We’ve covered a lot of ground already throughout my last several posts, but I wanted to go ahead an review the previous 4 points.
Insecurity is often caused by:
- Fearing man instead of fearing God
- Seeking fulfillment outside of God
- Harboring unforgiven hurts and disappointments
- Clinging to our self-consciousness and pride
The first three parts of this blog can be found here: Battling Insecurity (part 1) here:Battling Insecurity (part 2) and also here:Battling Insecurity (part3)
Onward we march into the fifth cause of our insecurity. I won’t spend long on this one, but it is still so critical.
Insecurity is often caused by:
5. Lacking Self-Discipline
This next point literally sprouts off of all the other ones. Lack of self-discipline really can lead to insecurity, and before anyone gets offended or too huffy, just remember I am typing these words literally to myself first. Self-discipline has always been one of my greatest weaknesses, and it’s something I am continually working on and praying for the Lord to grow in me. It’s a painful topic, so I’ll make this one quick. How can we expect to be healthy if we can’t control our eating habits or discipline ourselves to exercise sometimes? How can we expect to be Godly if we lack the discipline to study God’s Word and get to know Him? How can we expect to have a relatively organized life or home if we won’t turn off the tv or facebook every once and a while and do the dishes or pick up a room? We live in a culture where instant gratification is the rule. Sadly, we won’t just wish for a slammin’ body and wake up with one. We can’t wish to have better character and hope to achieve it over night or after one sermon. It takes self-discipline, and we must learn to add some of it to our lives so we can move forward. There is a reason that “self-control” is one of the listed fruits of the spirit. If you find that you struggle with self-discipline or self-control, ask God to help you. He will!
Check out this gem of a verse in Hebrews 12:11, “For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Or this good one in Proverbs 16:3,“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Finally, to our last point. Insecurity is caused by:
6.Lacking faith
Genesis 18:9-15 and 21:1-7 tell the story of Sarah and Abraham finally getting their promised heir, Isaac. Here’s the crazy thing about it, though. Even when angels finally did come to visit their home to share the wonderful news that Sarah was going to conceive and bear a son, she didn’t believe them. She laughed! There were literally angels in her home telling her that God was going to make this promised miracle happen for them, and yet she still did not have the faith to believe. I mean, come on! She says in verse 13, “After I am worn out, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?(hahaha!Shall I indeed bear a son now that I am old?)”. Oh dear, Sarah. Her insecurity about her age got the best of her again. She was still so insecure about her age and her infertility that even when actual angels from heaven came directly to tell her the truth, she still lacked the faith to believe it. But it’s not just Sarah who seems to struggle with this. Don’t we also have similar struggles?
Often we are so full of doubts and insecurity that when we read the Bible, hear a story about God’s faithfulness, or are told affirming truths about God’s promises for us, we can’t believe it. We laugh it off and deny its merit. God does not want that for us.He wants us to grow in our faith so we can stop listening to the lies of insecurity, and so that we can trust Him whole-heartedly. Jesus says if we have faith, even as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Insecurity will cripple that little seed of faith if we let it.
I’ve picked on Sarah quite bit lately, so now I’ll pick on Abraham a little. He isn’t nearly as dramatic as our dear sister, Sarah, but I just can’t help but share what I found through his story. In Genesis 15, before the whole Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael thing, Abraham was feeling doubt regarding God’s promises. He said “Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue to be childless and the heir of my house is a cousin.(15vs2) and “How am I to know[these things you promise will happen]?..”(vs9). The Lord told Abraham to bring Him a sacrifice. As the sun began to set, Abraham fell into a deep sleep before he could finish preparing the sacrifice. While he was sleeping, God told him, “Know for certain… [that all the promises I make to you will happen and they will happen through your own son…] “(vs13). This next part gives me goosebumps! read vs 17-18: “When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land…”
Did you catch that? The LORD made a covenant with Abram! God carried out the rest of the ceremony and completed the work even when Abraham couldn’t.
