Uncovering the Truth (How to overcome insecurities and negative mindsets) - Part 3

Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

In Part 3 of Uncovering the Truth, we look at how Satan works to destroy our confidence, self-worth, and hope for the future. CLICK HERE to read Part 1, and HERE to read Part 2.
 
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Are you struggling to have a positive outlook on the future and wonder if your life will ever get better?
 
Are you held hostage by depression and anxiety?
 
Do you question God’s existence because you aren’t experiencing His power in your life?
 
If so, it’s likely that you have been manipulated by the enemy into believing lies about yourself and God.
 
And the worst part is…we’re letting him do it.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

Obesity. Thinning hair. Pimples. Crooked teeth. We’re too tall or too short. The world has created a standard by which we live that determines what is attractive and what is not. Satan uses these perceived flaws to build insecurities in us to destroy the self-image God intended each of us to have.
 
This concept isn’t limited to our physical appearance. The enemy also wants us to become insecure about our financial and social status. We often measure ourselves by what society says is financially and socially acceptable. We want to be well-liked and respected among our peers. Money and authority are the universal basis for success and influence. While it’s normal for us to want success in these areas of our lives, it also gives the enemy more ammunition to use against us.
 
If we don’t learn to recognize these insecurities and how to conquer them, they will torment us for the rest of our lives.
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It happens again…and again…and again…and again...

Our insecurities affect how we respond to life situations. When we feel inadequate in an area of our lives or an insecurity is exposed, we often overcompensate for what we see as a weakness. This creates an irrational response that often leads to poor decisions. The consequences of poor choices bring feelings of embarrassment, guilt, and worthlessness. That’s when Satan arrives on the scene with condemnation and lies. Things like:
 
“You’re stupid.”

“You’re incompetent.”

“You’ll never be successful. You don’t have what it takes.”

“You’re a loser.”

“You’ll always be alone.”
 
If we continue to believe these lies and others like them, we’ll eventually fall into harmful cycles and develop negative mindsets. Once they take root, these mindsets prevent you from living the life God intended for you to live.
 
For many years, my career was unstable. As I continued to work dead-end jobs, I became more frustrated and afraid of failure. Satan eventually convinced me I wasn’t good enough to succeed in the working world. Every time a job became difficult, Satan was there to tell me I wasn’t smart enough to do it. My attitude worsened. I wasn’t equipped to handle the adversity and embraced the idea that failure was inevitable.
 
This cycle continued for almost two decades.
 
Despite seeing this pattern, I didn’t understand why it was happening or what to do about it. I didn’t have a mature relationship with God and was unaware of how the enemy was working to establish this negative mindset. Satan also used financial and social pressure to fuel my insecurities.
 
And he managed to convince me there was nothing I could do about it.
 
Satan knows the longer we allow these cycles to continue, the more power they have over us. The more power they have, the harder they are to break. Eventually, they’ll become too much for us to overcome alone.
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Are you asking for a miracle?

Many times, when we’re faced with something too big for us to handle (such as ending harmful life cycles and negative mindsets) we need God’s help to do it. This is true with addictions, insecurities, or any type of prevalent issue in our lives.
 
But when we “let go and let God”, what we’re really doing most of the time is praying for God to perform a miracle.
 
I’m sure most of us have heard the stories of people who miraculously overcame a problem or ailment. The person who chain-smoked for twenty-five years is instantly set free of the desire to smoke. Another person who has suffered from arthritis for decades is suddenly healed by making a promise to follow God for the rest of their lives. There are countless stories of people who have been miraculously healed and set free by calling on God to help them.
 
While God can—and does—perform these miracles, he doesn’t always help us this way. Most of the time, even after we have called on Him for help, we’re required to do our part to remain disciplined and faithful as we fight our insecurities and harmful mindsets. But He will help us work through it one day at a time.
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Does God care about my suffering?

​God cares about our relationship with Him. It’s what He wants more than anything else. And He wants to walk with us through the tough times. In fact, suffering is one of the keys to developing faith in God. When things are going well, people usually ignore Him because they don’t need Him. But, when tragedy or crisis strikes, God is one of the first they go to for help. God knows our human nature well, which is why He often uses suffering to build our faith.
 
The more mature (developed) our faith is, the stronger we’ll be in the face of adversity. Building that kind of faith takes time. And we absolutely must maintain a commitment to God when building our faith. We’ll never be able to build the kind of faith required to fight these battles by being inconsistent in our commitment to Him.
 
If my faith had been stronger in the early days of my career, I would have been able to handle adversity with more confidence. I wouldn’t have been as susceptible to Satan’s manipulation and could have avoided many of the poor choices I made. Most of all, instead of being frustrated and afraid of failure, I would have trusted God to take care of me. That alone would have been enough to keep me from developing the “inevitable failure” mindset.
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Do you have hope?

Romans 5:3-5 says, “…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
 
I’ll be the first one to admit that I’d much rather have things go well in my life than to suffer. But perseverance and character—developed through our problems and trials—are two of the most valuable traits we can have. Not only do those traits help us in overcoming our biggest challenges and insecurities, but also in being the person God created us to be.
 
Near the end of the passage above, we read that one of the benefits we’ll receive from having perseverance and character—one thing that can set us apart from so many depressed and anxious people in this world—is hope. Hope keeps us going. It’s the force behind miracles. It’s one reason to get up and face the day when we have nothing else.
 
Do you want to have hope?

​I do, and I hope you do too.

Thanks for reading. Take time to leave a comment below.

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