How To Break The Cycle of Insecurity and Fear

Have you ever been to the beach?

If so, you can feel the squish of sand between your toes as you’re reading this.

Maybe you feel the warmth on your face, the breeze in your hair, and are taken back to the sun-kissed freckles on your little one’s nose after a fun day in the sun.

Chances are you’re also familiar with the pesky little keepers of the beach as well… also known as “seagulls”.

Yeah, you know the bird…

One minute you are skimming the waves with your child, soaking in the moments you’re living in, and then, a seagull notices you, and suddenly swoops down in front of you, and your focus is taken off of the moment you’re living in and is shifted to the seagull.

There you are, with this pesky little bird, and you cave in.

You throw them a piece of your lunch.

Then another piece.

And then, suddenly, you are surrounded by these keepers of the beach, and they’ve somehow summoned all of their friends in a matter of seconds.

As the numbers grow, the demands of these birds grow louder, and soon you’re swatting them away.

You run, they follow and are quite relentless in the ways of getting what they want.

Aren’t our insecurities and fears the same way too?

You consider entertaining one or two,

You compare yourself to the mom who made homemade Valentines, or feeds her children only organic food, after all, you’re not comparing, only noticing, right?

Then suddenly you are measuring yourself by her instead of who God says you are.

Your close friend at your woman’s group was just diagnosed with breast cancer, and you take her burden on as your own and allow fear to grip your heart, instead of standing with her in her faith journey to walk the road of healing alongside her.

But what happens when we feed our insecurities?

What happens when we feed into our fear?

Do they go away, or do they swarm in and become louder and louder, and even more overwhelming?

The good news is, we don’t have to live insecure lives because it’s God’s will for us to be very secure and not to live in fear.

As God’s beloved daughters, we have the right to starve those insecurities and fears anytime they try to creep in. We were created to feel safe, secure, confident and bold; it’s part of our spiritual making as born-again daughters of Christ. But the key to living a secure life in Christ is knowing who we are in Christ, really receiving God’s love for us, and standing on who God says we are, not what we do.

Who you are is not based on what you do, but WHOSE you are.

The truth is, that many of us don’t fully understand God’s love for us. If we did, our world wouldn’t be starving for attention the way it is. We wouldn’t get caught up in competition, comparing ourselves to others, be afraid of making mistakes, or admitting weaknesses if we were truly secure in God’s love.

2 Corinthians 10:12 states that it is not wise to use each other as a measurement of who we are, solely “comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement.”

So, precious daughter, keep your eyes fixed on His plans and purpose for His kingdom work through you.

Keep your eyes fixed on who you are in HIM, and let fear and insecurity be starved as you break the cycle of letting them in this week.

Lord, give me strength this week not to feed my insecurities or fear. Help me to instead feed my soul with good things that come from knowing you. (Jeremiah 3:15, John 6:51)

Amen.

Blessings,

Dayna Mager, The Pause Pursuit