CHAPTER 30: INSECURITY 2025
Insecurity, the big second guesser. DISTURBANCE, I call it. Did I bid too high, or too low, could I have gotten more money, or could I have done it for less. If I had said this instead of that, and it goes on and on like a weed growing in my head.
Is it less chatter in my head if I do things correctly first time. Yes. If I just bid the right price, it is the right price, no gouging, no low bidder, just the right price. That’s just one example, there are many with insecurity. So, let’s start with do best efforts for correctness and let it be.
Matthew 5:37 New But let [a]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Insecurity is bothersome in others as well, isn’t it? It’s hard to verify what another person needs or wants when they’re insecure. Insecurity tells a person, no matter how good something seems, there’s something wrong.
Hard to negotiate such things in myself and in others. With God it’s easier to feel comforted even when I’m not comfortable. Now faith and discernment, that’s a whole new way of looking at things and here we begin.
2 Corinthians 12:9 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.
I fear what I don’t know, I fear what I don’t understand. So how about I learn what I don’t know? Well that’s half of it, Faith is the other half but let’s start with “learn,” first.
1 Corinthians 13:12 “At this time, we see things as if we were looking at them in a mirror. What we see now is not clear. But the time will come when we do not need a mirror. We will see everything clearly”.
Learning brings faith and discernment sooner. Learning what? As the bible says, learning how to learn.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:9
Solution to Insecurity: Know the problems. Not enough work, not enough money, not popular, not interesting, not successful, not happy, love lost, plans gone wrong, any number of items, I’m just naming the “usual suspects.” Okay, with that said, now, as a believer in Christ I finally drag myself to the bible and here begins the journey of learning and as I said the other half, faith, discernment, God.
In John chapter 6, verse 45, an affirmation of this very important truth. Jesus is speaking, and He says in verse 45, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God’”—and He’s quoting Jeremiah 31. “‘They shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” You learn the message of the gospel; you learn the saving message of the gospel. First John 2 talks about coming to know Him. Insecurity is part of learning about God…, how so?
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. — 2 Corinthians 10:5
Now, I’m getting somewhere with the man in the mirror. Taking my insecurity to the Lord, knowing the problem, asking the Word for the solution. We all come by insecurity naturally, in our businesses and our lives. Why? Turmoil is in us, near us, around us, and beyond us, dominating the fallen world. There is an absence of personal peace, family peace, local peace, national peace, international peace. In the last 3,500 years, there has been less than 300 years that could be called peaceful in the world. On a national level, this is a very troubled society. If you’re looking for peace, an absence of Insecurity, you certainly can’t find it in the world. What does Jesus say? We’ve worked our way all the way up to this verse and I couldn’t get past it, it’s just so rich. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.” Peace appears twice in that brief verse. The world has been unable to find it, and that is, in fact, the truth.
Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Perspective is really important. Mine or God’s? Always the question, right? Well, let’s start with what I think I want and then maybe I’ll be more ready to take it to God. There are people now who are, no doubt, mulling over the ambitions that they have for the coming year, the achievements that they would like to accomplish in the coming year, the direction they would like to see their life take. But before you ever get to those kinds of things, there are some other things that you need to think about in terms of creating a structure and a paradigm for how you live your life as a Christian.
I want you to go in the New Testament to the first epistle written by Peter. Here’s what I think is the beginning point of an appropriate view of oneself as a Christian to outsmart Insecurity. Remember who owns you; remember who owns you; remember who owns you! You will notice in chapter 1 of 1 Peter, verse 18, “You were not redeemed, or purchased, or bought with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” Then verse 21, “Through Him you have become believers in God.”
What that’s telling me is that God owns me because He purchased me with a currency far more important than gold or silver. Acts chapter 20, verse 28, says that God bought us with His own blood. Remember who owns me, secondly, renew my oath of obedience. As I go into this year, renew the commitment to be obedient. In obedience maybe I replace Insecurity. That’s a hot topic. Insecurity says I’m not doing something I should or I’ve failed at something, right? Like I said at the beginning of this chapter, if I just do correct first I have less to be insecure about, and more of a situation being God’s will, rather than a mistake on my part.
