needs fars nature
and get in touch with your creator with a baking
love and jew.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
She even speaks Hebrew.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
What's that, Gonzato? What's that?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
This well sabosation?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
You should talking transformation?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
What's that?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Gonzato? Hey?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Hey, and welcome back to what's God got to do
with it? And today we're diving into a topic that
combines two big topics that we've talked about before, which
is worthiness and wholeness. And I'm circling back to these
topics because they are so intertwined and you can't embrace
one without addressing the other. And So, if you've ever
found yourself thinking I'm not enough for just chasing that
(01:07):
one thing, whether it's the perfect body, the dream job,
the ideal relationship, or feeling like you're finally enough as
a mom, a wife, a woman of faith, whatever it
is for you, you are so not alone. I've been there.
I probably lived there more of my life than I haven't.
And my clients have been there too, And I know
how exhausting it is to feel like you're always one
(01:28):
step away from finally arriving. But here's the truth that
we're going to talk about today. You are already worthy.
You are already whole right now. And that's the part
that I know a lot of women understand logically, but
it hasn't, you know, sunken deep in the depths of
their bones. But you're already worthy, in whole right now,
not because of what you've achieved or how much you've
(01:50):
figured out, but because of who you already are in Christ.
And so today we're going to unpack where those sneaky
lies of unworthiness and incompleteness come from. We're going to
talk about what the Bible says about your inherent worth
and wholeness. We also, of course, and you know, we've
got to talk about what neuroscience says about how faith
(02:10):
and science work together to help you rewire your beliefs
about yourself. And then we'll leave with some practical steps
to live out of your God given worth and wholeness
every single day, or to even just feel more connected
to feeling that way. Okay, so grab a cup of whatever,
get cozy, and let's have this heart to heart. Let's
start by just keeping it real, okay, And I'm curious,
(02:32):
have you ever caught yourself thinking, Okay, if I could
just fix this one thing, I'd finally feel whole, complete, happy, whatever.
Or if I were better at that or had more
of this, I'd finally be enough or worthy or could
then go have the life that I want. And so
for me, it started really young, and I thought that
it started with my appearance, Like I thought, if I
looked a certain way, that everything would be great and
(02:53):
roses and butterflies. But then it turned into I thought, Okay,
if I just achieved enough, or if I fit into
some perfect mold or whatever, then finally I'd feel connected, worthy,
worthy of being loved and seen and whole and connected
and all those things that anyone wants. Right. But no
matter how much I did, I always felt like something
was missing. And I can't even tell you how many
times I hear my clients say the same thing things
(03:15):
like you know, leanne, I feel like I'm always behind,
like everyone else has it all figured out and I'm
barely keeping it together. And then, of course the comparisonitis,
because you see everyone's highlight reel on social media, and that,
my friend, that voice is not God's voice, that is
not coming from God. Those lies of not enough or
(03:35):
just missing something are one of the enemy's favorite tools. Right,
and John ten ten reminds us the thief comes only
to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that
they may have life and have it to the full.
That's what God wants for us.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
So the enemy's goal is clear, right to steal your
joy and kill your confidence and destroy your sense of identity.
But Jesus offers us a life that's full, not one
spent chasing the next thing to feel worthy about. So
let's look at what the Bible says about worthiness and wholeness.
So here's where we get to ground ourselves in truth. Like,
that's what the Bible is. We get to just like,
(04:13):
try on this scripture, let it soak through our bones
and let it wash over us as truth. So God's
word has so much to say about who you are
and where your worth comes from. So let's dive into
three powerful truths. So the first one is you are
made complete in Christ. Okay, and Colassians two ten says
in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is
(04:35):
the head over every power and authority. And so the
word fullness really sticks out to me, and it feels
significant because it means that you're not lacking or missing
or incomplete, and through God, through Christ, you've already been
made whole. And what's even more powerful is this isn't
something that you have to earn. It's not based on
your accomplishments or your status or how together your life looks.
