Insecurity is an epidemic in our society today. Too many people, including many Christians, walk around timid, afraid, lacking confidence and feeling bad about themselves. But when Jesus died on the cross for us, something happened that I call “the divine exchange”: He took away our sins and everything we are not, and instead He made us perfect in Him.
God wants you to be confident, bold, fearless and free. He wants you to be healthy and whole—fully able to pursue your destiny. And He desires for you to feel good about yourself and your relationship with Him.
There’s No Comparison
Insecure people tend to compare themselves with other people and feel a need to keep up with them. For years I tried to be like everybody else. I tried to be steady and easygoing like my husband, Dave. Then I tried to be like my pastor’s wife, who was super sweet and sensitive. But the truth is that we are only anointed to be ourselves!
For example, it’s amazing how excited you can be about your prayer life until you compare notes with someone who gets up before daylight each morning and prays for four hours. If you don’t know who you are in Christ, you’ll suddenly begin to feel like your prayer life is nothing. Then you’ll frustrate yourself by trying to mimic everything that person does so you can keep up.
How do I know? Because this happened to me years ago. I got myself a clock, locked myself in a room and declared to everyone, “I’m going to pray for four hours a day! I’m not coming out of here, and you can’t come in!” Everything went well until I fell asleep five minutes after I began.
God made you an original, and He has a unique plan just for you. Comparing yourself to others simply leads to frustration. But having the confidence and freedom to be yourself leads to peace and joy.
What Are You Looking At?
Too often we look at ourselves when we should be looking at God. We focus on all of our own weaknesses, and before we know it, we are timid, fearful and convinced that everything is too hard to accomplish. If this is you, then Philippians 3:3 can change your life. That verse tells us to “put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh” (AMP).
Some people look at their weaknesses and think, I could never do something great for God. Others look at their own strengths and think, I don’t need help; I can do this on my own.
Regardless of what we can or cannot do, God wants all of our confidence to be in Him. Because the truth is, apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5)!
Think about King David. He was someone who knew who he was in Christ. The entire army of Israel was too frightened to fight the giant, Goliath. But David wasn’t. Why? Because he was looking at God and not himself. He knew that his God could do anything. As a result, he walked straight out to the battlefield and killed Goliath with a stone and a slingshot.
You, too, can have this “David” kind of confidence. You can become a giant-killer when you learn who you are in Christ.
Make a Bold Move
God wants you to feel good about yourself, not because of your own doing but because He created you and delights in you. Through Christ, you’ve become a son of God. Because of this, He wants you to be bold and fearless and to believe Him for big things. Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to “do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].”
I believe God is waiting for many of us to boldly step out and ask Him for things that go beyond what we think is possible. Our insecurities will make us feel like we’re not worthy to even ask. But remember, in God’s economy, you don’t get what you deserve—you get what Jesus deserves!
Wherever you are in your journey with the Lord, He wants you to know that you are right with Him. You may not be perfect, but God sees you as perfect because of His Son. And because of this, you can go forward with the boldness, joy and divine confidence you need to fulfill your destiny.
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times best-selling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries Inc. She has authored 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and You Can Begin Again. To read past columns in Charisma by Joyce, visit charismamag.com/meyer.
