Insecurity

Is there anyone reading this that has ever struggled with insecurity?
For the record I doubt anyone said no to that question. At least not if they were answering honestly. At some point in their lives everyone struggles with insecurity, everyone. Whether it's the black hole of comparing yourself to others or getting bogged down in the mud of a mean or careless comment that someone says to you. Maybe it's the nightmare of hating the image you see when you look in the mirror instead of seeing yourself as God's creation. Whatever causes it the result is the same. Insecurity.

In the Bible translation called The Voice 1 Peter 2:1 is translated this way. "So get rid of hatefulness and deception, of insecurity and jealously and slander." I love the way that this translation puts it because insecurity is listed right along things like slander and deception, hatefulness and jealously. Think about that for a moment. Would you list hatefulness with insecurity? Most people wouldn't. I never would have but this translation does.

The definition of insecurity is listed as "uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence." My translation- not trusting that God knew what He was doing when He created us. We doubt Him and give into our sin nature when we give into everything listed in that verse. Slander, hatefulness, deception, and jealously. All of these things come from our sin nature. Including insecurity.

The beginning of that verse says to get rid of these things. In the New International Version it says "Therefore, rid yourselves of all..." So not only is insecurity listed alongside all these others horrible things but it also says to rid ourselves of all these things.

How do we do that? How do we rid ourselves of insecurity, hatred, slander, jealousy and deception? Well I don't have all the answers but I do have another verse that goes along with it. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

Maybe it's not an exact science but it seems that if we're trying to getting rid of the things listed in 1 Peter 2:1 then a very good place to start is to think about the things listed in Philippians 4:8.

So let's go through the lists again. Get rid of hatefulness. Think about what is admirable. Get rid of deception. Think about what is true. Get rid of insecurity. Think about what is pure. Get rid of jealously. Think about what is noble. Get rid of slander. Think about what is right. Instead of dwelling on the bad and getting caught up in things like insecurity focus on whatever is excellent and praiseworthy.