It’s that common feeling of not being good enough…not keeping up…not measuring up that can sometimes sneak into our lives unexpectedly. A battle of insecurity that can leave you to feel trapped and inadequate. A numbing sensation that makes you experience raw, vulnerability inside.
You find yourself comparing to others and listening to the lie, “Why can’t I be like her? Have her life? Why does my life have to be so hard?” You long for something else…ANYTHING…you just want this feeling to reside.
Insecurity is a form of fear, but did you know that God can use it for your good? – Sue A. Allen
No matter who you are, you have felt the familiar battle of insecurity inside. It exists to tell us of potential danger lurking nearby. It can persist for a length of time, and before you know it…it’s no longer a temporary feeling, but instead a persistent being of who you are.
In other words, our identity is who we believe we are at the core (or at least, the persona of who we want to be). When we feel insecure, an internal alarm is alerting us of an “idol” that needs to be examined and extinguished. Because let me tell you something…you cannot be feeling insecure and trusting God at the same time. The two cannot co-exist. But you may find it difficult to take your thoughts captive, so then what?
In a lot of ways, the battle of insecurity is like “a fever” that exists to tell you something is wrong. It’s God’s way of telling you that you’ve taken your eyes off of HIm. The heavyweight of failure, condemnation, or inadequacy is to enlighten you that you need Jesus to meet you where you are.
We often try to bear the weight of insecurity alone.
Fret about it.
Run from it.
Cover it up with shame and guilt.
Avoid the people who make us feel this way.
And before long, we feel isolated.
But what if we tried a new approach…and exposed our fear? God uses insecurity as an invitation to expose our false beliefs. Who are you? Why are you here? What is your purpose? Are you truly known and loved?
Let’s try a new approach to insecurity: Go to God’s Word to find out who you truly are.
When you feel like you are unlovable, remind yourself that “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love” (Eph. 1:4).
When you feel like your sin is too grandiose, tell yourself that “In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7).
When you struggle to find hope, tell yourself that God is working all things together for your good (Rom. 8:28) even when you can’t see how.
When you feel like giving up, take another step towards God’s grace (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
And finally, strengthen your inner soul with God’s Word. There is such goodness contained within.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16
As a believer, you do not lose your identity in Jesus Christ, but instead, you finally find it! This fleshy-earthbound world will tell you to keep striving. Produce results. Do a personal Ted-Talk or have an Oprah moment. But God turns this view upside down and contradicts by telling us, “When we are weak, He is strong.” So stop depending on yourself–He’s got it! Allow your feeling of inadequacy to pinpoint your vulnerability and then turn it over to God and leave it!