Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”
Insecurity is the lack of self-confidence. Insecurity is the deformity of the soul. It is not a birth defect but a condition that is developed in the formative years. The cultural, social and family backgrounds affect the soul with malfunctions in our thinking, causing self-doubt and low self-esteem. Feeling of insecurity stems from childhood traumas, social pressures or cultural demands. It is an unhealthy glass fortress that people build as self-defence. It is a learnt habit and hence can be unlearnt. Insecurity tells you that you are not good enough and invites other dysfunctions such as low-self esteem, envy, strife, anger-tantrums, egotism, distrust and the like. “Most bad behaviour comes from insecurity” – Debra Winger.
A troubled home, discriminating society or brutal abuse could be the root of insecurity but we don’t have to live under its chains. We don’t have to hide under low-self confidence or camouflage it with egotism. Gideon was hiding in insecurity because of the social and economic turmoil. The Lord not only set him free from insecurity but also instilled Godly confidence to rise up as a leader. The Midianites enemies were oppressive and they ruined the crop and the livestock of Israel. When Gideon was threshing his produce in a winepress to hide from the ruthless marauders the Angel of the Lord met him and guided him through a three-step-deliverance from insecurity.
Three-Step Deliverance:
1. Altar: Gideon built an altar to worship God. So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace (vs 24). The Angel of the Lord accepted his worship and the fire of God consumed his offering. Build an altar of prayer and praise and allow the fire of God to consume self-doubt. There are certain dysfunctions such as ‘the spirit of depravity, depression and deliriousness’ that only the fire of God can touch and transform.
2. Action: Gideon fueled the fire by putting his faith into action. He tore down the altars of Baal and Asherah and built an altar for the Lord. He used the wood from the Asherah poles to offer sacrifices to the Lord. This action of Gideon is a beautiful metaphor to replace negative thoughts and insecurities with the positive confession and healthy habits. Tear down demeaning thoughts and ill spoken words and replace it with God’s promises and His Life-Giving Words. Use the wood from your past experiences to worship God. When the enemy reminds you about your past, insane choices raise a shout of praise and snap the chains of insecurities.
3. Annihilate: Gideon annihilated the enemy. Don’t revisit your forgiven past or nurse the wounds of abuse and misuse. Wipe it out of your memory with the blood of Jesus. Only the blood can blot out unwanted files in our memories.
Build an altar of worship, put faith into action and annihilate the giant of insecurity.
Judges 8:28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, expose the root cause of my insecurities and teach me to defeat the giant of insecurity that deforms my soul. Amen.
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