It seems we have an epidemic of insecure people in our society today. People have an identity crisis because they don’t know who they are. They try to find their identity in who they know, their position at work, their academic degrees, what they own, the clothes they wear…and the list goes on.
Insecurity involves our thoughts and shows up in the way we think and feel about ourselves. So I want to ask you: What do you think about yourself? How do you feel about yourself? Do you compare yourself with others and feel belittled or threatened around people who can do things you can’t do or have things you don’t have?
It’s not God’s will for us to be insecure and live in fear. First John 4:18 (NIV) says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear….” God loves you and He wants you to learn to be all you are in Christ. Because when you know who you are in Christ, you will be secure in your worth as a child of God.
Is It About Your Who or Your Do?
For more than 45 years now, I’ve been teaching God’s Word. He put a desire in my heart to help people by sharing the gospel and showing them how to grow in their faith in Christ, and He gave me a gift to be a communicator. By His grace, our ministry has grown and we have the privilege today of reaching millions of people around the world with our Enjoying Everyday Life show on TV, radio and online.
It’s been an amazing journey, and I feel so humbled by the way God has used me to share Christ and help people in need. But if I ever stop teaching the Word publicly, I’ll still have value because I’m a child of God and He loves me. My identity is not this ministry—I am more than that because of who I am in Christ.
The truth is, our worth, or value, is not based on what we do. We find our value in knowing we’re created by God to be His children, knowing Christ, having Him as our Savior and living in relationship with God, secure in His love for us.
It’s important to understand that we can’t earn God’s love; it’s a gift He offers that we receive by faith. And He wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us because He loves us. Every person is equally valuable to God!
Where’s Your Confidence?
In the Amplified Bible, Philippians 3:3 says that “we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh.”
This Scripture clearly tells us we shouldn’t get our confidence from how we look, who we know, what we have or what we do. We “place no confidence in the flesh,” and are confident in who we are in Christ: loved, forgiven, redeemed, “the righteousness of God [that is…acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness]” (2 Cor. 5:21, AMP).
As a child of God, you are a unique creation, and I want to encourage you to value and respect the person He made you to be. I’m not talking about accepting sin in your life, but when you’ve submitted yourself to God, confessed your sin and received His forgiveness, then you can be all He created you to be and enjoy your life!
True joy comes when you know who you are in Christ and you can focus on reaching out to others, helping to make their lives better. And it all starts with knowing God loves you, that His love is unconditional, and you can’t buy His love with any amount of good works.
God’s love for us is based on who He is, not on us—who we are or how good we are. When you have a revelation of how much He loves you, it makes you secure and you can confidently say, “God loves me. He has a good plan for me. I trust Him, and everything in my life is going to work out for good—in Christ!”
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Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 140 books, including “Battlefield of the Mind” and “Loving People Who Are Hard to Love” (FaithWords). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit www.joycemeyer.org.
Please note: The views and opinions expressed throughout this publication and/or website are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Joyce Meyer Ministries.