This is what John MacArthur says about this, “This detail about Abraham’s sleep is given to stress the covenant was completely unconditional. The covenant was a unilateral promise from God to Abraham about what He, YHWH, would do. It made no demands on Abraham or Sarah whatsoever. It was a completely one-sided covenant.”
Isn’t that remarkable? God’s covenant promise with Abraham was not dependent on anything he did on his own. God was faithful even when Abraham was not and was too tired believe. If Sarah and Abraham would have simply realized and rested in that truth, their whole burden [about bearing children] would have been lifted. They could have been content in knowing that God would do what He said He would do because of precedent. Over and over, God had proven His faithfulness and that His timing would be perfect, yet they both still struggled to have faith to trust Him. Doubt still crept in.
When I look at stories like Abraham and Sarah’s, I find myself feeling convicted of my own lack of faith, restlessness, and insecurity. I am reminded of the very real and dangerous side-effects that these can have, but I am also humbled to remember that despite their disastrous attempts to attain God’s promises on their own, God did eventually bring about a miracle heir to them. He does the same for us. Even though we all fall short and have times of doubting and insecurity, God still forgives us, is patient with us, and wants to grow our faith. He is continually faithful, even when we aren’t. “If we are faithless, He remain’s faithful- for He cannot deny Himself.” (2Tim1:13)
It is incredibly ironic to me that a woman who struggled so greatly with insecurity and with continual lack of faith in scripture is also remembered most for her faith later on. We can read about Sarah in Hebrews 11, which is commonly referred to as the hall of faith.
You see, just because we may be insecure people who are struggling with our lack of faith now, doesnt mean that there isn’t hope for us to one day be people of great security and faith to God’s great glory!!
God uses even our weakest moments to bring about His plan. Here’s a quote I found several years ago that has stuck with me. I don’t know who wrote it originally, but it’s words are profound. “Only God can turn a mess into a message, a test into a testimony, a trial into a triumph, and a victim into a victory.” And friends, that is my prayer for all of us as we seek to overcome our insecurities. I pray you will allow the Lord to convict you of areas where you might be struggling with insecurity so that he can give you great testimonies of His incredible work.
Here’s a quick review and some questions to consider as you seek to overcome different areas of insecurity:
- Are you struggling with being a people-pleaser or crippled by fear? Find verses that encourage you to live in the Fear of the Lord and to be a God-pleaser.
- Are you seeking fulfillment outside of God? Try to go even a week without whatever idol it may be that is distracting you from God. When you miss that activity or “filler”, use it as a tool to point you to Christ. Ask God to fill you and complete you instead.
- Are you holding onto hurts and reliving your greatest disappointments? Seek to forgive. Seek to give God that bitterness and pain. Read verses that remind you of God’s plans for you. Ask God to help you let go.
- Are you Self-Conscious? Do you struggle with pride? Challenge yourself to walk into a room and rather than first “checking out the competition”, seek someone who looks like they need a friend or who has had a rough day. If someone sticks out to you, pray for them. If you start comparing yourself or judging, pray for yourself. It will blow you away how God will use this technique to cure your feelings of insecurity!
- Are you struggling to be disciplined in some area of your life? Commit it to the Lord and ask him for help. Also, seek help from a trusted friend. Tell them your struggle and ask them to hold you accountable.
- Are you finding yourself doubting or feeling weak in faith? Pray. Talk yourself through the situation. Try to look for something- even just one thing- that you are grateful for. Remind yourself of all the times in scripture but also in your own life or friends lives where God has been faithful. Remind yourself that He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is steadfast in His love. He is rich in mercy, and exceedingly generous. He wants to help you. He really does!
Insecurity may be an epidemic in our society today, but there is a cure. There is hope! Let’s confront our areas of insecurity and start to finally gain some ground in this uphill battle. Let’s allow the Lord to help us conquer them so that instead of being knocked over, time and time again by the waves of insecurity, we can find ourselves steady and unwavering on the Rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ.
“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the Rock.” Matthew 7:25
littlebylittlemore 