{"id":10348,"date":"2023-10-09T14:43:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T04:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cassowary.unitingchurch.org.au\/?p=10348"},"modified":"2023-10-09T14:43:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T04:43:26","slug":"the-imposter-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cassowary.unitingchurch.org.au\/?p=10348","title":{"rendered":"The Imposter Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In a blog by Steve Backlund he says \u2026\u2026 <\/span>Imposter syndrome<\/strong> is a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent, internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the things my wife, Wendy, often shares is this: \u201cYou can only receive what you believe you are worth.\u201d Whether it\u2019s finances, favor, or power, once we get blessed beyond what we believe we are worth, we tend to self-sabotage our lives back down to the level at which we believe we deserve to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have certainly experienced this in my own life. When I\u2019ve gone to a higher level, it has put pressure on the strongholds in me that want to limit me and tell me I am not worthy or capable. The \u201caccuser of the brethren\u201d (the devil) works with those strongholds and often uses negative comparison to focus on what we\u2019re not rather than what we are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sports teams that are elevated to a higher league usually lose more games than they have in the past, and they have their weaknesses exposed in greater ways. They battle self-doubt and feelings of being a failure in greater ways. They are tempted to go back to a level of competition where they are not failing. I, too, am often tempted to go back to a level of life where I feel like I am not losing and where people won\u2019t expect much from me, but God keeps calling us higher.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are empowered by our Heavenly Father to increase our talents (Matthew 25:14-30<\/a>) and go higher. \u201cI press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus\u201d (Philippians 3:14<\/a>). God is calling us upward into new things, new opportunities, new favor, greater power, and catalytic joy. As we get called into these higher levels, we will feel the pressure to stay in a place where we are comfortable and not feeling like a fraud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we all battle this feeling of imposter syndrome on some level, here are some key truths to remember:<\/span><\/p>\n