Feeling insecure makes it impossible to enjoy life

If you feel insecure, you're not alone. Of course, knowing you have company doesn't make you any less miserable.

One of the ironies of being young is that you don't worry much--or that you worry too much. If you're a person who's prone to be introspective, it's easy to get caught up in the insecurity of life.

Eventually we reach the conclusion that try as we might, there are some things we can't completely fix. So how do we learn to live with them?

Is financial security the answer?

Since the beginning of time, we single people have lived an insecure life. That's the main reason many of us chase after money. It's a widely held myth that money guarantees security. That's false. It only guarantees financial security.

Jesus Christ pointed this out 2,000 years ago, with his story of the rich fool. This farmer had a good year and hauled in so much he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store the crops. He said to himself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."

God, on the other hand, said "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"

People are still doing the same thing today! You can be a billionaire, think you've got it made, and a heart attack or cancer strikes, and all the money in the world can't save you.

Just look at the millionaire movie stars who spiral down on drugs and alcohol. Their money didn't bring them security, and mind-alterers can't do it either.

A true, but tough solution

So what was Jesus' solution about the future? Do not worry.

Uh huh. Easier said than done.

Jesus said not to worry about our life, what we'll eat, or about what we'll wear. He counseled us to store up "treasures in heaven."

We've been taught to be practical. In fact, I preach it so much on this site that some visitors take a hike because they don't want to hear it. They're those folks who are young enough that they don't worry about anything and don't want anyone reminding them of their worldly responsibilities.

And we singles can turn into professional worriers because many of us don't have any family looking out for us. We're on our own--or so we believe.

But Jesus was the wisest of the wise. He knew we have real needs, and I don't think he meant that God was going to rain down money or food or clothing from heaven. He knew that as far as providing for ourselves, we all have to take care of business.

Please don't misunderstand me. God wants us to be good stewards with our money. It's wise to save and invest and prepare for the future. The Bible does NOT say that money is evil, but rather the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. So plan for your future and don't live a life of out of control spending and debt.

So with all the uncertainty in today's world, how can we feel secure? How can we quit worrying, as Jesus says, and have any peace of mind?

Insecure in temporary things

We can literally worry ourselves sick. We can worry about paying the rent, about being mugged, about war, about getting some disease, about losing our job. How do we get off the worry merry-go-round and get a genuine, rock-solid sense of security?

We take all the common sense, practical precautions we can, and having done those, we trust in God for the rest.

That sounds incredibly simple, but most of us don't do it, because it takes that leap of faith we don't want to make.

We want to be in control. Guess what? We're not! God is.

We just can't cover every base. Like that rich fool, we may think we've finally got our life in order, but that's an illusion. Trust in God is the only way to stop feeling insecure.

The challenge is in the 'how'

Few people are trustworthy. Even fewer institutions are. We've seen monster banks fail, we've been lied to by our governments, we've seen huge corporations go bankrupt. How can we overcome our fears and trust God?

It lies in what God has done for us. He loved us so much he gave his only Son to die for our sins. Not only did he make that unspeakable sacrifice, but he wiped away our sin-debt and finds us acceptable if we take Jesus as our Savior. We don't get that kind of love from anybody or anything else.

Start where you are. Surrender, give in to him. The great people of the Bible found that this is what works, and over the past 40 years, I've learned it too. Don't take as long as I did. This is the only way to stop feeling insecure.

Think about this. Give it some time. You don't want to feel insecure all your life, do you?

Trusting in God is the secret of security, the secret of peace of mind, the secret to eternal life--the very secret of life. It's not some goofy law of attraction that never did anything for anybody. Don't trust in a bunch of New Age fantasies cooked up to make a bunch of gurus money.

Trust in what's real instead: Jesus Christ. Trusting in him is putting your faith in the One who did everything for you!

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