Series 5 of 7: Overcoming the Spirit of Insecurity, Ep 23
Welcome Back! I am your host, Dawn Simmons, and in this episode of Conquering Our Unseen Enemies we are continuing our focus on our 7-part series for the next 3 weeks including this week, which is the remainder of 2022. We started the series discussing the Spirit of Bitterness, we've also talked about the Spirit of Strife, the Spirit of Impatience and the Spirit of Accusation. This week we are going to be discussing the spirit of Insecurity. This is a hard one for many of us to evict so it is important to discuss. This series focuses on 7 demons that are so common in our lives that I want to address them openly and focus on understanding them and evicting them as we end 2022. The plan is to enable us to start 2023 with a new heart for the Lord, but the plan got even better which I will share again in a moment as a refresh. With 2 weeks left after this week, the 2 demons we will be addressing in the next 2 weeks are: Worry, and Cursing. Then on week 8, we will have a wonderful new beginning as we enter into 2023.
To remind you how this series began, as I sat down to hear from the Lord on specifically what content He wanted included, it became clear He wanted me to address the marriage between Him and His church. This is what He asked me to share with you, these are His words for you, not mine.
"There are mainstay areas that need to be cleared out so people can move on and develop their time and relationship with Me in a new way and rid themselves of their heavy burdens and areas that have controlled them or limited them. Break chains and release them for more. My love is waiting to heal deep wounds. Some will think it cannot be done, but they are closing their heart and mind and believing the same lies the devil told Eve and created the first divide. I came to create a bridge over all divides until the divide can be resolved once and for all. You are to show people there is a bridge, they are to take a step onto it and I will meet them there. That's all I ask. Some will walk farther than others, it doesn't matter, I'm on the bridge waiting for everyone."
When the Lord said at the beginning, there are "mainstay areas" I wanted to make sure I understood what He meant. The definition of Mainstay is: a person or thing on which something else is based or depends. (idols, incorrect understanding of Him, demonic influences) He said there are mainstay areas that need to be cleared so we can develop our time and relationship with Him. In doing that we will rid ourselves of burdens and things that have controlled or limited us. He specifically said we need to break chains. Friends, He wants us to get rid of demonic influences in our lives that are holding us back from our John 10:10 relationship with Him. The fullness He can provide. Whatever wounds we have, He can heal them, He is willing, He is able if we come to Him. The enemy created a divide with sin, but Jesus came to redeem us and as a result provide us a bridge over that divide, so it no longer exists for us. The only thing he asks is that we take a step onto that bridge. That's it. He knows some of us will take one step, some will take ten, some will run up on it to meet him. He just asks us to take a step to meet him. So, let's work some more on getting things out of our way so we can get ourselves to that bridge.
The Spirit of Insecurity is a quiet spirit. Most of us experience insecurity in some area at some level. We generally don't share that feeling of insecurity with others, we keep it to ourselves, sometimes deep inside and that can allow it to grow. Our insecurities can also trigger temptations that produce bad fruit if we allow the temptations to develop to fruition, no pun intended. We need to acknowledge the consequences for our bad choices and be honest about when we lack self-control versus when we are being demonized. In both cases, we need to be responsible for evicting the enemy when we are being demonized as well as developing self-control. This becomes more challenging when we are keeping our insecurities to ourselves versus seeking support. Let's dig deeper into the Spirit of Insecurity so we can understand how he operates and who he operates with against us.
The Spirit of Insecurity is a strongman demon. You will likely see the demon or also referred to as the Spirit of Inferiority, self-pity, the spirit of loneliness, timidity, the spirit of shyness, inadequacy and the spirit of ineptness working together with Insecurity. Once the spirit of insecurity has a foothold, accusation can easily begin to operate as well. One demon we will be discussing next week, Cursing will also be able to easily maneuver its way into our lives if we don't recognize it working to influence us.
I want to take a minute and discuss something I think is important to circle back to because I haven't discussed it in several episodes. We don't ever want to live our lives thinking there is a demon around every corner or that demons are responsible for every bad thing in our life or give excuses for our behavior that a demon is responsible and not us. I talk about these demons or spirits and explain who they will associate with so we can discern, not excuse. Demonization is real and I want to respect the difference between demonization and our lack of self-control or willingness to maintain control. I hope that makes sense because we never want to be about excuses.
Ok, back to Insecurity. We are going to go through some real examples of people dealing with Insecurity and how it has entangled their lives and reveal what the Bible tells us about it.
