INSECURITY

INSECURITY

Job 11:18

And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. 
Psalm 112:8 
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

                         

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ost of us who have spent years of our lives imprisoned in the bondage of addictions, and the dysfunctional consequences that accompany such behavior, do so because we struggle with insecurity. In most cases it’s what led us into our addictions to begin with, and it’s what keeps us in our addictions! We are so insecure that we feel hopeless, and in most 12-step addiction recovery programs we’re told that we are powerless, hopeless, i.e.; “once a drunk or addict, always a drunk or addict,” and have an incurable disease, which only reinforces our insecurity. It’s our insecurity that keeps us paralyzed into believing that we can trust no one, not man or God! We’re told we should remain anonymous, which prevents us from facing or admitting our true identity. That we should hide behind a mask of false identity, rather than face the ugly reality of who we really are. Living in anonymity is like living in a closet and prevents us from facing the truth of who we really are and until we know who we are, we can never be set free. It’s like looking in a mirror and asking “who are you”? The only way to recovery is to know exactly who we are. We must remove the many masks of anonymity that we've acquired throughout our addictions, face the hard truth of who we really are, and step out of denial before we can begin recovery.

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hen we can begin to work on our insecurity which can be a long painful process of discovering who we really are. Most of us have used our drugs and alcohol to bury and hide the painful past of our lives, and to unveil those memories without our usual “painkillers” can be excruciating. This is where many fall victim to relapse because they just can’t handle the truth! It is too painful. This is where the strong survive, and the weak fail. This is where we need God the most, and for those who refuse to seek His help at this juncture in recovery, the future is bleak. None of us can win this battle on our own. This is where many alcoholics and addicts fail, and relapse over and over again because they refuse to surrender their lives and wills to Almighty God. Perhaps because most addiction recovery programs fail to clearly exemplify exactly who the one true living Almighty God is! We cannot pray and ask help from a false idol or some undefined “higher power,” or “god as we understand him,” and expect The True Almighty God, our Creator, to hear our prayer or answer it! Our recovery and our security can only be found in a close personal relationship with God the Father, and His Son Jesus!        

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any of us started our addictive behavior at an early age, as children, and as the result of growing up in a dysfunctional home, where drug and alcohol use and abuse was prevalent, resulting in the absence of love, affection, attention, encouragement, and guidance in our lives from our parents. Some of us were fortunate enough to have an older sibling or other family member, a neighbor or school teacher to take us under their wing, and provide us with those necessary fundamental life skills that are essential in our childhood development. For the rest of us however, without them, we fell victim to a vicious cycle of following in our parents footsteps.     

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arents who attempt to raise children while under the influence of drugs and alcohol are usually too involved in their own dysfunctions too adequately attend to their children’s needs. They are incapable of providing a child’s most basic needs. In simple reality, this leads to a form of abandonment and neglect, which is a form of child abuse! This is the beginning of our insecurity. Love, affection, attention, encouragement, and guidance are critical in building self-esteem in children, which is needed to overcome insecurity and build confidence. Without those characteristics instilled in a child’s life, they are likely to be influenced by others of similar backgrounds and characteristics, and will end up getting involved in drugs, alcohol, crime, and other dangerous behaviors, to fill the void created by their insecurity, to give them a sense of false security and self-esteem or self-worth and purpose.

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s God fearing, born again children of god, all of the above information should be of insignificant value. While it explains some of the basic behavioral characteristics of children and alcoholics and addicts who don’t know Christ, as Christians we are commanded to turn from, and repent of our “drunkenness.” Acts 26:20, “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” We should be raising our children according to His Word, Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” and our security should rest solely on His purpose and will for our lives. Proverbs 14:26, “Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.” 

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hy are so many Christians struggling with addictions in the Church today, when His Word tells us that He will set us free? There are many reasons to choose from, but the primary central one that feeds all the others can be traced to satan and his deception. To the fact that we’re in spiritual warfare, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) If we don’t focus on God’s Word, and become like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, and examine and study His Word daily to compare it with what we’re being told by others, and in many of our churches today, we will continue to be lost as we head down the “wide road to destruction.” Matthew 7:13-15, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:14, Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15, Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." As long as we choose to trust our addiction recovery with any mortal man or program created by one, our future, welfare, security, as well as our sobriety is at risk!

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s Christians, none of this should be news to you if you’re reading and studying God’s Word. As God-fearing, born again and saved Christians, and parents, we should recognize according to His Word, that drunkenness is forbidden and we must repent and turn from it. As Christians in addiction recovery we should understand that there is a difference between getting “drunk,” or “high,” and “drunkenness.” Getting drunk is a singular act, or a single sin, where “drunkenness” is a plural action or a form of behavior, or sinful behavior. This is where things get out of control. We’ve turned our backs on God and are living a worldly lifestyle, under satan’s control. 2 Peter 3:17, Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. God is perfectly clear that we cannot serve two masters! Matthew 6:24, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.   

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e lose all sense of security when living in sin. As Christians, our security is in our Salvation, which is in Christ, and Christ Crucified, not in the world or anything it has to offer. Hebrews 6:19, We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. To gain a strong sense of security we must learn who we are in Christ. What His purpose in life is for us. Many Christians miss out on God’s blessings because they become “pew potatoes,” they fail to pick up their cross and follow and serve God. He has a special plan for each and every one of us, and until we discover and act upon it out of Faith, we will never know who we are in Him. Once we begin to discover who we are in him, we’ll start to feel secure in our Faith and believe His words in Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Our confidence will grow, our blessings will multiply, our trials will diminish, and those trials that do appear will be easier to bear. Our addictions, and the pain and suffering that they inflicted, should become a distant memory. We should be able to look in the mirror and smile as we see a reflection of Jesus, and tell Him, “thank you Lord, for saving me and allowing me to be “SAVED and SOBER”!