(04:58):
It's a gift. Okay. So so here's the thing. I
know I'm probably not saying anything that you haven't heard
a hundred times, but my big invitation for you with
this is like, how often are you bathing yourself in
these truths? Right? Because your brain just might need some
more air, some attention, intension, and repetition of what we're sharing. So,
as I'm sharing these new truths, even if you've heard
the scripture a thousand times, I want you to just
(05:21):
bask in it on a regular basis, okay, because here's
the real life impact of this truth.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
When those thoughts creep in, like ILL feel whole when
I lose the weight, or I'll be enough when I
land the dream job, you can counter them with the
promise that your wholeness is already done, like Jesus has
already done the work, right, And I remind my clients
all the time, it's not about achieving wholeness someday right
or someday maybe when you'd get there. It's about living
out the wholeness that you already have in him. Like
(05:49):
almost assuming, Okay, I'm not going to buy into the
lie that I'm not whole. What if I just tried
on the belief that I am already whole and I
don't have to earn it, And don't get me wrong,
I can go, you know, create more in my life,
be more, and have more and do more, but coming
from this place where I'm already whole right now, before
that happens. And so the next truth that I want
to talk about is you are God's art work. You
(06:10):
are his masterpiece. You are his handiwork.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Right.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Ephesians two ten says we are God's handiwork, created in
Jesus Christ to do good works which God prepared in
advance for us to do. And so the word handiwork
can be translated into masterpiece, right, Like you are not
a rough draft or a work in progress, you are
a finished intentional creation of God, designed with care and love.
(06:36):
And so I invite you to ask yourself like, are
you treating yourself like you are this you know, rough
draft work in progress and looking at like almost downward
on yourself, or are you looking at it like, Okay,
I am this intentional creation story that God is just
He's writing it. He like we're continuing to write it. Right,
Because when you compare yourself to others or feel like
you're falling short, this verse is your anchor you. You
(06:59):
don't need to look like her or be like her,
or achieve what she's achieved. God made you uniquely you
and just enough, just as you are. But what vantage
point are you looking at yourself from? Are you looking
down on yourself like something's missing, or you're looking upward like, oh,
God is helping me build this masterpiece and I'm just
in the middle of it. Right. The next truth is
(07:21):
you are fully known and fully loved. Now, this was
a big deal for me. When I first came to
the Lord, I was like, wait a minute, what like
I am known? Fully loved? I think felt like an
easier jump for me. But fully known, like, wait a minute,
you know all the parts of me, and you still
love me.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Like.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
That's why this truth you're fully known and fully loved
can be so revelational, right so Psalm one thirty nine
one through four says, you have searched me, Lord, and
you know me before a word is on my tongue.
You Lord know it completely. And so that was the
thing that really mesmerids me. Like God knows everything about us, right.
(07:58):
Our struggles are flaw our doubts, our addictions, our past
that we're ashamed of, where we think we have too
much fat on our thighs, like all the things. God
knows everything about us, and he loves us fully and unconditionally.
Like even though yep, even this, God, yep, even that too, yep,
still love you right Like that was revelatory to me.
And so here's why this is so freeing. You don't
(08:20):
have to hide the messy parts of yourself from him,
and you don't have to strive for his approval. His
love isn't based on your performance. It's based on who
he is. And I remember this was actually a really
important lesson for me to learn before I got married,
because I had to learn that I was lovable and
not this broken thing that like whoever I would marry
(08:41):
one day would see me and not care about all
the stuff that I feel ashamed of, would support me
and love me, and is grateful for who I've become,
Like even those little secret parts of me that I
want to hide from everyone, He would appreciate those about
me the most. But I had to receive that from
God first, to be like, oh, my little quirks, my
little well eccentricities, the thing that I'm afraid will annoy
(09:02):
people or turn people off. It's like, you love that
about me too, And it's actually like great stuff about me.
Oh my gosh, that was so freeing for me.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
But what I love about God's truth is that it
doesn't just speak to our spirits. It also aligns with
how our brains work. And your brain is wired to
believe what you tell it most often, right, And if
you've spent years thinking I'm not enough, those thoughts become automatic. Right.