When I came to Christ and Jesus Christ promised me blessing and grace and mercy and forgiveness and hope and joy and salvation, He made his part of the promise. And what was mine? To obey Jesus Christ, which is just another way to say to confess Him as my what? My Lord. Romans 10:9 and 10, “You believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, you will be saved.”
Look, knowing that, why do we still feel insecure? Because we just do. So even with information we can feel insecure? Yes, that is why, it is vital that we continue to pray and bring the Lord the problems we face. They’re not gone in an instant, Insecurity is a process to overcome, a process that teaches and makes a person stronger. Crazy, right? Not so crazy. Learning and faith, both a requirement of forcing insecurity into a positive.
Proverbs 18:15 “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.”
Find out the information, the promises God has delivered, be grateful for your list and remember, studying the bible without a commentary is really lame. Why would I do the Word without a teacher.
Romans 10:14-15 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
All of us need a teacher, and since there isn’t a pastor available every time we read the bible, commentary is the best way to understand. I use the Enduring Word, I call it bible for dummies, and I read it for clarification anytime, all the time. Does it help with insecurity? Yes.
Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’
Life without God is about luck. Luck always runs out.
James 3:15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
Luck as wisdom is dumb. Luck runs out, God never runs out. Do we, with alcohol and drugs, temporarily overcome insecurity? No. It just gets worse, as it does with every other unhealthy distraction. Stay on course with God’s plan. The pain, the insecurity, the challenge, it’s a much better teacher. Why?
Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Learning and faith, these things interrupt and overcome Insecurity. Moses told Joshua, act like a man, be strong, be courageous. Joshua Verse 8, “The book of the Law [the Bible, the Word of God] shall not depart from your mouth. You shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous, then you will have good success. Have not I commanded you, says God, be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Is there a magic spell that can fix all things? No. Absolutely not. However the world would have you think differently, and there are many, many opportunities to deploy magic and darkness to achieve greatness, and truth be known, it is very dangerous and of all bad things. You’ve heard it said before, “this is my lucky charm, my luck day, my lucky shoes, my lucky whatever.” The idea of luck is nothing more than a doorway to Insecurity.
Deuteronomy 18:9 Don’t let anyone use magic or witchcraft, or try to explain the meaning of signs. Don’t let anyone try to control others with magic, and don’t let them be mediums or try to talk with the spirits of dead people. The Lord hates anyone who does these things.
A quote by Billy Graham:
“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
Over 365 times, in the Bible, God’s Word invites, commands and instructs us in how to process fear or anxiety. First, thing to note, He has not left you alone, as Paul said.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Insecure is not bigger than God. Accept the challenge. My insecurity actually gives me a moment to speak with Him, insight, clear focus, an honest study of the problem, direction and facts to proceed. With insecurity I go to God and in my faith, in my God I learn!
Proverbs 3:5-7 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”
Proverbs 2:6-8 All wisdom comes from the Lord, and so do common sense and understanding. 7 God gives helpful advice[a] to everyone who obeys him and protects all of those who live as they should. 8 God sees that justice is done, and he watches over everyone who is faithful to him.
When I forget God, I fail myself. In Jesus Christ, I demolish fear and opposition. Learn from Insecurity and gather knowledge. Never walk away from the challenge. Insecurity is calling me out, making me feel “stupid and dumb.” Let it go and let the Lord do the rest. Proceed on course.
Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Insecurity. Hard to believe it’s a direct line to the Creator, but it may well be yours and mine. Can you imagine? Sure you can. He gave you your brain. Use it to identify what is causing the insecurity, take it to the Lord, take it to scripture, use the available teachers to help, including commentaries .., know your job and navigate insecurity, be strong, direct and motivated. I’m clear on one thing, without the tools to combat insecurity, it will, left unchecked, destroy the mission.
2 Peter 1:10 – “Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.”
Amen.
