I Changed My Mind About Insecurity | Jimmy Evans

it is so good to be with you and we're going to continue in this series this morning I changed my mind if you have your Bibles there if you'll turn to Psalm 91 and I'll also be here next week talking about a another installment in this messy as I spoke two weeks ago about this and pastor Tom spoke last week didn't pastor Tom do a good job I can tell your attitudes are all better since the last time I was here this this message is called I changed my mind about insecurity and I'm going to talk about the issue of insecurity that we all deal with and how to live a secure life different than the way the world lives now this stay there in Psalm 91 if you would but this is our scripture for this entire series it's Romans 12:2 it says do not be conformed to this world and that word conformed literally means like a schematic to be identical to the way the world thinks but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that word transformed is where we get our word metamorphosis and that's why the graphic of this series is a butterfly is a complete transformation from a cocoon to being a beautiful butterfly and that's what's supposed to happen and it says that you may be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God now I want to say this now and I know that you'll agree with me but but this is the issue that we're dealing with as believers we should think differently than we did when we were unbelievers and as believers we should live differently than the world lives we are the salt and we are the light of the world that's what Jesus says and for us to be the salt and light it just simply means we're not arrogant we're not self-righteous but once we become saved our minds become saved you can be on your way to heaven but you have an unsaved mind in other words you're thinking you're conformed to the world you're handling problems you're dealing with situations the same as an unsaved person would and we're all that way until our minds become transformed and so we're talking about this wonderful gift that we have of being able to change our mind so listen to me God doesn't control your thoughts the devil doesn't control your thoughts no one controls your thoughts but you you're the gatekeeper of your mind you decide what comes in and once it's there you decide what states and regardless of where you've been in life and the circumstances that you've had in life and the family that you came from in the culture that you came from understand we have the ability to expose to challenge and to expel any thought that is in our minds right now that doesn't belong there we also have the ability to read to believe and to accept the Bible and to allow it to come into our minds and change the way we think and when you change the way you think you change everything about your lives and it's a critical part of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ and this issue of insecurity let me define insecurity for this two minute but it just means a lack of confidence and basically on a personal level I lack confidence or I lacked security it means feelings of anxiety and uncertainty about myself is I just don't feel sure of myself I don't I don't feel certain about it in there's a different ways that we can be insecure one is called global insecurity and I'll tell you Karen's story in just a minute but when I met Karen I've never met a more insecure person in my life than Karen 40 years ago I met Karen 43 years ago we've been married 40 years last week but we dated for three years thank you very much thank you we met in biology class in high school and I thought Karen was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life and loved her from the first moment I saw her but she hated herself she had thoughts of suicide self-harm she thought she was fat ugly stupid she actually thought that there was something wrong with her mentally and it couldn't be changed and so I'll tell you just a minute Karen's story of how God transformed her life and and freed her from insecurities there's also you know kind of situational insecurity I was always a very confident person but I had areas of insecurity in my life so it might not be that you're just a completely insecure person but I believe that every single person deals with the issue of insecurity and we deal with it in some way some people Karen if you would have known Karen 40 years ago you would have walked up and in 30 seconds she would have known this was a very insecure person I mean just the way she carried herself she was just very shy very insecure but I dealt with my insecurities different in fact the more insecure I felt the more macho I acted and so if you walked up to me if you walked up to Karen and you were kind of intimidating to her she would just cow down and just going to you know I kind of just a you know a real shy type of a way if you came to me and made me feel insecure I'd shoved my chest out at you in jest Anna stare at you but I was insecure on the outside I was acting macho let me say this you all deal with insecurities we all deal with insecurities in our own lives whether it's right or wrong whether it's turning to God or turning to a substance whether it's godly or not godly I believe that every single individual feels insecure at times and we deal with that and it's either an opportunity for God or the devil all of our insecurities we're going to deal with them in some way right or wrong and it's going to become an opportunity for God or the devil let me say this you'll either live your life insecure