The Insecurity of Insecurities
There is a silent and hidden epidemic around today’s churches. It peeks around every corner in the shadows and shines brightly during a worship service. When left untreated, it ravages lives, leaving behind a trail of doubts and disillusionment. Its name? The Sin of Insecurity. I realize how harsh this sounds. You mean me? Little Mr. and Mrs. Insecure? We think, “You should have pity on me and try to make sure I’m happy.” Yes and no. Don’t stop reading; indulge me with five extra minutes.
Let us begin with Scripture. God desires us to be secure in His presence. 2 Timothy 3:17 describes it as, “that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” God’s heart is for us to be secure - in His love for Him and in His love for us. Insecurities will ravage a life, a family, and, yes, a church. I believe if we are open and frank, everyone is insecure about something. Maybe it’s your graying hair, your limp, or your forgetfulness (oh … those are just mine) It’s time we stop focusing on what we cannot do, and start focusing on what we can do.
The list of insecurities is long once we look into Scripture. Actually, people with insecurities have been around forever, starting with Adam and Eve. They were both secure in the Lord until they disobeyed. Their disobedience gave birth to insecurity. Wait just a minute…you’re saying my insecurities are a result of my sinful human nature? That’s exactly what I’m saying. No one is immune to insecurity because it is a product of sin. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s look at Scripture to see if we can identify any others who struggled with this too. (That’s a tricky statement because we all do!)
Moses struggled with insecurity. He had an insecurity with his speech. God did not “thump him off the pages of Scripture” but calmly provided Him a helper in the name of Aaron (Exodus 6:10-7:1). Between the two of them, they became the leaders of the Exodus. These feelings of insecurity, however, resurfaced at the end of Moses’ life. This time, however, it was through Joshua. When tasked with the mission of leading the people into the Promised Land, Joshua cowers in fear. God tells him to be “Strong and courageous.” God alleviated his insecurities from the start - literally!
Down the line we see Elijah and Elisha conversing. The scene is an important one. We learn as Elijah the prophet is getting ready to take his God-provided taxi in the form of a heavenly chariot, Elisha is insecure of his abilities. Elisha asked not for a portion of Elijah’s strength, but a “double portion” (2 Kings 2:9). Elisha then saw Elijah depart in heavenly glory - which was God’s way of answering His cry. Elisha saw it, and now he knew he could do it!
Further down the line we see Jesus providing the ultimate answer for insecurity stating, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” In the next week, through His death and resurrection, Jesus would prove this. At his conversion, Paul on the road to Damascus cried out in Acts 9:5, “Who are You, Lord?” Paul realized in all his self-proclaimed worthiness, he was nothing in the presence of God. Don’t forget John’s writing of Revelation. As John was seeing all of heaven’s glory, he fell at “His feet as dead.” John knew his sin. John knew insecurity first-hand.
Sometimes we forget that security/insecurity is a spiritual battle. Satan doesn’t want you to get your security in Christ. Once we accept Jesus as Savior, the devil has lost the eternal battle - but, not the temporal one. Satan’s desire is to make us as ineffective for Christ as he can, and this results in our insecurities.
How can we overcome our insecurities? We must make 7 acknowledgments:
1. God chose you. (Ephesians 1:4-6)
2. God accepts you. (Romans 8:31-32)
3. God loves you. (1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:18)
4. God forgives you. (1 John 1:9)
5. God calls you for His purposes. (Ps. 57:2, Romans 8:28)
6. God knows you. (Psalm 139:13-14)
7. God secures you. (Job 11:18; Ephesians 1:13-14)
In this insecure world, the church must never forget to run to our only secure hope - Jesus. I pray the Lord give you understanding (2 Timothy 1:7-8) and wisdom (Philippians 4:19) As this world seemingly spirals out of control, hold on to God and allow His grace to cover your failures. I echo Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in peace, those whose mind is stayed on You.” Then, and only then, will we find our answer…being secure in Christ is all that matters.