Recently I have grown to hate the word insecurity and everything that comes with it. No one likes the feeling of insecurities, but I believe that everyone deals with them, myself included. The one thing that is always linked with insecurity is identity. I have noticed when I have an insecure moment, I have also forgotten who I am. The moment that you stop listening to who God says you are and you start listening to the lies of the enemy, insecurities creep in.

Wait, did you know that? Did you know that you have an enemy?

John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came so that they may have life and have it abundantly (esv)."

There are two parts to this verse. The first is that you have an enemy. You have an enemy that wants to steal your joy, and he wants to destroy your identity. We tend to forget about the plans of the enemy only because we can’t see them. I do not think the problem is not seeing, the problem is not realizing what you are seeing. We have to learn to point out and call out the schemes of Satan. How do you do that? You become confident in God’s plan. You become consumed by the promises of Jesus so that when an attack of the enemy does come, you can destroy a lie with the Truth.

The problem with insecurities is that it leaves room for the enemy to attack. If you google the definition to insecurity, you get two definitions. The first definition is the obvious: lack of confidence. But the second definition shook me.

Insecurity: the state of being open to danger or threat; lack of protection.

When you are walking in insecurity you are more susceptible to the attack of the enemy. I believe that yes, Satan can throw lies at you that makes you insecure. I believe that Satan is to blame for a lot of things, but when do we stop giving him credit for things that we are bringing upon ourselves?

Satan will speak lies to you, but you have the power to decide what you are going to do with those lies.

Will you cling to them and allow them to rule your life, always walking in insecurity, or will you combat them with truth and walk in freedom? If you choose to hold on to them, then you, yourself are choosing to be in the state of being open to danger, threat, and lack of protection.

The best way to defeat the bondage of insecurity is to learn to speak life over yourself. No one else is going to be able to do this for you. You can’t rely on the compliments and encouragement of other people. Those compliments you receive from others fade in and out, but the word of God is everlasting. So, in order to speak life over yourself, you are going to have to read God’s word.

You are going to have to make a daily effort to audibly speak the same words that God is constantly speaking over you.

I get up every morning and before I walk out the door I speak a declaration over myself. Some days I don’t believe in what I am saying, but I still make an effort to speak them out loud. I can guarantee that if you start doing the same thing that you will start to notice a difference in how you carry yourself and how you treat those around you. Once you learn your identity, your insecurities will become easier to fight.

The second part of the verse is a promise that God has made, but your insecurities could be the very thing stopping you from having an abundant life. There are two plans for your life, but only one leads to the abundant life:

Satan’s Plan:

• He speaks a lie over you
• You do not fight with Truth, so you take hold of a new, incorrect identity
• Your unsureness of who you are leads to insecurities
• Your insecurities open the door for more lies from the enemies
• You start walking in insecurity and living your life in confusion
• Your insecurities keep you from living an abundant life

God’s Plan:

• God speaks life into you through His word
• You fall head over heels, completely in love with God and His promises
• Through Jesus, you learn to love yourself and obtain a stable identity
• You start walking in freedom, love, and security in who you are in Jesus
• You're able to obtain and live the abundant life that Jesus promised
• Attacks from Satan come, and he speaks a lie over you
• But you swerve, because you now know how to speak life over yourself
• Your abundant life and joy leads other people to Christ
• You start the cycle over, because it’s called a daily walk, not a 'one and done walk'

At the end of the day you have to remember that you have the power to make a change. You have the power to stop walking in insecurity and start walking in freedom. If you learn who God says you are, then the lies of the enemy will begin to seem irrelevant. It’s not easy, nor is it effortless, but it will allow you to live life to the fullest.