falsely secure or secure in God and the only true answer for insecurity is a personal relationship with God you'll hear me say that through this entire message that is the answer and the world does not have security in God when the Bible says don't be conformed to this world it's saying don't solve your problems the way the world solves problems let me say I said you know that I'm telling you the truth the world finds security in money right and there are financial instruments that are called securities but I think in 2008 we learned they're not so secure right there's a woman from the Texas Panhandle there's a one of the families that found a lot of the oil and gas in the Texas Panhandle and I grew up in a community with their name everywhere there were very philanthropic people hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of million dollars and good people they were just very generous people one of our pastors before he came on our staff he was a stained glass artist and he was doing some work in one of her home she had homes all over the world she had an apartment in New York City she was a huge donor to the Metropolitan Opera and so she had been robbed at knifepoint in New York City in her apartment there in robbed of jewelry artwork things like that so one of our pastors before he became one of our pastors is in her home doing some work there and she just sat down next to him and started talking to him and here's what she told him I live in constant everyday fear that I'm gonna get killed for my money and a lot of us would think or maybe we would hope that we would get enough money to feel secure see actually she had hundreds of millions of dollars and it was a source of rent security if you believe that money will make you secure your to see Jesus called it the deceitfulness of riches money's a blessing money's a good thing listen money's important God is essential and money can bring some security God can bring total security and the Apostle Paul said I have learned to be content in whatever manner I'm in in need or in abundance in other words what Paul was saying is I'm secure regardless of how much money I've got in my pocket or don't have when God is in our lives we can be secure the world finds security and appearance in looks it's something that's you know it's unbelievable the the level of importance this is placed and if we're not careful as believers we'll do the same thing it's good to look good it's good to look your best that's an important thing you know that's something I think that we would all want to do but but I want to tell you the truth and this is just so I'm gonna give you the bottom line and you're in a battle with gravity and gravity's gonna win it's gonna suck your skin to the floor kill you and drag you in the grave and I'm sure you can tell by now I have the gift of encouragement and I use it I use it well but I turned 60 this year you know so you know my body's saying thank you god bless you down here yeah but I turned 60 this year we have grandkids they want to go the pool all the time swimming pool so this is pool season I put my fake tan stuff on just to give me a little bit more confidence but I've decided that my job at the swimming pool is to make everyone feel better about their bodies it's actually a ministry I'll walk by and people say thank God I don't look like that and I'll say Lord another life touch for you so you know your looks gonna change and it's good to put up a good fight against gravity I mean it's good it's good to give it a go but you lose and if you put your confidence in your appearance you will live an insecure life notice what I'm about to say the group of people that has the lowest self-esteem of almost any group of people are fashion models and you would think these beautiful women would have high self esteem they have part of the lowest self-esteem of any group because they're constantly comparing themselves for each other it's their there in this industry that is just brutal in the way that it treats women I think it's exploitive and I think it's wrong the way they compare women my wife is the most beautiful woman in the world she also turned 60 this year it should be the sexiest 60 year old woman on earth and she's more beautiful in any of those airbrushed photos of those young gals out there and the more babies she's had in the older she gets she's more beautiful all the time and I resent anybody's saying the opposite of that but that's the kind of world we live in you know let me just say this part that what causes insecurity more than almost anything else is comparing is constantly comparing yourself to someone better than you and something that you can't have it's just for a minute it's like driving into the parking lot to church and and almost immediately you begin to notice all the cars better than yours you know the secret to being secure is comparing down in not in an arrogant way in a thankful way drive around the parking lot until you find a car worse than yours parked next to it get out and look over to a loser and just walk in to go no don't do that at church do it at Walmart but I'm saying don't constantly compare yourself to think it's tormenting and it just makes you feel all the more insecure and again I want to say as believers we should think differently than the world things and we're all in this world and we're all affected by that kind of thinking of putting my security and money putting my security and my parents putting my security and my popularity and things like that the only way you will ever feel secure truly secure