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May 18, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n The Invitation of Insecurity<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you. This is the LORD\u2019s declaration.\u201d Jeremiah 1:8 (CSB)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n For most of my life, I was only ever equipped with one response to insecurity: Fight it.<\/em> This was the single tool in my self-esteem tool belt because it was the only tool that had ever been handed to me.<\/p>\n Both inside and outside the Church, I was taught to fear insecurity and to treat it like an attack. Whenever I felt insecure about myself, I assumed that I must have fallen prey to some terrible lie and that my only option was to launch a counterattack with a barrage of positive self-affirmations.<\/p>\n And sometimes that is<\/em> exactly the response I need! Whenever my insecurities are rooted in a lie, a wound, or shame from my past, I absolutely need the healing balm of God\u2019s loving Truth.<\/p>\n But not all insecurity is rooted in a lie about ourselves. Sometimes our insecurities are telling us something true about ourselves that we actually need to hear, and we will miss this lesson if we immediately shoo all insecurity away.<\/p>\n That is a lesson Jeremiah learned early in his ministry. When God first appointed Jeremiah to be His prophet, he was not yet 20 years old, considerably younger than the prophets before him. He had neither the life experience nor the leadership experience that the role would require, and because of this, he was deeply insecure. So insecure, in fact, that he tried to turn down the role:<\/p>\n \u201cBut I protested, \u2018Oh no, Lord GOD! Look, I don\u2019t know how to speak since I am only a youth.\u2019 Then the LORD said to me: Do not say, \u2018I am only a youth,\u2019 for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you. This is the LORD\u2019s declaration\u201d<\/em> (Jeremiah 1:6-8, CSB).<\/p>\n Notice that God did not affirm Jeremiah. Instead, God affirmed Himself<\/em>. Why? Because Jeremiah\u2019s insecurities highlighted something he needed to understand:<\/p>\n Sometimes we feel insecure because we are standing<\/em> on something insecure.<\/strong><\/p>\n Jeremiah was standing on his own ability instead of God\u2019s. And very often, that is what our insecurity is trying to tell us too.<\/p>\n When our confidence begins to shake, it\u2019s a good sign we are standing on something shaky. Whether it\u2019s our outward appearance; our performance at work; or our role as a wife, mom, or friend, these make for incredibly unstable foundations \u2026 and insecurity is one of the first “yellow flags” warning that our foundation is faulty.<\/p>\n These days, I have stopped responding to my insecurities by immediately fighting them. Instead, I have learned to get curious. Sometimes my insecurities are indeed the result of shame or a lie, but sometimes they contain valuable information I want to hear.<\/p>\n I want to stand firm on Jesus \u2014 because He doesn\u2019t shake.<\/strong><\/p>\n Loving Father, when insecurity arises inside of me, help me to be curious, discern its truest source, and find my security in You. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n If you would like to experience greater freedom from insecurity, grab a copy of Sharon\u2019s book Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It\u2019s Not about You<\/em>.<\/p>\n To go even deeper, check out Sharon\u2019s 40-day devotional, Gazing at God: A 40-Day Journey to Greater Freedom from Self<\/em>.<\/p>\n If you would like to connect with Sharon online, be sure to follow her on Instagram at @sharonhmiller. You can also learn more about her at SharonHoddeMiller.com.<\/p>\n Matthew 7:24-27, \u201cTherefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn\u2019t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn\u2019t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash\u201d (CSB).<\/p>\n What is one insecurity in your life that might be pointing to a \u201csandy\u201d foundation? We\u2019d love to hear from you in the comments!<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Sharon Hodde Miller. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries
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