FEELINGS OF INSECURITY --- PART 1

How should we respond to feelings of insecurity?

Faithful obedience to Moshiach control insecurity!

They didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. -- Mark 9:34. The disciples, caught up in their constant struggle for personal success, were embarrassed to answer Yeshua’ question. It is always painful to compare our motives with Moshiach’s. It is not wrong for believers to be industrious or ambitious. But when ambition pushes obedience and service to one side, it becomes sin. Pride or insecurity can cause us to overvalue position and prestige. In YHVH’s Kingdom, such motives are destructive. The only safe ambition is directed toward Moshiach’s Kingdom, not our own advancement.

Faith in Moshiach is the answer to insecurity.

I ask you again, does YHVH give you Ruach HaKodesh and work miracles among you because you obey the Law of Moses? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Moshiach. -- Galatians 3:5. The Galatians knew that they had received Ruach HaKodesh when they believed, not when they obeyed the Law. People still feel insecure in their faith, because faith alone seems too easy. People still try to get closer to YHVH. While certain disciplines [Bible study, prayer, Torah) and service may help us grow, they must not take the place of Ruach HaKodesh in us or become ends in themselves. By asking these questions, Paul hoped to get the Galatians to focus again on Moshiach as the foundation of their faith.

What can cause feelings of insecurity?

… Trusting in ourselves rather than YHVH.

Proverbs 28:26: -- Trusting oneself is foolish, but those who walk in wisdom are safe. 1 Corinthians 10:12: -- If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you too, may fall into the same sin. Luke 12:16-21: -- He gave an illustration: A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing. So, he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, my friend; you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink and be merry!’ But YHVH said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with YHVH. Isaiah 47:8: -- You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom, living at ease and feeling secure, bragging as if you were the greatest in the world! You say, ‘I’m self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone! I will never be a widow or lose my children.’

… Trusting in the wrong people.

Psalm 146:3: -- Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. Jeremiah 17:5: -- This is what Adonai says: ‘Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from Adonai.’ Psalm 60:11: -- Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. Psalm 118:9: -- It is better to trust Adonai than to put confidence in princes. Isaiah 2:22: -- Stop putting your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. How can they be of help to anyone? Proverbs 25:19: -- Putting confidence in an unreliable person is like chewing with a toothache or walking on a broken foot. Isaiah 30:2-3: -- Without consulting Me, you have gone down to Egypt to find help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh for his protection. But in trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated and disgraced. Isaiah 31:3: -- These Egyptians are mere humans, not YHVH! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When Adonai clenches His fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those they are trying to help. They will all fall down and die together. Isaiah 36:6: -- Will Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, you will find it to be a stick that breaks beneath your weight and pierces your hand. The Pharaoh of Egypt is completely unreliable!

… Trusting in false gods.

Deuteronomy 32:37: -- Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods, the rocks they fled to for refuge?’ 2 Chronicles 28:23: -- He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, for he said, ‘These gods helped the kings of Aram, so they will help me too, if I sacrifice to them.’ But instead, they led to his ruin and the ruin of all Israel. Psalm 115:4-8: -- Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They cannot talk, though they have mouths or see, though they have eyes! They cannot hear with their ears or smell with their noses or feel with their hands or walk with their feet or utter sounds with their throats! And those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them.

… Trusting in the wrong things.

Proverbs 27:24: -- Riches don’t last forever and the crown might not be secure for the next generation. 1 Timothy 6:17: -- Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living YHVH, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Psalm 49:6-7: -- They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to YHVH. Psalm 52:7: -- Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in YHVH. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness. Proverbs 11:28: -- Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.

How is YHVH the solution to our insecurities?

Psalm 91:1-2: -- Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of Adonai: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my YHVH and I am trusting Him. Psalm 46:1-3: -- YHVH is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So, we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Proverbs 3:5-6: -- Trust in Adonai with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 14:26: -- Those who fear Adonai are secure; He will be a place of refuge for their children. Psalm 20:7: -- Some nations boast of their armies and weapons, but we boast in Adonai our Elohim. Psalm 125:1: -- Those who trust in Adonai are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Psalm 16:5: Adonai, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. 2 Timothy 1:12: -- That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the One in whom I trust and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return. We find true security by trusting YHVH. Why? Because YHVH alone holds all the future and all the world’s resources in His hand. He alone knows what is best for us and is prepared to help us receive and discover what is best for us.