The Results of Insecurity
We've already seen some of the areas where insecurity shows up. Now we need to turn our attention to its effects.
To start, insecure people have difficulty establishing good, lasting relationships. They simply cannot see how they could add value to anyone else's life. This is a tragic loss, because every single one of us needs deep and meaningful friendships to help us grow.
Also, men and women with insecurity are often seen as prideful or snobbish. Lack of confidence can cause them to withdraw from others, which can easily be mistaken for an act of arrogance. They can thereby give the impression that they simply don't want to be around others.
What's more, insecurity frequently leads to indecisiveness and fear. People can be so consumed with self-doubt that they can't make any decision at all. They wonder, What if I make a mistake? Well, so what if they do? Making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn how to do something correctly. Don't be afraid to try. Even if you don't succeed, you can at least rest in the fact that you did your best.
After a while, insecure people typically get angry. When they go so long feeling so poorly about themselves, they start to resent the success and happiness of others.
Can you see how something as subtle as a lack of confidence can have a debilitating effect on one's life? Don't allow such devastation to affect your relationships. Pray for the ability to recognize areas of self-doubt. And then start to take control today by asking the Lord to heal your insecurities.
~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~
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Our Only Hope
For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Romans 8:24-25
Have you ever talked with someone who seemed to have no hope? They were beaten up, beaten down and hopeless. My heart breaks for those who have no hope in the future and have no idea how to take a step towards it. Maybe some of us know people who fit this description; maybe some of us have these same feelings ourselves. To a certain extent I think most people have times in life when it appears that all hope is lost. A sudden tragedy, a chronic illness, or just life in general can bring feelings of hopelessness.
But what is hope? To hope for something is to have an expectation and anticipation of getting it. In a way, hope is like faith because we cannot see hope; therefore, we must believe in what we cannot see. This is easier said than done, especially when we cannot see the sky for the clouds. What can we do in times like these? Our only “hope” is to turn to God’s Word and ask Him for help.
Romans 8:25 is a good verse to pray back to the Lord in asking Him to help us with our hope. A sample prayer might be:
Dear Lord, I am struggling with hopelessness and I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. I need Your word to give me hope and I need Your presence to lift me up today. Your word says I am to hope for what I do not see. I do not see (__________) but I pray for the perseverance to eagerly wait for it. Help me to believe in the hope that only You can give so that I may see Your hand upon my life today. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for giving me hope. In Jesus name, Amen.
Try writing your own personal prayer today. Ask the Lord to help you find hope in Him. Explore other verses that speak to your heart and pray them back to God. He is listening and ready to help.
~Daily Disciples Devotional~
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He shall be thy servant for ever Deuteronomy 15:17
This is what we desire to be to Christ. We have forfeited our own natural inheritance, and have taken refuge in His house. For six years we have enjoyed all that Jesus could do to make us happy; has not the time come when we should say to Him, "We do not want to go out from Thee again, but to remain with Thee forever"? Paul delighted to call himself "a bond-servant of Jesus Christ" (Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; Phi 1:1, R. V.; etc.).
There are two stages, so to speak, in our dealings with Him. First, we come driven by fear; the produce of our own efforts has failed; we have no other resort. Like the bird fleeing from the hawk, we have made for His breast; like the sailor driven by the tempest, we have taken the first harbor that offered. But when we have tested the blessed Master, and found Him so sweet and strong, we elect to remain with Him, not for His gifts or even His salvation, but for Himself. We do not wish to go out free; we love Him so dearly that we would rather go anywhere with Him than remain without Him.
This resolve of ours is ratified by Him. He nails our ear to His cross. Through the blood of self-sacrifice, and self-surrender; through our deeper appreciation of the meaning of His cross, as separating us from the old selfish life; through our identification with Him in death and resurrection; through our sacrifice of all that would hinder us - we come into deeper and closer oneness with Himself. As the Father bored through His ear, in accepting His glad delight to do His will, so does Jesus make real and permanent the consecration we lay at His feet (See Psa 40:6-7).
This is what we desire to be to Christ. We have forfeited our own natural inheritance, and have taken refuge in His house. For six years we have enjoyed all that Jesus could do to make us happy; has not the time come when we should say to Him, "We do not want to go out from Thee again, but to remain with Thee forever"? Paul delighted to call himself "a bond-servant of Jesus Christ" (Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; Phi 1:1, R. V.; etc.).
There are two stages, so to speak, in our dealings with Him. First, we come driven by fear; the produce of our own efforts has failed; we have no other resort. Like the bird fleeing from the hawk, we have made for His breast; like the sailor driven by the tempest, we have taken the first harbor that offered. But when we have tested the blessed Master, and found Him so sweet and strong, we elect to remain with Him, not for His gifts or even His salvation, but for Himself. We do not wish to go out free; we love Him so dearly that we would rather go anywhere with Him than remain without Him.
