We looked at some heroes of faith in the Bible that dealt with insecurity including Moses, Sarah, and Paul.
We also examined the lives of Leah and Saul. I would love to discuss Leah. I feel so sorry for her. She never felt like she could measure up. She just kept having babies in vain attempts to win the affections of a man who did not love her. She knew rejection. So many of us search for security and approval in our performance. So much to say about that, but maybe another day.
Today, we will just look at Moses.
Moses wrestled with insecurity. God spoke to him in a dramatic way through the burning bush. God told Moses that He had chosen him to deliver His people. God even gave him the exact details of how it would happen. (How many times do we think if God would just give us all the details, then we could trust Him. Hmmm. Would we?)
Moses didn't. Moses said to the Lord God.
"O my Lord, I am not elequent, neither before nor since You have spoke to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue". Exodus 4:10
(Like the Lord didn't know his weaknesses. : ) We are so funny sometimes. I'm sure God just cracks up at the things we say and do.)
Interpretation: I cannot do this! You have the wrong man. He told the God of the Universe, "Um, I think you made a mistake." Sue's translation. : )
Notice that God didn't say in response, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Never mind, what was I thinking?".
No, of course not. God, in His patience, answered him saying, "Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."
Do you know what Moses said back to God? "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send."
He pleaded with God to send someone else! He did not believe he could do what the Lord was asking him to do even when the Lord spoke to him directly. Now, that is some insecurity we can relate to.
Don't we do the same thing at times? Don't we say, "Lord, send someone else. Don't you know I ______." (Fill in whatever weakness or excuse that fits). Of course He knows our weaknesses. He calls us anyway.
There is another facet of Moses that is encouraging to me. Moses had a shady past. Moses killed a man and then fled from the consequences. He grew up in a very dysfunctional family. (What is more dysfunctional than the Pharaoh's family?)
God will use anyone no matter their past.
It is easy to see why Moses struggled with insecurity. He felt inadequate in his abilities. He knew he had a sinful past. He lost his entire family, twice. The man had issues!
One of the verses that was brought up the other night was Psalms 68:6
"God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity."
God restored Moses and placed him in a family after He had lost everything. Then, when God called Moses back to Egypt to deliver His people, He reunited him with his long lost biological brother and sister plus about a million of his closest relatives!
God knows how to restore! He will restore whatever has been stolen from us, including our security.
We need to uncover the roots of our insecurity. Some questions Beth Moore suggests is to ask yourself.....
1. What am I afraid of?
2. Who am I afraid of?
3. What are we afraid of losing?
4. Why are we afraid of being displaced?
What is it you are afraid of and how do you react when faced with that fear? In our study the other night, the ladies came up with some good suggestions.
Stop. Breathe. Pray.
Pull out scripture (such as 2 Corinthians 10:5). Use your God knowledge: Know He will defend you.
Reason can also work at times. Sometimes thoughts come into our heads that are just plain crazy and we know they are not true. It is easy to dismiss those thoughts.
There is so much more I could say. I cannot go into everything we learned and discussed Monday night; this post would be way too long. I want to end with two scriptures to encourage you when you feel inadequate as Moses felt. These are two verses Beth used in the study as well.
"And He (the Lord) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Cor 12:9
His never ending grace is sufficient. When we mess up, when we say the wrong thing, when we do not feel adequate.....His grace is sufficient.
When we are weak, He is strong.
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46: 10
or as the New American Standard Bible says it: "Cease striving and know that I am God."
"Ceases striving" and rest in the Lord. Know that He approves of you.
He knows everything about us. He knows all our weaknesses, and chooses to use us anyway. I believe one of the reasons He does use us in spite of ourselves is so we KNOW it is Him accomplishing His work, not us. It is so we can boast in Him and not get full of ourselves.
I could go on and on about all we are learning! I encourage you to get Beth Moore's book "So Long Insecurity" if you have ever felt insecure. If you have, know that you are in good company with some of the Bible's most popular people used by God in significant ways.
God wants to use you in a significant way. It doesn't matter what you have done or what your family's history presents.....God sees beyond all that to the person He created you to be. God sees what we cannot see in ourselves. When he calls, let's not tell him all the reasons we cannot. We just need to answer "yes" and trust Him with the rest.
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