But the good news is you can rewire those patterns
through intentional practice. Okay. And when you meditate on scriptures
(09:34):
like Colossians two ten or Ephesians two ten, you're literally
creating new neural pathways, and over time those pathways shift
your thoughts from I'm incomplete or there's something missing to no,
I am whole right now in Christ, and I do
not have to earn that. So let's look at some
practical steps you can take to embrace your worthiness and
(09:55):
your wholeness. So let's look at some practical steps you
can take to embrace your worthiness and your wholeness. So
the first step is just to name the lies that
you've been believing, like, what are the thoughts that make
you feel unworthy or incomplete? And here's the neuroscience behind this.
(10:18):
Your brain thrives on patterns, and so if you've been
repeating lies like I'm not enough or I have to
prove myself, they've become hardwired beliefs. But when you bring
those lies and counter them with truth, or you bring
them to the forefront, you can start to break those patterns. Right,
it starts with the awareness, and obviously it goes beyond
the scope of this episode, and there's a whole process
(10:39):
I teach my clients, but it can literally be as
simple as starting out by writing down the lies that
you've been believing about yourself and then just find a
scripture that counters each one. And then when the lie
pops up right the drama, as I call it, speak
the truth out louds give yourself new data to latch on,
new truth to latch onto. Okay, And the Bible even
(10:59):
tells us this. So in second Corinthians ten to five
it says we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ. So the scripture is just aligning with
what we know about neuroscience as well. So the next
thing would be to shift from doing to being. Okay,
and so so many of us got caught in the
trap of thinking that we've got to do more to
(11:19):
feel worthy. It's a race that we have to that
depends on us.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Right.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
But God isn't asking you to hustle for his love.
He's inviting you to rest in who you already are,
Like we were just talking about, and this is where
it can It can be as simple as just starting
with a being with God practice right. So this could
be five minutes of sitting quietly. It could be reading scripture,
It could be simply asking him to remind him of
who you are in him right and this stillness, and
(11:47):
and invite you to start small. If five minutes seems long,
start with two minutes. Right, But stillness not only helps
you connect with God, but it calms your amigdala. It
gets you in your parasympathetic and it activates that prefrontal
cortex which can you can actually use to use your
thinking brain and get clarity and peace. And it can't
turn on when that anxious and go go, go, go
go mentality is on. And the Bible tells us this
(12:08):
as well. It's in Psalm forty six to ten. It says,
be still and know that I am God. So what
if you just did that for like one minute minimum? Right?
If you want to do more, you can just be
still and say, Hi God, I'm here and know that
he is God. The next step is to celebrate who
you are right now, okay, and gratitude and what I
call self endorsement and acknowledging where you're proud of yourself
(12:30):
or asking God to show you where he's proud of you.
It's such a powerful way to shift your mindset from
lack to abundance and from anxiety to just gratitude. Right,
and so, instead of focusing on what you think you're missing,
I want to invite you to celebrate the gifts and
the qualities that God has given you. And this is
(12:51):
probably the most challenging things for my clients at first
because there's probably cobwebs up there where. Because if you're
so focused, or you have been for many years of
looking at what you're not doing, who you're not being,
what's not working, what you don't have, your brain is
going to gravitate towards that, right, It's going to be
stuck in like almost default mode like that. So we've
got to if you want to become that version of
(13:12):
yourself who can receive that wholeness and worthiness, you've got
to rewrite that script. And so again it goes way
beyond the scope of this conversation on a podcast, but
it could be as simple as just every day, write
down three things that you love about yourself or you
appreciate yourself, and if that feels hard, ask a trustee
friend or sister to help you identify those things. And
gratitude literally rewires your brain. It not only increases dopamine,
(13:35):
which is the more obvious piece of it, which is,
you know, the feel good hormone responsible for reinforcing positive
beliefs about yourself. But what's magical that happens is because
of something called reciprocal inhibition. When you're in gratitude, the
part of your brain that's focusing on unworthiness, or maybe
it's focusing on fear and anxiety, it has to shut down.