is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ now Psalm 91 where I ask you to turn there this is the security chapter in the Bible you know like Hebrews 11 is the faith chapter first Corinthians 13 is the love chapter there are certain chapters in the Bible that are well known for something this is the security chapter and if you want to live secure this is a great chapter to go to and to meditate on into to memorize especially in times when you're feeling insecure or fearful this is we're gonna read in Psalm 91 and here's how it begins he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty let me stop right there and ask this question where is the secret place because the psalmist is saying here if you dwell in the secret place of God you'll live under the shelter of God this is what it's saying God will shelter you and make you secure if you abide if you live in that secret place well Matthew 6:6 Jesus told us where the secret place is he says when you go into your room and close the door to pray that's the secret place and the God who sees you in that secret place will reward you openly he who prays to God will come under his protective covering that's what that saying he who dwells in the secret place of the most high will abide under the shadow the shelter of the Almighty I will say of the Lord he is my refuge in my fortress my god in him I trust this is the confession of a person who lives a secure life it has to come out of your mouth listen to me it says here here in your secret place you're gonna go you're feeling insecure you're feeling you're feeling insecure about your looks you're feeling insecure about your relationships you're feeling insecure about your job you're feeling insecure about whatever you're feeling insecure about and so where are you going to turn because where you turn is your security where you turn where you're feeling when you're feeling insecure that is your security and we should turn to God okay so it says here I'm gonna say this is going to come out of my mouth in my prayer time I say to you God you are my refuge and my fortress I put my security in you my trust is in you it's going to come out of my mouth I've got to say it with my mouth and here's what I'm saying at the same time I will not put my security and money I will not put my security in my relationships and in people I will not put my security in my appearance all those things are good but you're God and you're the only one who can give me true security I'm gonna say that with my mouth I'm not just going to think it's my confession and as all the other people in the world are running to their place of security I go in my room close the door and that is my place of security it is my personal relationship with God and that's what this is saying right now I will save the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress notice this now what we're going to read is every promise that God makes to a person who does that they're awesome prom I go into my prayer closet I close the door I'm in the secret place I'm in the place of being sheltered by God and I'm gonna make my confession god you're my security in life here are the promises number three surely he will deliver you from the snare of the Fowler that means your enemies that are trying to get you and from the perilous pestilence he shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will take refuge his truth shall be your shield and buckler you will not be afraid of the terror by night nor of the arrow that flies by day nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you only with your eyes you will look and see the reward of the wicked because you have made the Lord who is my refuge even the most high your dwelling place no evil shall befall you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling for he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all of your ways in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone you shall tread upon the lion and the Cobra the young line and the serpent you shall trample underfoot anybody want to believe that for your life that is a secure individual God is saying I'm gonna protect you I'm with you I'll deliver you from everything and you're gonna trample down the serpent in the line you're not gonna live your life in in timidity in fear and insecurity you're gonna be a confident warrior for God it's the opposite of insecurity but our security is in God and by the way this is available regardless of how old you are young you are how much money you have or how you look or how many people like you thank God thank God and then here's God's the it begins with God it ends with God's words and here's what God says to those people who believe in him for their security verse fourteen because he has set his love upon me it's about a relationship because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he has known my name he shall call upon me and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation is that an awesome problem sure promise it's your promise right now if you will turn to God in prayer and believe him for security in life and I'm not saying that money's not important I'm not saying that relationships are not important I'm not saying having a good job and even our appearance I'm not saying it's unimportant I'm saying those things are important he is essential and I'm saying if you have all of those things you can still live a very insecure life because those things cannot bring us security only God can well let me tell you several stories beginning with karyn's I told you about Karen being