Life is a tough thing; it only happens once, and it comes with no instruction manual, no road map, and no clear-cut path to having an enjoyable experience while walking on this planet.

That said, Pastor Elijah Good of The World’s Church of the Living God in Clanton hopes he can help provide some direction with his book, “Moving From Insecurity to Confidence.”

The book provides self-help advice with Biblical backing to help readers overcome their insecurities and focus on the life God has called them to lead. Good encourages readers to focus not on how they see themselves, but how God sees them.

Good, who has been at WCLG for 36 years, said the book came from personal experience.
“This book is kind of like my testimony,” he said. “I was insecure, fearful. I dreaded to face people. “

The book begins by listing three characters in the Bible, (Joseph, Moses and Gideon) who all overcame great odds to achieve what God called for in their lives. It then describes a plan for readers to get past their insecurities and flaws in order to fulfill their destiny in life.

“God used [fighting within his family] to get Joseph to Egypt,” he said. “Moses was insecure, but at the same time he was well educated in Egypt. He said he couldn’t talk well, [but] he was trying to excuse himself [from] his responsibility.”

Good said Moses’ story hit particularly close to him.

“I felt the same way,” he said. “We all sometimes feel the same way. That’s the whole idea [behind the book]. I just want to get the point to over people that you have one soul; it’s very important to know where you’re going to spend eternity.”

Good also explores the human condition, noting that people are not as different from each other as they may think.

“We all have uncertainty about eternity,” he said. “I was very insecure. I began to study and read the word of God about these human beings in the Bible that were just like us. They had different drawbacks.”

The book itself has been in the works for three years, and Good said the author has been in the works for nearly four decades.

“I often mention Bishop W.C. Hunter,” he said. “He was the one I heard Word of God from. Matter of fact, it was on TV. I came in from pastoring a church and was just led to the TV. I turned the TV on at about 5 or 6 o’clock, and he was ministering. I was so proud, I didn’t want my family to hear, so I turned it down real low and got down on my knees right there by the TV [and prayed]. [I] had been preaching to [my] family so long, and not really knowing what I was doing. ”

Good began preaching in the Chattanooga area where he is from, and eventually created the Clanton-satellite church to the main WCLG church, also in Chattanooga. While he has been in the ministry for some time now, Good said he still strives to reach out to his community, whether through his church, or independent efforts like the book.

“I’m 79 years old,” he said. “I just want to help somebody, because I’ve been helped.”

Copies of the book are available for purchase from Barnes and Noble’s website or from Good himself. For more information, call 280-5540.