Why God Calls Leaders Who Don’t Feel Ready
The Surprising Truth About Why Insecurity Might Be the Best Qualification You Have
The biggest mistake you might be making as a leader is waiting until you feel ready.
I’ve sat across from executives who delayed crucial decisions because they wanted more certainty. I’ve coached pastors who postponed mentoring young leaders because they thought they needed “more experience.” I’ve counseled parents who avoided conversations with their kids because they were afraid of not having all the answers when they’re challenged.
It’s the same trap in different contexts. Everyone is waiting for a feeling that rarely comes. They’re oftentimes looking for the 3 C’s in one moment: Confidence. Competence. Clarity. And because it doesn’t show up, neither do they.
But here’s the truth: if you wait to feel ready, you may never move at all.
The Myth of Confidence
Somewhere along the way, we were sold the idea that great leaders feel confident before they act. That they already have their act together before they answer the call. That calling follows competence.
Scripture tells a completely different story. Think about some of the most famous leaders in the bible:
Moses tried to talk God out of sending him to Pharaoh because of his speech problems.
Jeremiah argued that he was too young to be taken seriously as a prophet.
Esther hesitated before stepping into a room that could cost her life.
Peter denied Jesus before becoming the rock the church was built on.
None of them looked qualified. None of them felt qualified. All of them were chosen anyway.
And the fascinating part? Their weaknesses weren’t mistakes God overlooked. They were the very features He leveraged. Moses’ lack of polish forced him to depend on God’s words. Jeremiah’s youth cut through the noise of stale religion. Esther’s fear gave her courage more weight. Peter’s failure made his restoration so much more powerful.
Their inadequacies became the platform for God’s power.
Look what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:9:
“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 (NIV)
Paul’s words cut through every myth of confidence. God’s power shows up most clearly where you feel least qualified. Which means the thing you think disqualifies you may actually be the reason God chose you.
If confidence was the prerequisite, only the proud and self-sufficient would ever be used. And that’s not who God calls.
What Readiness Really Looks Like
In my years working with high-capacity professionals, I’ve seen a consistent pattern: the people waiting until they “feel ready” rarely take meaningful action. They stall. They overthink. They plan to death. They miss opportunities.
Meanwhile, the people who move forward despite insecurity are the ones who make an impact. They build confidence by moving, not by waiting.
You see this in every arena:
The entrepreneur who launches before the business plan is perfect.
The teacher who steps into the classroom still refining their craft.
The parent who figures out parenting while parenting.
The leader who says yes to influence while still learning on the job.
They don’t wait for confidence. They create it through obedience.
Read through the Bible and you’ll notice the same pattern again and again.
David was a shepherd boy, not a warrior or a prince, when Samuel anointed him king. Gideon was hiding in a winepress when the angel called him a mighty warrior. Mary was a teenager in a small town when she was given the most important assignment in history.
None of them had the credentials we would require. But, as the old saying goes, “God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called.”
That’s not a fun slogan to put on a coffee mug. It’s the framework for how God works.
If He only used people who already felt ready, He’d be limited to the proud.
Pride resists growth. Self-sufficiency resists Godly dependence. And God refuses to build His kingdom on either.
The Psychology of Delay
Here’s what I’ve seen counseling leaders: many aren’t stopped by lack of opportunity. They’re stopped by hesitation.
They tell themselves they’re being prudent by waiting. They’re being responsible. They’re being wise. But underneath, they’re just afraid.
Every day you postpone obedience, you reinforce hesitation.
Sheesh, read that again.
You hardwire your brain to delay. It’s what I call readiness addiction. This is the belief that you need to feel fully prepared before you act.
The truth is, if your obedience always feels safe, it’s probably not obedience.
I’ve watched potentially brilliant leaders sabotage their influence through endless preparation. They keep attending conferences, reading books, and polishing plans while the opportunity passes them by.
This will never be wisdom. It’s procrastination wearing a mask.
Courage Isn’t the Absence of Fear
Neuroscience backs this up. The brain’s fear center, the amygdala, can’t distinguish between real threats and imagined ones. Which means every time you think about stepping into your calling, your brain interprets it like danger.
This is why waiting for fear to vanish before you act will never work. Fear isn’t designed to disappear. It’s designed to keep you safe. But safety and growth don’t live in the same space.
The leaders who break through understand this. They don’t wait for fear to go away. They act while afraid. They treat fear as information, not instruction. Fear tells you the stakes are high. It doesn’t tell you to quit.
But…here’s the paradox. That sense of inadequacy you feel might actually be the clearest sign you’re on the right track.
When the assignment feels bigger than your ability and the opportunity excites and terrifies you at the same time, that’s often a divine invitation.
If you felt completely capable, would you need faith?
If the challenge matched your current skill set, would it push you to grow?
