"Overcoming Insecurity" Part I

*When a person is insecure, you feel like you always have to keep them happy.
*Can't use "insecurity" as an excuse to stay in bondage.
*God wants us to be confident and bold and know who we are in Him.
*If you choose to continue to live by those feelings, you are going to miss most of what Jesus dies for you to have.
*Time to grow up and get over it (like a teen to adulthood)
*It is time for me to read what's in the Bible, believe it, and ACT like I believe it.
It's not about feelings--it's about making a decision.  Make a decision to live a certain way and the feelings will follow.
*Symptoms to look for when righteousness is missing:

• lack of joy and peace
• lack of boldness especially in prayer-- Eph. 3:20--ask for things you know you don't deserve and what you think are impossible.  BOLDNESS!  (Hebrews 4:15-16 & Philippians 3:3)
• None of our worth or value is tied up in degrees or letters behind our names.
• Without Him, we are nothing.
• Tired of phoniness and keeping up with everyone else?

Other symptoms:

• comparing ourselves to everyone else and compete with them.  Or become someone else.  Don't pray by the clock, read by the clock, study by the clock, worship by the clock--and eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full :)
• Why can't we leave people alone and let God deal with them?
• If trying something someone else is doing and start to get frustrated, stop and ask God what HE wants for you.
• If you're insecure, you live in a lot of fear. 
• Easily offended.  Talk negatively about themselves.  They do that sometimes so other people will talk them up.  Need excessive amounts of encouragement.
• Cannot receive correction from God or anyone else.  Touchy, touchy, touchy...people who already feel bad about themselves go berserk when they are corrected.  Correction comes across as rejection.

[CD series: "I'm Okay and I'm on My Way"]