The Imposter Prays. The Expert Forgets To.

An excerpt from Abiding Leadership | Coming Spring 2027

Imposter Syndrome
Leaders use the term for the feeling of standing in a role they aren't ready for. The feeling is real. I read it differently.

God is always taking us from glory to glory.

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV)

Every one of us stands on a different plane of knowledge, skill, experience, and maturity in our faith. None of us has to know it all before God can use us.

You have heard that God is more interested in our availability than our ability. I'll go further. I think He loves it when we feel like imposters. He can work with a leader who is humble enough to be trusting Him for the next step. The one He can't work with is the leader who thinks they've already arrived.

No one but me

When I added speaker services to my website, I felt like a fraud. I'm no Ed Mylett. I'm no Priscilla Shirer. God never asked me to be. He told me to use my voice and my pain to proclaim Him.

The fear left after I took the leap, not before. The more I got out of my own head and paid attention to my obedience instead, the more I understood that the outcome was never mine to carry. It is God's job to speak to hearts. Mine is to show up and open my mouth.

Same with this book. New York Times bestseller? Yes, Lord. My sentence structure is far from perfect. What I have, I have offered Him. He has never required polish. He has always required surrender.

The gift of not having arrived

Feeling like an imposter turns out to be a good place to stand.

I'm teachable there. Learning, growing, walking in trust, because I know that I know I need His help. The imposter prays. The expert forgets to.

Self-sufficiency is an enemy of spiritual growth. If you think you have arrived, you haven't, or you wouldn't still be here. God is not finished showing you His faithfulness.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV)

It does not say lean on your credentials. Or your track record. Or your sense of readiness. Trust Him, and He directs the path, including the stretch of it you feel unqualified to walk.

James Clear says your first attempt at anything will be bad, and that there is always a gap between where you are and where you want to be. What gets you across is the willingness to look foolish at the start.

So be the imposter. Be willing to look foolish. That is the leader God delights to use, because when the fruit shows up, nobody will be confused about who grew it.

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