insecure when we got married Karen she was saved but she didn't believe that God loved her and she it was hard for her to believe she would say she hated herself she was full of self hate and I would tell her how beautiful she was but to her she was fat ugly and stupid that's the way she thought about herself and she hated she hated herself but she wanted to know God but she didn't know that God loved her but she made a decision when we got married that she would read the Bible every day here's a good verse of scripture just to jot down psalm 107:20 here's what it says God sent His Word to heal them and to deliver them from all of their destructions Karen made a decision 40 years ago that she was going to read the Bible every day she didn't believe the loving parts of the Bible she believed Leviticus you know she believed the the law chapters of the Bible the judgment chapters but when she read about the love of God she didn't believe it but here's what my wife has done I've never known a day in 40 years under any circumstances that my wife has not read the Bible every day it's the first thing she does and what has seen you don't read the Bible the Bible read you you Hebrews four says the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword when the word of God the reason the Bible is a two-edged sword is one edge is a scalpel that heals us the other edge is a sword that slays the enemies of God the Bible is the software that our hardware was originally designed to run on and when you read the Bible it reprograms your hardware to think so that you can live successfully that's why Psalm 1 says the person who meditates on the Bible will succeed in everything they do when you read the Bible it reprograms your software and it also has a virus killing program in it literally that's what happens when you read the Bible so I had a wife full of self hate in the lowest self-esteem of any person I've ever met I have thirty first cousins my dad had nine siblings my mom had three I've got relatives everywhere so I would go and introduce Karen to my relatives and Karen would stand behind me any time we were out in public she stood behind me and I would have to drag Karen out from behind me introduce her and as soon as introduced her she went right back behind me and that's the way she was it's just unbelievably insecure but she started reading about and I was a I she thought she was the devil I thought I was God we were a perfect match so that's kind of the way our relationship was so and I ran the home I dominated Karen I you know every time there was a problem I convinced her it was her problem but as she began to read the Bible after a couple of years she began to get confident and she began to stand up to me I didn't like that so one time I came home from playing golf cause i golfed all the time and she stood up to him for the first time and i and i tried to sit her down like always did tried to make her think it was her fault you know it's kind of you know you know verbally a bully are there and she didn't take it and I thought oh and I bet the night I told her to get out of the house I totally get out go back to her mom and dad or whatever and that's the night that God broke through my heart and our marriage began to get healed and today my wife is a lioness for God I can't take any credit for it God healed my wife as her as her my wife as her mind was transformed by the Word of God she read about no one can this for you no one can read the Bible for you the devil wants your Bible gathering dust on the coffee table so he can destroy your life listen before he defeats you he disarms you and the Bible is the sword of the Spirit you pick up that sword and you can defeat any enemy anything can happen when you get the word inside of you but you've got to get the word inside of you God doesn't control your thoughts the devil doesn't control your thoughts do you control your thoughts and the Word of God is nuclear it's not like any other thing it's nuclear it gets inside of you and it transforms you and today might the wife that is full of self hate she loves herself she loves God you know she she's healed I think she's too healed actually she's dominating me now I'm fighting for that you know so let me tell you neither story mr. King Saul and I'll just tell you this story it's recorded in 1st and 2nd Samuel in the Bible but God was the king of Israel Israel was a different nation because God was their king they didn't have a human king that had God as their King and they got tired of God being their king and they told him that they said we want a human king like all the other nations think about think about that and God said I'm sorry that you're tired of me being your king I'm think I'm doing a pretty good job I think I'm pretty good King but because you've asked for a human king I'm gonna give him to you and let me tell you it gonna break your heart and God told them exactly what would happen if they had a human king and they said we want a human king so he gave him Saul Saul was the first king of Israel and he was a totally insecure man and rather than turning his insecurities toward God he did everything wrong this is the story of a man who did everything wrong and God regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel and Samuel then went in anointed David who is a man after God's heart and he rejected Saul here are the seven signs of a Saul spirit this is a person who is insecure who rather than turning their insecurities to God has turned them to within or somewhere else and in Saul's case he became demonized Saul