I want to share with you a conversation recently that really, really bothered me. The reason I am sharing it with you is because I want you to be aware that there are people out there claiming to be Christian and saying things like this that lead others astray. We need to know that this sort of heresy, blasphemy, lie, evil, misguided, lost and incredibly stupid theology exists, yes I said stupid and even though I have a chance to change it before you hear this, I am not going to change it. A new believer, who was struggling, asked for evidence supporting the existence of Christ and Christianity as a whole. Now I say new believer only because that is what he called himself. In my opinion, you cannot ask that question and be a believer at the same time. You either believe Christ existed and died for your sins or he did not. Black or White here, no gray. I would never say this to this new believer, it just tells me more about what he is going to need as a he develops a relationship with Jesus in order to stand strong. Anyhow, he was asking for evidence because there is an insecurity in his understanding and beliefs. This is exactly what this demon wants to do, have you question Jesus' very existence. If he didn't exist, he can't be your savior. While I am happy that this guy was reaching out and asking for help, it brings to mind the parable Jesus gave us in Matthew 13 about the seed falling on rocky ground and dying out soon. I want to point this out so you can be mindful of this going on around you to help new believers develop. Now let me tell you about the answer he got that I hope you find as scary as I did coming from someone who is also claiming to be Christian. Understand this is not attack fellow Christians day, but it is discern demonic influence in Christian beliefs day. Ok, so this is the response…so remember the question was asking for evidence supporting the existence of Christ and Christianity…the answer was this… he was guided to instead of look for this evidence, develop his relationship with God, I agree with that except that if I were to be more specific, it’s a relationship with Jesus, since Jesus tells us in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Let me just get to the part that I thought I misunderstood when it was first said, "we must establish our relationship with the holy spirit and not take the bible as god's word but simply a book about god. This guy called it an important book, but it is not holy, not perfect and using it as a replacement for your relationship with god and the good sense god gave you is idolatry." That, my friends, is an entirely demonic response given to someone who does not know better. That is satan from the beginning to the end because it is designed to take us away from the Word. If we do not know the Word, we will forever be influenced by satan to draw us away. So let's see what God has to say about His Word. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." That's John 1:1.
So what would you do if you asked a question or heard someone ask the question and someone gave a response similar to the one above. It's not uncommon for the Christian community to ask questions of each other. We want to be able to have those relationships and mentor people, right. Well, if I got that response, I would say, I rebuke that, that is not the truth and then quote the scripture. You might think that is a bit harsh, but understand that response was purely demonic. At the end of every podcast I say, "we encourage you to have an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and is required for the gift of spiritual discernment." You don't have to be a Bible scholar, Jesus isn't asking for that, some people unfortunately get intimidated by the Bible. You just have to read so you know, hey, what that guy said isn't right and go find in the Bible.. the truth. That is how we equip ourselves to know when the enemy is coming at us with lies. That is also how we defeat our own insecurities of lack of knowledge. Jesus always responded to satan with the correct use of scripture and so should we.
Ok, so we went on a slight tangent from where I was wanting to go, let's get back on track. Let's talk about a woman I know who reached out to me for help, we will, of course, call her Jane. Jane is in her 40's, never married, though she would like to be and is lonely. She does not have a stable income, or a stable home situation and is unable to maintain a job. Jane is demonized by the Spirit of Insecurity joined by inadequacy, ineptness and inferiority. There are others as well not a part of the Insecurity strongman, but Insecurity is one who controls a lot of what she does. She has a serious issue with self-pity, and to be completely transparent, has a victim mentality because she is unable to admit her faults. She has a lot of loneliness because she seeks her security in relationships with men, but not healthy relationships, primarily sexually driven so they don't last long and she is not valued by these men. Her self-worth is then affected. She is in a cycle that she has been unable to get out of on her own. There are not a lot of people out there who are demonized at the level of Jane. She is on the extreme end of the spectrum, but she gives us a clear picture of what can happen when it gets out of control. Ultimately, Jane has to be willing to work on the root causes that drive her behaviors and reactions. Jane is a deliverance case and in the time I have spent with her, we have been able to clear out lower level demons, but Jane has not yet been able to completely evict all her demonic influences. If you can, pray for her. The Lord knows her real name and he will know who you are referring to when you pray. Jane has a long road ahead of her because as soon as we are able to evict one demon, she instantly fills the void with something else that is not of the Lord. Insecurity is a lack of trust, a lack of confidence. The one thing in our lives we know we can count on is Jesus. Without the ability to trust in Jesus, we will not be able to grow. James tells it to us this way in James 1:6, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."
One of my favorite scriptures I keep in my scripture journal is Jeremiah 17:7-8, "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
One of the best things you can do to rid yourself of Insecurity is read the Bible. If you read, you begin to know who God is, see the coming of Jesus, understand Jesus and understand the truth of our lives in Him. You will know why you feel the way you do about decisions you make and will be less influenced by anything that is not God's plan for your life. That is Security in Him.
