Victory Over Insecurity a 5-Day Devotional by Dr. Robyn L. GobinSample

Day 2: Getting to the root of insecurity.

Most gardeners know that to rid a garden of weeds, you must pull the weeds up by their roots. If not, they can regrow. In much the same way, if we want to stop insecurities from invading our lives, we must pull them by the root. The truth is at the core of almost every insecurity is pride. To be clear, we are not talking about food, housing, or job insecurity, which is an inability to consistently access and afford adequate resources due to lack of money and other factors outside of your control. Instead, we are referring to the kind of insecurities that are rooted in how we see ourselves and our capabilities, and ultimately, how we see God.

Pride is operating in self-sufficiency and trying to accomplish the work God has called us to do apart from Him. We display self-sufficiency in our spiritual lives when we fail to turn to Christ for the strength, guidance, and power necessary to resist the devil and meet the demands of life. From a Biblical perspective, self-sufficiency is prideful because it fails to acknowledge our dependence on Christ. This is clearly shown in John 15:5 (ESV) when Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Humility is acknowledging our dependence on God and surrendering to His will through obedience. Living a life of humility means walking side by side with God every step of the way like our lives depend on it. Pride says, “It’s up to me.” “I’ve got this.”. Humility says, “God is the source of my strength.” “I can do all things with God’s provision, grace, and strength.”

For some of us, self-sufficiency developed as a self-protective coping mechanism from being hurt, abused, and betrayed by people and systems that should have protected us. While self-sufficiency can help us to feel safe, and it can produce many accomplishments, it is not without consequences: exhaustion, worry, weariness, feeling burdened and heavy laden, pain, and physical and mental illness. We were not meant to carry the burdens of life alone. Although we may be hesitant to rely on other people for support, we should never resist the support of Christ. In Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV), Christ invites us to share our burdens with Him: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

When we accept the Gospel, we make a commitment to follow Jesus as the Lord of our lives. This involves walking in faith, trusting in God, relying on Him completely, and allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to transform us. When we strive to be perfect or ‘good enough’ in our own strength, we are not relying on God. As believers, we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. Self-reliance is trusting in what you can see: your strength and capabilities. Focusing on what we can do in our own strength causes us to miss out on what God can do through us. In Ephesians 3:20, the Bible tells us that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. When we get attached to the idea that it’s all up to us, and we must make things happen for ourselves, we’re caught up in pride. The good news is we don’t have to stay stuck in pride. We can release pride and embrace humility.

Reflection Questions: How has pride shown up in your insecurities? In what ways are your insecurities prideful?