became this demonized man who tried to kill David and destroy everything that God was doing in his life here the seven signs of a salt spirit number one unteachable and unapproachable when you're insecure no one can tell you anything you're you you can't be approached everyone who came to Saul got the same treatment he rejected him and wouldn't listen to what they had to say number two jealous and envious when David killed Goliath they began to sing a song in Israel and the song was Saul has killed his thousands but david has killed his tens of thousands and that's why Saul became so jealous of David and tried to kill him now I want to say this about competition listen what I'm about to say Christian parents should act like Christians at their children's sporting events let that sink in for just a minute because I have two children and now I have grandchildren and we go to sporting events at Christians forty minutes our daughter Julie was seven years old and she was in little dribblers basketball and we went to her basketball game and the other coach the coach on the other team was using every curse word you can think of screaming it has seven year old team to do better in basketball let me say this now if your ego is so fragile if you're so insecure that you have to win at everything you're doing that's telling you something's wrong as believers our security is not an always being the best or in winning our security is in God and we should be able to play a good game with good character and walk away win or lose and keep our dignity and other people's as well when you can't do that it just means you're insecure and I know I've played golf with some people that just they couldn't lose and intrigue they would just lose their spirit in that and so jealousy and envy all of us deal with these issues but when they become character traits it's a dangerous thing number three is blame transfer when he was commanded Saul was commanded to go destroy the Amalekites he didn't do it completely when he came back Samuel were approached him on it and he said the people made me do it it's the people couldn't that's what Adam did with thee he blamed Eve number four is control anything Saul couldn't control he tried to destroy a controlling spirit that me when Karen and I got married anger and emotional instability is number 5 he would literally would have demonic fits of anger and try to kill David tried to pin David against a wall with a spear and again all of us deal with these things but when it becomes entrenched in our lives he can literally become an opportunity for the devil number 6 unbelief in spiritual compromise is Saul went to a witch Saul went to a witch Christian shouldn't have anything to do with astrology they say I'm a Libra I don't believe that the stars in the sky have anything to do with my life I believe that God is a sovereign God and I have choices and I could care less what the stars are doing Ouija boards all that magic kind of stuff it is wrong we have a God in heaven that's all we need but Saul sought out a witch because he was so insecure he was trying to find a place of security park from God number seven is the fear of man when he did not obey God regarding the Amalekites he said I feared the people I feared what are people gonna think listen I care about what people think but jesus said beware of all when all men speak well of you it's good when people think well of us but I'll tell you as believers sometimes they're not going to we just have to get used to that let me say this I want people to like me but I will not surrender my Christian values for people to like me and I'm okay with not being liked if it's because of my belief in Jesus Christ so the fear of man so that is a salt spirit this is a man who just was so completely insecure and rather than turning that to God he turned it in worldly here let me finish by talking one more story quickly and this is the Apostle Paul second Corinthians 12 lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations the thorn in the flesh was given to me a messenger of Satan to buff at me lest I be exalted above measure concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me and he said to me my grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness therefore most gladly I will rather bow in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches and needs and persecutions and de-stresses for Christ's sake for when I'm weak that I'm strong well here's the opposite of us all spirit it's the Apostle Paul in Paul in 2nd Corinthians 12 here's what he's saying I went to heaven 14 years ago and I don't know if I was in my body or out of my body but I went to heaven and I saw things I can't even repeat I saw things I can't even describe because it's indescribable and he says but because of the revelations a thorn in the flesh was given to me now let me say this God either causes or allows everything God did not cause his thorn in the flesh but he allowed it and so when he got this thorn in the flesh it could have been an eye problem because in Galatians 3 he's describing he was having problems with his eyes I don't know what it was but it he hated it and he went to God three times and he said God take this thing away and God's response was my grace is sufficient for you Paul for my powers made perfect in weakness here are the three steps to dealing with insecurities number one is turn to God Paul turned to God for every you turn in times of insecurity problems fear that is your security go to the secret place with God and make him your refuge in your fortress turn to