Embracing Him

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders. (Deuteronomy 33:12)

It’s Saturday morning and the Internet Cafe is open. Cafe Chat is a weekly gathering sponsored by Internet Cafe Devotions and our hostess Kim has offered yet another set of thought provoking questions:

First of all, do you struggle with insecurity issues? If no, why not?

If yes, can you tell of a specific situation that happened to you that brought out your insecurities?

If you do struggle with insecurity, what do you believe is the root cause of your insecurity?

Insecurity becomes a part of everyone’s life at one time or another but women seem especially vulnerable because we’re often attempting to tackle our many responsibilities perfectly all while striving to look and sound our best. We certainly don’t want to be viewed as incompetent and we surely don’t want anyone to frown upon our physical appearance either!

I’d love to say that I’m exempt from feelings of insecurity, but this is not the case. Unfortunately, I have been bitten by the insecurity bug many, many times. Once bitten, the same thing always happens. Venomous thoughts seep into my mind and cause me to question my worth and ability. These thoughts then rise to the surface, make me itchy and restless, and cause me to alter my behavior.

Over the years, I recall feeling insecure about my appearance and intelligence. These days I’m feeling fairly good about those areas, but motherhood is the one area in which I sometimes feel insecure. Oddly enough, my mothering insecurities are not brought about by other mothers. I don’t feel that I’m being a poor mother if I don’t do the things all my Mommy friends are doing as I recognize that my children’s needs may not mirror their children’s needs. My insecurity is self inflicted and for me, that’s the worst kind of insecurity.

This insecurity is rooted in my desire is to be the very best mother I can be. Motherhood is the job the Lord has given me right now, and I want to do the job to the best of my ability and please the Lord with my efforts. In addition, I want to make sure that my children are loved, nurtured, and taught in the best possible manner.

Sometimes the self inflicted burden of trying to do everything just right wears on me and I end up second guessing myself and beating myself up about my shortcomings. Am I giving both of my girls ample attention and love? Am I modeling a good example of Christ before them? Should I have been more patient during today’s reading lesson? Are my children internalizing the Christian values I’m working to instill within them? The list of questions goes on and on!

Is there a remedy for those of us who are pestered by the insecurity bug? Indeed there is! Though the bug may still buzz around me, I’m learning to arm myself with the greatest repellent there is: God’s word! The Bible is one of the most effective tools I can use to repel insecurity and alter faulty thought patterns. Let’s battle our insecurities by searching the scriptures and reading about how God strengthened people such as David, Esther, Daniel, Mary, and Paul and allowed them to overcome their insecurities. Thank God we can follow their examples and do the same!

As I leave you today, I’d like you to reflect upon the words of one of my favorite hymns, Leaning On the Everlasting Arms. All the verses are wonderful, but verse three is particularly encouraging if we’re feeling insecure!

(Verse 1)
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!

(Refrain repeated after every verse)
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarm!
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!

(Verse 2)
Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

(Verse 3):
What have I to fear, what have I to dread,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace, with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!

(Refrain):
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarm!
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!

Listen to a beautiful instrumental version of this great hymn:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Today I’m joining the conversation over at Cafe Chat, a weekly gathering sponsored by Internet Cafe Devotions. Our hostess Kim has asked us to address the following question:

How can we be set free in Christ from our strongholds and struggles?

In these modern times, many people are quite comfortable talking about their struggles. The bearing of hearts seems to be the “in” thing and television and books bear witness to this new found transparency. Talk shows and radio broadcasts have a constant stream of guests eager to share their stories of struggle and authors fill hundreds of pages as they write about the giants in their lives.

It is wonderful that we can be so transparent and that our stories can be used to let others know they are not alone in their struggles. However, bearing our hearts is not all that needs to be done. We must do more more than face the giants in our lives. We must slay them! And so the question becomes, how can we free ourselves from these struggles?

Breaking free of our struggles is not easy to do, but thankfully, we do not have tackle the task alone. We have a mighty Savior who is willing and able to help us move from victim to victor! However, we must do our part to show that we’re ready to break free of our struggles. Here are five steps and a few scriptures I use to help move along the path to freedom.

1. We must admit that we are struggling. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Every single one of us has been trapped in the snare of sin. Because of this, we all experience struggles and we must admit to ourselves and God that these struggles exist. Denying that we have a particular struggle delays a resolution and pushes us further away from the One who has thrown us a lifeline. We must recognize that we’re drowning in our struggles and reach for The Lifeline.
2. We must force the fear to flee. Though it is easy to be paralyzed by fear, it is dangerous for us to remain in its grip. When we’re too afraid to move, we can’t wage war against our struggles. 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that “…God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us. When we yield to the Holy Spirit, we can push aside the spirit of fear and focus on attacking our struggles. Running away in fear is not an option because the Holy Spirit helps us continue to move forward.
3. We must let go of the guilt. Sometimes we cannot experience the freedom of releasing and overcoming our struggles because we’re burdened by guilt. We trick ourselves into believing that we’re so guilty that God could not possibly choose to rescue us from our struggles.  Isaiah 43:25 paints a very different picture.  “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. When we come to Him in sincerity, God will forgive us. Likewise we must release the guilt, forgive ourselves, and break free of strongholds.
4. We must work to break free of our struggles every single day. Matthew 24:13 tells us “The one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Some of our struggles won’t disappear overnight. In fact, in order to gain the upper hand or to prevent ourselves from being defeated by our struggles, we must work chip away at them through prayer and even fasting. If we forget to prune the thorny bushes of sin each day, they’ll grow up and choke us with our struggles.
5. We must remember that God has a great plan for our lives. Even though we struggle, God has good things in store for us when we stay in His will. Jeremiah 29:11 clearly shows this. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Knowing this should encourage us to continue fighting to stay on top of our struggles. As we fight, we may be encouraged my remembering that God uses struggles to teach us something or to help develop more Christ-like characteristics within us.

Just because we are Christians does not mean we are exempt from struggles and the only way we will overcome these struggles is with the help of God. The key to overcoming our struggles is to walk along side our Savior, seek His advice, and follow His divine directions. We will never regret that we did.