How do we go from experiencing Insecurity to Security in Him, well, I have our 5 steps to Security in Him:
1. Acknowledge it: We have to be able to admit our insecurities and be willing to step outside of our comfort zone to change and develop. Make a list of all the areas where you know the spirit of Insecurity has impacted your life.
2. Understand it: Identify our insecurities and why we have them. What are our triggers. Do not accept the enemy lies as truth.
3. Repent: Rebuke the enemy and seek the Lord for guidance. Find a scripture to stand on for your rebuke such as Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight." That scripture is relatively easy to remember but it speaks volumes as to your intentions and how you plan to anchor your life moving forward. The enemy already knows the scripture is true, by saying it in your rebuke, you are letting the enemy know you know it too.
4. Replace it: Our security comes from the Lord, we need to take all the areas the enemy previously occupied and submit them to the Lord. We want to ask the Lord to reveal the truth in all situations. Invite the Holy Spirit into the situation. If we are going to evict the enemy and his influence, we need to replace insecurity and fill ourselves with the truth and trust in what the Holy Spirit provides.
5. Be accountable: This step is important because Insecurity will quietly come back and try to pull you into being shy about your struggle. Find someone you can lean on to help you as you build and develop in strength. Meet with that person regularly. Make a plan to develop yourself in all those areas you know you have insecurities. Refer to the list you made in step 1. Tackle one at a time if it's a long list. Make it manageable.
I hope this has been helpful to you. If you know anyone who is experiencing any of the issues we are addressing in this 7 part series, please share this podcast. Addressing these demonic influences and getting them out of our lives is life changing if we are willing.
Ok so as always let's recap the Top Show Points:
· We are continuing our focus on our 7-part series for the next 3 weeks, which is the remainder of 2022. We started the series discussing the Spirit of Bitterness, then the Spirit of Strife, Impatience and Accusation. This week we are going to be discussing the spirit of Insecurity.
· A few weeks ago I sat down to hear from the Lord on specifically what content He wanted included, it became clear He wanted me to address the marriage between Him and His church. I shared what He wanted me to share with you.
· The Spirit of Insecurity is a quiet spirit. Most of us experience insecurity in some area at some level. We generally don't share that feeling of insecurity with others, we keep it to ourselves, sometimes deep inside and that can allow it to grow.
· The Spirit of Insecurity is a strongman demon. You will likely see the demon or also referred to as the Spirit of Inferiority, self-pity, the spirit of loneliness, timidity, the spirit of shyness, inadequacy and the spirit of ineptness working together with Insecurity.
· We don't ever want to live our lives thinking there is a demon around every corner or that demons are responsible for every bad thing in our life or give excuses for our behavior that a demon is responsible and not us. I talk about these demons or spirits and explain who they will associate with so we can discern, not excuse.
· Example of people out there claiming to be Christian and saying things like this that lead others astray. The story of an unbiblical response referring to the bible as a book.
· John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
· Importance of an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and is required for the gift of spiritual discernment." You don't have to be a Bible scholar, Jesus isn't asking for that, some people unfortunately get intimidated by the Bible. You just have to read so you know, hey, what that guy said isn't right and go find in the Bible.. the truth. That is how we equip ourselves to know when the enemy is coming at us with lies. That is also how we defeat our own insecurities of lack of knowledge. Jesus always responded to satan with the correct use of scripture and so should we.
· Example of Jane who is demonized by the Spirit of Insecurity joined by inadequacy, ineptness and inferiority.
· James 1:6, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."
· Jeremiah 17:7-8, "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
· One of the best things you can do to rid yourself of Insecurity is read the Bible.
· 5 steps to Security in Him:
o Acknowledge it: We have to be able to admit our insecurities and be willing to step outside of our comfort zone to change and develop. Make a list of all the areas where you know the spirit of Insecurity has impacted your life.
o Understand it: Identify our insecurities and why we have them. What are our triggers. Do not accept the enemy lies as truth.
o Repent: Rebuke the enemy and seek the Lord for guidance. Find a scripture to stand on for your rebuke such as Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."
o Replace it: Our security comes from the Lord, we need to take all the areas the enemy previously occupied and submit them to the Lord. We need to replace insecurity and fill ourselves with the truth and trust in what the Holy Spirit provides.
o Be accountable: This step is important because Insecurity will quietly come back and try to pull you into being shy about your struggle. Find someone you can lean on to help you as you build and develop in strength. Meet with that person regularly. Make a plan to develop yourself in all those areas you know you have insecurities. Refer to the list you made in step 1.
We encourage you:
· To have an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and it is required for the gift of spiritual discernment
· Also, I want to encourage you to visit our website and join our Warrior community. I am working on planning some live events and the only way to be included in that is to be a part of our Warrior Community. Just visit our website, www.conqueringourunseenenemies.com, and join from the Home page or the Resources page.
I have enjoyed our time this week and look forward to spending time with you again next week!
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