God has given you an identity, but if you do not walk in your identity, then you cannot operate in the kingdom of God. You cannot walk in your calling until you overcome insecurities. Each one of us may have battled with certain insecurities at some point in our lives, but God teaches us through His word the keys to overcoming deeply rooted insecurities; I hope to teach you glean on these too.
1. First, understand that intimacy cures insecurity.
Never forsake the secret place. Don’t replace time with God for anything else. When you are aware of God, you’ll lose focus on yourself. Get lost in the presence of God again and you’ll notice that the insecurities that seem so big now, will diminish.
It’s when we lose focus on God that our insecurities enlarge. Understand that when you fight to keep your intimacy with God, you’re fighting to keep your insecurities at bay.
2. And secondly, we must read the Word of God until it feeds us.
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17 KJV
In Genesis 2, God commands Adam to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We know that Adam and Eve disobeyed and ate the fruit. As a result of this disobedience, they began to struggle with insecurities. There will always be a reason to feel insecure, but there is a choice to not feed on that insecurity.
Many insecurities stem from the fact that people have a Bible, but they do not let it feed them. When Adam and Eve focused more on what the serpent said, instead of what God had told them, their perspectives changed.
If you eat from the tree of insecurity, you will hear the voice of the devil. But if you eat from the tree of life, you will hear the voice of the Lord. Think about this, it was not the tree that made Adam feel ashamed, it was his eating from it that affected him. Feeding leads to feeling. If you choose to focus and “feed” your insecurities, feelings of depression, anxiety, and isolation will follow. However, if you learn to feed on God’s words about you, you’ll find that feelings of security, boldness, and love will follow. I want to encourage you to stop eating from the tree of insecurity and heed the voice of God and His Word.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts:” Psalm 139:23 KJV
3. You must not compare yourself to others if you want to be complete.
The Bible says do not covet (Exodus 20:17). As long as you are desiring someone else’s blessing, you’ll stop counting your blessings. There is nothing wrong with finding inspiration from other people. However, when you try and duplicate what God called someone else to do, you will always live feeling incompetent and not enough. God is not interested in making you better than another person, He wants you to be better than you. God wants to make us complete.
4. Learn to not live in your soul, but instead, speak to it.
The Bible teaches us that David spoke to his soul. As Christians, we should be determined to be ruled by the Word of God, not by our soul’s emotions. Don’t rely on your feelings to determine how you feel. Tell your soul how to feel. Command your feelings to be in line with the Word of God.
It’s not enough to just think about it and direct your feelings; you have to live according to the Word, and not according to your feelings. Feelings are a result of what you are feeding your soul, and what you are feeding on depends on where your focus is.
Focus on God, feed on His Word, and tell your soul what to feel.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Psalm 103:1 KJV
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: For I shall yet praise him, Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 43:5 KJV
5. Be careful to not draw your identity from people’s compliments.
Compliments will cause your self-worth to be inflated, and you’ll find yourself getting easily destroyed by the criticism. The moment you know who you are in Christ, you’ll take criticism, and you won’t let it crush you; you’ll take compliments and you won’t let them inflate you.
Chew criticism, and compliments, then spit them out – don’t let them feed you.
6. Learn to receive correction without feeling criticized.
Many people, when getting criticized, feel as though they are getting attacked. The reason why criticism hurts is due to insecurity. In order for you to step into the call God has for your life, you must learn to take feedback and correction without taking it personally.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11 NIV
When you are being corrected, the person correcting you is addressing your issue, not attacking your identity. If you want to be secure, focus on growing. God will surround you with mentors and people who will help you grow.
Don’t allow insecurities to hinder the calling God has for your life. Let your insecurities dissolve in the presence of God. Find your security and identity in Christ, according to God’s Word. These are things that took me years to learn but have blessed my life enormously. As you put these very simple steps into practice, watch the transformation that will happen in your personal life!
“Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.” Proverbs 8:33 NIV
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10 NIV
Let’s pray: Father, forgive me for putting my worth in other things instead of Your Son Jesus Christ. I want that to change. I want to see myself according to what Your Word says. Holy Spirit, help me to feed from the Bible and spend time in God’s presence to know who I am. I know You have a purpose and a plan for me. Give me faith to believe and know that my identity is found in Jesus Christ.
Please help me to be grounded in Your Word instead of being guided by my emotions. God, You know my battle with insecurities and criticisms. Holy Spirit, give me the humility to accept correction from those around me. Put people in my life who will help me grow, even if it is difficult. I want to be the person You want me to be. Thank you for helping me, in Jesus’ precious Name. Amen.
With Love, Esinam.
Virtuous Living 