This is a guest post by Ps. Joseph Joy, Mumbai
Do you find yourself saying overtly negative things about yourself too often? “I’m too… fat, thin, dark, poor, I can’t, I am too young, too old, I am uneducated, etc.?” These are the signs that the enemy has crawled into your life with lies that can destroy you.
Insecurities can attack absolutely any area of your life. Now, what you assess about yourself or your situation may be partially true, yet it is more likely to be an unbalanced viewpoint in an insecure person. They most often find themselves inadequate or not good enough. This often leads to hatred for self and they end up being depressed and negative about self, life and people, in general.
‘Insecure’ according to Webster means some of these; a: not highly stable or well-adjusted b: deficient in assurance c: beset by fear and anxiety; d: not firmly fastened or fixed
Let’s look at what the Word of God says about this. Did the men and women of God in the Bible go through this? What did they or God do about it?
Let’s list out some known shortcomings of these men and women of God.
Abraham did not have a child for a long time – his wife was barren, Moses stuttered, Joseph went through bad times repeatedly till he became 2nd in command of Egypt, David was the shortest and the youngest amongst his brothers (King Saul said to David during Goliath’s challenge “you are only but a youth” 1 Samuel 17:33, 42), Jeremiah felt he was too young to prophesy, Prophet Elisha was bald and was even teased about it (2 Kings 2:23)… I can go on but let’s limit our discussion to the story of Gideon.
In Judges 6:15, Gideon tells the Angel of the LORD that his clan is the weakest and that he is the least. That was true, but the LORD answered, “Surely I’ll be with you and you shall defeat the Midianites…” Ever wondered why God did not say “I’ll make you all powerful my son and your strength will defeat the enemy”. Well, it’s clear that Gideon’s clan status did not matter to God. He did not change Gideon’s state but said to him this all powerful statement “Surely, I will be with you”. As you read further you will know that Gideon got his confirmation about what he heard and never again mentioned his weakness to God. Quit giving importance to things that are not important to GOD and focus on things that God considers important.
If the reasons for us being insecure were critical to God, He would change it so that we did not have any reason to be insecure. For example, if like Moses we stutter and are insecure about speaking before people who are fluent. Remember, God did not change Moses’s stutter but instead gave Moses a partner in Aaron.
Similarly God could have told Jeremiah “Ok, I’ll wait till you become older before I use you”. But He did not say that. (Jeremiah 1)
But what about the fact that we may truly be weak and small?
Here we remember the scripture, “His strength is made perfect in our weakness” 2 Corinthians 12:9
The bottomline is that there is a truly divine reason for who we are and what we have. The challenge is to find that reason and be at peace with it.
Find your ROOT
The root of insecurity lies within two things:
1. You disbelieve that God loves you as much as any other person. You are the kind of person who is always looking at what the other ‘blessed’ person in your church, office or colony has and wanting it for yourself. Being content with what God gave you and working in a healthy manner to build upon your strengths will help you with this. Stop comparisons of all kinds. Finding your calling and purpose in life can also greatly reduce heartaches caused by such a thought.
2. You lack trust in God. Hard as this may sound, it is true. You believe that God has given you a raw deal and that He did not know what He was doing when He created you and knit you in your mother’s womb. So, trust God and believe what He says about you in His word as the final truth. This may sound like a very simple and staid solution but this is the only way out. You say you are not beautiful, He says you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and that you already have in you all that you need to fulfill God’s purpose through you.
Does that mean we continue being what we are and not work on our weak areas or improve upon our strengths? Surely not, we work positively with a healthy attitude knowing that God loves us and has good plans for us. Psalm 138:8 says that He is perfecting things concerning us. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it in you Philippians 1:6. That implies that we are constantly changing for the better.
GOING FORWARD, these are the areas we must concentrate on to ensure we remain secure in Christ rather than live a life filled with insecurities
- Your Confession
Admit that we have been wrong in our thoughts about self and about God’s plan in creating us the way we are. Ask and accept His forgiveness knowing that our God is quick to forgive.
- Your spoken words
Speak worthy words at all times especially about yourself – Proverbs 12:18 says “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” Proverbs 18:21
- Your attitude
Be Christ like in all things, having the right perception of self and others. Meditate on Philippians 2:5-8
- Your Knowledge
Learn what the word of God says about you (For example. Jeremiah 29:11) It will guide you. Psalm 119:105, Hosea 4:6.
In closing, read this verse in Jeremiah 9:23 & 24 and Be Blessed!!
Question: What are the other ways that helps you face your insecurities?