It is just science because of the law of reciprocal inhibition.
(13:58):
And this scripture in Psalm one point thirty nine fourteen
reminds me how powerful gratitude and praise is too. When
it says I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Right,
it doesn't say I praise you because I'm hoping that
one day I'll be fearfully and wonderfully made. It's like, no,
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
(14:18):
So the next step is two and again easier said
than done. But to trust God's timing and plan. And
this is something I need to be reminded of over
and over again. This whole God's timing thing and my
timing thing. Wow, that's probably the source of most of
my fights with God. Right, and so comparison is a
thief of joy and can make us feel like we're
falling behind. But God's timing is always perfect, and his
(14:42):
plan for you it's uniquely yours. And so the next
time you're tempted to compare, I want to invite you
to pray instead of compare, like, thank God for the
season that you're in, and ask him for contentment and
trust in his plan, and ask for wisdom and discernment
to like go forward with with good skills and intention. Right,
but what if it was about like simultaneously to that,
(15:04):
trusting that He is paving the way for you and
Jeremiah twenty nine to eleven. I know, one of the
most famous scriptures for I know the Plans I Have
for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future. And it's just for I know. The plans
I have for you is what it says, it doesn't
(15:25):
say for you know. And so that is so much
easier said than done, obviously, But it's so much easier
when you turn to faith over you know, self sufficiency
or taking back the steering wheel from God's life. And
so here's the truth I want to leave you with today.
You don't have to hustle for your worthiness or strive,
you know, to create and accomplish some metaphorical standard to
(15:45):
get your wholeness or prove your value to anyone, not
even to God. You are already enough and God doesn't
need you to prove that to him. You are already
loved and you are already whole, not because of what
you've done, but because of what Jesus has already done
for you. And so here's my challenge to you this week.
Recognize the lies, okay, call them out, and then replace
(16:08):
them with the truth of who God says you are
with scripture, and celebrate the beautiful, unique, you know, work
of It's an art You're an art project. This is
the way I think of it. I'm like, does an
art project look great in the middle of the art project? No,
but no masterpiece does. You are a masterpiece God has
created you to be. And most importantly, it's about trusting
(16:29):
his timing right and walking with him through that. And
so this isn't just about head knowledge, it's heart work right,
and it's about letting those truths sink so deeply into
your soul that they change the way that you see
yourself and the way that you speak to yourself, and
the way that you show up in the world, okay,
So just carry that with you as you go throughout
your week. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, You are
(16:52):
complete in Christ. You are God's masterpiece, and you are
fully known and fully loved. Nothing, absolutely nothing can separate
you from His love or make that not true. Okay,
So I invite you to just speak this when the
lies creep in. Thank you so much for listening, Thank
you for spending this time with me today and until
next time. Remember you are not striving for wholeness, okay.
(17:15):
It is about living from it. Living from it right now. Okay,
see you next week. Bye. We'll be back with more
What's God Got to Do with It? But in the meantime,
I would definitely love to hear from you, so just
tell me where you are in your story or maybe
what questions you have, like where do you feel you
(17:37):
need clarity or support or wisdom in your own journey.
I definitely want to hear from you, So head on
over to What's God Got to Do with It? Dot
com and scroll down to the form to share your thoughts,
your questions, your feedback, and you can do that instantly.
So What's God Got to Do with It? Dot Com?
You'll find all the ways to do that. And if
(17:57):
you like this podcast and want to hear more, go
ahead and follow, like, and subscribe wherever you listen to
podcasts to get your weekly dose of What's God Got
to Do With It? New episodes drop every single Tuesday,
and while you're there, be sure to rate and review
to show your support. It really means so much. What's
(18:18):
God Got to Do With It is an iHeartRadio podcast
on the Amy Brown podcast Network. It's written and hosted
by me Leanne Ellington, executive produced by Elizabeth Fozzio, post
production and editing by Houston Tilley, and original music written
by Cheryl Stark and produced by Adam Stark
Host
Leanne Ellington
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