Tag Archives: insecurities

October 22, 2025 · 5:43 AM

Being An Open Book

I’ve heard some people say they’re an open book, while I’ve known others who are very private people. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, there are two things I’ve found. We all wear a mask to some degree. We put it on when we are around others. We show them a person we think others will like. We also have a part of ourselves that’s hidden. It’s the part we don’t show others because we think if others knew this about us, they may not like us or think poorly of us. It’s where we hide our fears, insecurities and hidden sins. Even if we’re great at hiding it from others, God sees it, and He still loves you.

In John 4, Jesus was tired from walking and stopped at a well. The disciples left Him there while they went to find food. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water by herself. To her surprise, Jesus then asked her for a drink. She reminded Him that Jews despise people like her, He then hinted at who He was. After some conversation, He told her to go get her husband, to which she replied that she didn’t have one. He responded by telling her how many times she had been married and was living with a man. He showed He knew what was hidden and loved her still. She then ran into town telling everyone to come and see a man who knew everything about her. They all came to meet Him and He stayed there a couple of days bringing many to the faith.

Psalm 139:1-2 says, “Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind” (TPT). God sees all the hidden places of your heart and life. He knows everything about you and still loves you. The psalmist continues in verse 17, “Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought!“ You don’t have to be afraid or think that He would love you any less. Let Him come in, examine those areas and forgive or heal those parts of your life. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are known and loved as an open book to God.

Photo by Mohammadreza Charkhgard on Unsplash

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December 7, 2022 · 5:37 AM

Exposing Your Chains

This past summer, I helped drive our church’s youth to their summer conference. Being a conference junkie, I made sure to sit in on the different sessions. I was shocked when almost every session had to do with mental health and suicide prevention. We never had anything like that, but the kids today are being brought up under different pressures. Social media, texting, internet with access to every piece of information and music apps that let them listen to anything have changed life. Their insecurities and weaknesses are exposed on a worldwide scale rather than in their neighborhood. Bullying isn’t done to their face, it’s done on a keyboard. For the most part, they’ve become afraid to be who they are and live under the pressure of being perfect.

I love the people God used in the Bible. All of them were flawed and God still used them despite their insecurities. Moses had a speech impediment, yet God used him to speak to Pharaoh and set an entire nation free. Elijah suffered from bouts of depression and God used him to perform incredible miracles and draw a nation out of idolatry. Gideon was insecure about who he was, but God called a mighty warrior out of him. I could go on, but none of us are perfect. All of us are human making us flawed. God can use us despite our weaknesses. My pastor likes to say that people are drawn to our strengths, but they connect to us through our weaknesses.

Paul was a person who killed or imprisoned Christians. After becoming a Christian, he suffered the same fate. Philippians 1:14 says, “Because of my chains, most of the brothers have renewed confidence in the Lord, and have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear [of the consequences, seeing that God can work His good in all circumstances]” (AMP). His chains emboldened others to share their faith. The weaknesses that seem to bind you will help encourage others who are going through the same thing. Paul learned to celebrate his weaknesses and insecurities for the sake of the Gospel. He didn’t hide who he was or project an image of perfection. God isn’t looking for perfection from you. He’s looking for you to be who He created, flaws and all, so He can use you to connect with others and encourage them on their way. When you expose the chains of your weaknesses, it sets you and others free.

Photo by Joey Kyber:

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August 1, 2019 · 5:26 AM

Wonderful Not Worthless

I was doing a self affirmation exercise with a group of people several months ago. In the exercise, the people are to think of a quality that they don’t posses but want to have, and then use present tense verbs to say they have it. One lady stood up and said, “I am enough.” In that moment, my heart broke. She believed she wasn’t enough and her actions in life were in line with that belief. When the group shouted back, “You are enough!”, her face lit up. For the first time in a while, she began to believe she was enough.

Many people live with feelings of inadequacy. They feel that they don’t measure up to the standards others have set for them. They put on a show for others to see, but inside, they’re dying. They do things to compensate for these insecurities hoping that it will give them worth in someone else’s eyes. They never feel like they will measure up, but they never stop trying to be the person others want them to be. All they want to be is enough so that they will be accepted.

If that describes how you feel, let me direct you to Psalm 139:14. It says, “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well” (NASB). YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made. You were designed and created by God with a specific purpose in mind. His works are wonderful, not worthless. Since He made you, that means you are wonderful too, even when you don’t feel like it.

We know from I Samuel 16:7 that God doesn’t measure you by your outward appearance, but by your heart. He looks beyond your actions, through your walls and into your heart. He sees you for who you really are, and He still thinks you are wonderfully made. If you are struggling with your self worth, let me encourage you to say what that lady in my group said. I want to you to say, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am enough.” The more you say it, the more you will believe it. God has already said it to you and He believes it. Now it’s your turn to believe it and act on it. What God says about you is more real than what any person says.

Photo courtesy of Joram Jay Travilla Equipado

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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June 6, 2014 · 8:07 AM

Insecurities

It’s Free Friday! Today is the day you let go of the things in your life that keep you down or hold you back from all God has for you. To celebrate, I’m giving away an autographed copy of “Free To Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness” by John Eldredge. Keep reading to find out how to enter.

I read something from Chip Ingram earlier this week that still has me thinking. He was discussing a book he read where the basic premise was that everyone is insecure and our behavior is a reflection of those insecurities. He said he no longer looks at the boisterous know-it-all the same way. He no longer got upset with the person who has to pay for everything so others will see. Instead, he started to have compassion for them because of the deep struggle that was going on inside of them causing this behavior.

Each of us are insecure in some way. Each of us hide it in different ways. We try to mask those things deep inside us. I think of Nicodemus in John 3. He was worried about what others thought about him. His behavior was that he approached Jesus under the cover of night. He believed what Jesus taught, but was so afraid of what his peers thought about him that he couldn’t publicly profess that. He went to Jesus for one on one time because he wanted to know more, but he did it in secret.

The woman at the well was insecure about who she was. She was looking to find her identity in other people. She had been married 5 times before and was living with a man when she met Jesus. When Jesus spoke to her, he spoke into her. He spoke to the insecure voice inside her and changed who she was. She went back to the town and told the people, “Come and see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out.” Jesus knew her past and her insecurities. Instead of judging her, He had compassion on her.

I think it’s our own insecurities that cause us to judge or look down on someone who isn’t like us. The truth is that they are just as insecure as we are. They express it the only way the know how. Our response shouldn’t be rejection. It should be compassion. We shouldn’t dismiss others because of their behavior. We should accept them and love them. Ultimately that’s what we all need. That’s what we crave. We are all afraid on some level of what others think about us. We all want to be accepted by the crowd around us. Why not act like Jesus and love the person behind the behavior?

I have my own insecurities and my own behaviors that put people off. I reject people because of their behavior. I’m as guilty as anyone. The good news is that Jesus doesn’t leave us where we are. His love changes us from the inside out. We have to admit our insecurities to Him in order for Him to change us. As with any remedy, the change starts with admitting our own problem, our own insecurity, our own sin. When we confess them, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us. As we are forgiven, we are to forgive others. Look beyond the behavior in the person you least want to see today. See the insecurity that’s causing it and love them through it. Be Jesus to them. They need that more than anything.

If you would like to win an autographed copy of “Free To Live” by John Eldredge, all you have to do is go to my Facebook page here and “like” it. I will randomly pick one person tomorrow (June 7, 2014) who has liked my page. If you have already liked my page and enjoy reading these daily devotionals, you are already entered. Please invite your friends to like my page so they can receive encouragement from God’s Word too

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