If the opportunity felt safe, would it transform you or just confirm you?
The gap between your calling and your ability is not a mistake. It’s the feature that makes space for God’s strength to show up.
How to Act Without Feeling Ready
The question isn’t whether you feel confident. The real question is whether you’ll move anyway. If you’re waiting until you feel qualified, you’ll always be waiting.
Here’s a practical framework to help you move forward in faith, even when insecurity tries to hold you back.
1. Name the Calling You’ve Been Avoiding
Clarity will always kill hesitation. What you can’t name, you can’t confront.
Take time this week to write down the specific thing you’ve been putting off. Don’t just say “leadership.” Write the actual assignment (launch the new project, initiate the conversation with my team, apply for the role, start the ministry, write the book).
When you make it concrete, you move it from a vague idea into something you can act on. The longer you leave it vague, the easier it is to rationalize delay.
Ask yourself:
What’s the opportunity I keep thinking about but not moving on?
What would obedience look like in this area today, not someday?
2. Identify the Small Step
One of the biggest traps leaders fall into is thinking they need to figure out the entire journey before they can take the first step. That’s analysis paralysis.
Instead, ask: What’s the smallest action I could take that would move me in the right direction?
Examples:
If you’re delaying a conversation, the minimum step is scheduling it.
If you’re hesitating on launching a project, the minimum step is outlining the first phase.
If you’re postponing a career move, the minimum step is updating your resume or reaching out to a mentor.
Big movements are built on small, faithful steps. Don’t try to leap the mountain. Just take the next foothold.
3. Put a Deadline on It
Waiting without a deadline is just procrastination in disguise. A deadline creates urgency, and urgency creates movement.
Pick a specific date when you’ll take that minimum step, and treat it like a non-negotiable. Write it on your calendar. Tell someone about it.
Leaders who act without deadlines drift. Leaders who set deadlines create momentum.
4. Build in Accountability
Courage grows in community. It’s too easy to rationalize delay when no one knows what you’re postponing.
Choose one or two people you trust and tell them the step you’ve committed to. Invite them to check in on you. Accountability isn’t about shame, it’s about support.
When you know someone is going to ask, “Did you do it?” you’re far more likely to move.
5. Reframe Your Fear
Fear doesn’t mean you’re failing. It usually means you’re growing.
Instead of treating fear as a stop sign, see it as confirmation that you’re stepping into new territory. Fear says, “This matters.” It doesn’t say, “Don’t do it.”
Try this mental shift:
When fear rises, don’t ask, How do I get rid of this?
Ask yourself “What does this fear reveal about what I value? What skill or quality is God building in me here?”
This reframing changes fear from something that paralyzes you into something that moves you forward.
6. Start Before You Feel Ready
Here’s the liberating truth: you won’t feel ready when it’s time to start. That’s by design.
Confidence doesn’t precede obedience. It follows it.
Think back to the first time you did anything meaningful: led a team, preached a sermon, taught a class, managed a project. Did you feel fully confident? Probably not. But confidence grew as you acted.
For me, when I stepped into my lead pastor role, I was filled with self-doubt. But I stepped into it anyway and God showed up right where I needed him to be.
That’s how it works every time. You move forward with what you have, and God meets you in motion.
7. Capture the Lessons in Motion
Once you’ve started, don’t just keep moving blindly. Pay attention to what you’re learning as you go. Setbacks, awkward moments, and imperfect execution are not evidence you shouldn’t have started, they’re the exact way you’ll grow into the leader God intends you to be.
Keep a journal or log where you capture:
What went right.
What went wrong.
What was missing.
What was confusing.
The process itself becomes the training you thought you needed before you began.
Bottom line: Stop waiting for the confidence to show up first. Act your way into readiness. Treat fear as a signal of growth. Build accountability into your journey. And start small, today.
The Ripple Effect
Here’s what happens when you step into your calling despite feeling unqualified: you give others permission to do the same.
Your courage becomes contagious. When people see you moving forward while still figuring it out, they realize they can too. That kind of culture transforms organizations and families. It replaces perfectionism with growth. It replaces hesitation with action.
One leader’s obedience often becomes an entire community’s breakthrough.
Stop Waiting for Confidence
The truth is simple but sobering: God isn’t waiting for you to feel ready. He’s waiting for you to trust Him.
Your insecurity doesn’t disqualify you. It positions you. Your weakness doesn’t eliminate your calling. It amplifies God’s strength.
So what’s the step you’ve been delaying? What’s the yes you’ve been holding back until you “feel” ready?
Say yes now. Start where you are. Move with what you have. Trust the One who called you more than you trust your self-assessment.
Because the world doesn’t need your perfect preparation. It needs your imperfect obedience.
Take a step today, leader.
— Jared