This resolve of ours is ratified by Him. He nails our ear to His cross. Through the blood of self-sacrifice, and self-surrender; through our deeper appreciation of the meaning of His cross, as separating us from the old selfish life; through our identification with Him in death and resurrection; through our sacrifice of all that would hinder us - we come into deeper and closer oneness with Himself. As the Father bored through His ear, in accepting His glad delight to do His will, so does Jesus make real and permanent the consecration we lay at His feet (See Psa 40:6-7).
~F. B. Meyer~
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Open Bible, Open Heart, Open Ears
by Max Lucado
Do you have a Bible? Read it! When anxiety termites away at your peace, read Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Or perhaps laziness is knocking on your door. Read Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.”
Don’t make a decision, large or small, without sitting before God with an open Bible, an open heart, and open ears. Philippians 2:13 says, “God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases Him.”
You have all you need to face the giant-size questions of your life. Most of all you have a God who loves you too much to let you wander. You have a heart for God? Heed it! Have a Bible? Read it.
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Or perhaps laziness is knocking on your door. Read Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.”
Don’t make a decision, large or small, without sitting before God with an open Bible, an open heart, and open ears. Philippians 2:13 says, “God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases Him.”
You have all you need to face the giant-size questions of your life. Most of all you have a God who loves you too much to let you wander. You have a heart for God? Heed it! Have a Bible? Read it.
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Peace of Mind
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Psalm 3:5-6
Peace of mind comes from our Master Jesus. He is the master at putting our mind at ease with His eternal perspective. It is trust in Him that gives us tranquil thoughts. Without His peace we worry and fret. A peace-less mind is paralyzed by the thought of everything going awry. What can go wrong will go wrong because the odds are stacked against us. Without the peace of Christ we find ourselves with an overwhelming sense of dread, even despair. In Christ we have peace.
Jesus is not stingy with His peace. He gives it liberally and lovingly. Beware of the fleeting peace the world offers. It is a very cheap substitute. The world’s peace is circumstantial. His peace transcends circumstances. The world’s peace is temporal. His peace is eternal. The world’s peace leads you to escape from God and reality. His peace leads you to engage with both. The world’s peace produces a limited perspective. His peace results in a robust and real view of life. The world’s peace cannot remove fear. His peace overcomes fear with faith.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27).
Once you apply the peace of Christ you have peace of mind. Peace of mind gives you a platform for living purposefully. Because you live purposively and peacefully you garner influence with others. People are attracted to the peaceful. They want to learn how to find and apply peace to their own life circumstances. Your friends or family may not acknowledge it, but your peace is proof of God’s existence. Peace is a powerful apologetic for the Almighty. Your calmness during crisis can only be explained by Christ. Because you lean on Him others want to lean on you.
Lastly use your peace of mind as a gauge for God’s will. If you have peace proceed, but heed if peace is lacking. God’s peace is a green light to go forward. The absence of His peace is a red light to refrain. Therefore be sensitive to the Spirit’s peaceful prodding to go or stay. Either way you are ok as long as the Lord’s peace is preeminent. Peace gives you a state of mind that is able to think clearly and wisely. Peace positions you for wise thinking.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Why does Jesus want me to access His peace? How does His peace guard my heart and mind?
~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~
Peace of mind comes from our Master Jesus. He is the master at putting our mind at ease with His eternal perspective. It is trust in Him that gives us tranquil thoughts. Without His peace we worry and fret. A peace-less mind is paralyzed by the thought of everything going awry. What can go wrong will go wrong because the odds are stacked against us. Without the peace of Christ we find ourselves with an overwhelming sense of dread, even despair. In Christ we have peace.
Jesus is not stingy with His peace. He gives it liberally and lovingly. Beware of the fleeting peace the world offers. It is a very cheap substitute. The world’s peace is circumstantial. His peace transcends circumstances. The world’s peace is temporal. His peace is eternal. The world’s peace leads you to escape from God and reality. His peace leads you to engage with both. The world’s peace produces a limited perspective. His peace results in a robust and real view of life. The world’s peace cannot remove fear. His peace overcomes fear with faith.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27).
Once you apply the peace of Christ you have peace of mind. Peace of mind gives you a platform for living purposefully. Because you live purposively and peacefully you garner influence with others. People are attracted to the peaceful. They want to learn how to find and apply peace to their own life circumstances. Your friends or family may not acknowledge it, but your peace is proof of God’s existence. Peace is a powerful apologetic for the Almighty. Your calmness during crisis can only be explained by Christ. Because you lean on Him others want to lean on you.
Lastly use your peace of mind as a gauge for God’s will. If you have peace proceed, but heed if peace is lacking. God’s peace is a green light to go forward. The absence of His peace is a red light to refrain. Therefore be sensitive to the Spirit’s peaceful prodding to go or stay. Either way you are ok as long as the Lord’s peace is preeminent. Peace gives you a state of mind that is able to think clearly and wisely. Peace positions you for wise thinking.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Why does Jesus want me to access His peace? How does His peace guard my heart and mind?
~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~
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