him first that's what Paul did that's what we do to deal with insecurity number two embrace your weakness and I'm not saying that we never tried to get better I'm not saying that we should accept everything that comes into our lives listen listen to my magic one theory this this is my magic one theory if we if if you had a magic wand if I handed you a magic wand right now and I said to you you can wave this magic wand over your life your body your life and you can change anything you want to change okay here's what would happen you would take that magic wand you would wave it over yourself and you would never need God again because you'd make yourself beautiful rich popular powerful right that's why the magic wands are not available in the foyer got the things that we feel bad about and make us feel insecure or why we need God if we could change what we don't like about ourselves wouldn't he God anymore God loves being a daddy God loves being a shepherd we're sheep god made us sheep God made us to where we are weak were weak people we're weaker than we would want to admit we need a Savior we need a shepherd we need God and the way the world thinks when they're in need is they're trying to look for something a substance a theme something on them or in them to change the way that they think and to make them feel secure and it doesn't work the difference between the way the world thinks and we think is they run to something we run to someone and we embrace our weaknesses the Apostle Paul is he begins by pleading with God God take this thing away God take this thing away he ends by saying I rejoice in my weaknesses I rejoice in my infirmities I rejoice in these things because when I'm weak then I'm strong what does that mean when I turn my weakness to God it becomes strength because God in they're a perfect team I'm not that smart he's a genius I'm weak he's powerful I don't know where I'm going and he has an eternal perspective were the perfect team when I admit that I need him I need God I need God I need God I need him and that's the confession that leads to strength that's the confession that leads to security but we can't find God until we admit our need for God and then the third thing that we do is put faith in God's grace and what that means is you don't have to deserve it you don't have to serve anything my grace is sufficient for you Paul listen when you need God most you're deserving the least I need him because I'm a mess right you bakery with that anything because I'm a mess and what that means is because I'm a mess I don't deserve him you know what God says come jump in Daddy's lap I don't care how bad that diaper smells come on you have grandkids you know what I'm talking about I've had near-death experiences over that stuff but let me tell you something it doesn't matter because I love them and they're my kids we can't get our act together till we get in daddy's lap and daddy's lap is a lap of grace and love unconditionally that regardless of where we are what we've done or how bad were messed up daddy says you come over here baby my grace we'll get you all fixed up and the Apostle Paul ends by saying I rejoice in everything in my life that I would ordinarily feel insecure about I've changed my mind those things are simply reminders of how bad I need God and when I go to him then I'm secure bow your heads with me if you would Lord were sheep and we're just not going to fight against that we accept it but what's wonderful is we have a shepherd a loving wonderful gracious Shepherd and today God we we simply just flip a switch in our brains that says we're not gonna seek security in things we're thankful for material blessings but we're not gonna seek our security in there thank you for the way you made us gone the way we look just our bodies and our health and we want to do the best that we can but we're not going to put our security in our appearance the way the world does you're our refuge in our fortress and you we put our trust and daily we're gonna go into our prayer room and close the door and in that secret place we're gonna find the security that we need heal hearts of people who are wounded heal minds of people who have had things said to them that are so hurtful but transform us God through your word and turn us into the people that we need to be by your grace and we pray that in Jesus name Amen I was 19 years old when I gave my life to the Lord and everything changed I didn't have any desire to go back to that old life I wanted to walk with the Lord and learn more about him and some people helped me to learn the Bible and to learn how to pray and to learn about my new life in Christ and that's what we want to do for you I am so excited that you've given your life to the Lord he's forgiven all of your sins and you're on your way to heaven but we need to learn some things now about the Bible about prayer about some basics of the Christian life so that you can be victorious and live for the Lord like I know you want to so we've designed a class called fresh start and I want to encourage you to sign up for this class because we want to help you grow in your walk with the Lord now I love you and I'm so proud of you

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Keywords: Gateway Church, gatewaypeople, Robert Morris, Pastor Robert, Face to Face, DFW, Southlake, Texas, New Sermon, Jesus, God, Jimmy Evans, Marriage Today, Trinity Fellowship Church, I Changed My Mind, Pastor Jimmy, Pastor Evans, Pastor Jimmy Evans, Insecurity

Id: YKSJj0trrrI

Length: 35min 56sec (2156 seconds)

Published: Fri May 24 2013