an action plan against insecurity

A dear friend and I met the other night for some much-needed girl time. Because it feels like we blink and 18 days have passed since we’ve sat face-to-face sipping on coffee. What the heck.

But we sat and talked and talked some more and caught up on kids and husbands and the state of our souls. Then we lingered in the parking lot laughing and philosophizing. Sorta philosophizing.

And somehow we got onto the topic of insecurities, specifically the insecurities that women battle regarding outer appearances. Lord God, set Your children free.

 

 

I despise insecurity. Because it’s such a liar. It tries to convince us that we don’t quite measure up. And then it gives us an alphabetical list of reasons why we don’t measure up and a color coded list of what we need to change. And in less than four breaths, we’re tangled up in self-loathing or self-criticizing until we can hardly take another step forward.

It’s understandable that so many women in our culture would wrestle against insecurity over outer appearances considering the bombardment of images from every direction. I know I’ve feasted on my fair share of insecurity over the years. But if we as a gender are going to experience the freedom in Christ, then there has to be a purposeful “putting to death” of that comparison plague in our minds. Because it is a plague. And if we’re not purposeful, it will eat us alive.

It all comes back to the whole “taking our thoughts captive to truth” thing. Because what we meditate upon affects our emotions, our responses, our perspective, and our daily victory.

So here’s a plan of action.

1. We ask God to reveal our thoughts. So often we think things that we don’t even know we’re thinking. Yet they affect us deeply. But God alone sees every fold of our heart and every thought we think. So we have to ask Him to open our eyes and grant us insight.

 

2. Replace lies with truth. Once we become aware of comparison in our spirit, we have to combat it with truth. Because if we don’t, it will multiply into more comparison. And more insecurity will try to make itself at home in our minds. So we speak true things — things that God says about us — out-loud. Yes, out-loud. You know I’m big on this.

 

3. Enlist accountability. Sometimes the thoughts come so quickly that we don’t have time to enlist accountability, but in general we need one another. We weren’t meant to run this faith race alone. So when we’re struggling against a thought pattern, it’s helpful to turn to a trusted friend for prayer and words of encouragement.

 

The truth is that you and I have been crafted and gifted by the God of the universe. We can walk tall, not because we think highly of ourselves, but because we think highly of what God has done in us and what He graciously promises to do through us.

We can walk tall because He is God and we are His.

 

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Romans 8:15

 

Can you imagine Jesus ever struggling with insecurity? Peter, how’s my hair today? It’s a ridiculous thought because He was so completely secure in His relationship with the Father. He didn’t need any approval from man. He didn’t need to measure up to some external standard of “beauty”. He was one with the Father, and that was (and forever will be) enough.

True, you and I aren’t Jesus. But if we walk by faith in Him, God says some amazing things about our identity. He affirms our beauty and acceptance in Christ. He declares our royalty as daughters of the King. He — the perfect, holy One — smiles over us because of Jesus in us.

Insecurity lies. It steals. It drags us down into pits that aren’t intended for God’s children. But in Christ there’s freedom — freedom to walk tall in the identity Christ died to give us. Anything less isn’t truly living.
 

Fill me, Lord…

What truths do you use to combat the lies of insecurity?