I just finished a book that had lots of food for thought. The title is "Satan's Dirty Little Secret", by Steve Foss. This is the second time I have read it. It really is a book that you could read every few months as a reminder of where your focus needs to be.
He feels there are two root "spirits" that cause most of our emotional issues and also our addictions. Those two spirits are insecurity and inferiority. If you look at Eve in the Garden of Eden the devil tempted her. He made her feel insecure. Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Gen 3:4 He caused her to doubt the Word of God. God said she would die, satan lied, and planted a seed of doubt/insecurity. Then he said something that made her feel inferior. He told her IF she ate the fruit she would be like God. Right there she should have called Satan for what he is, a liar! She forgot the part where she was created in the image of God. She forgot the part where God gave her and Adam dominion over all the earth and every critter there. That would have included satan since he was on the earth. Instead she watered the seeds of insecurity and inferiority that satan had planted. She took a bite, and in doing so gave the earth to satan. He couldn't steal it; he had to trick Adam and Eve into giving it away.
How often does satan come along and sow seeds in your life of insecurity and inferiority? How often are you told you don't measure up by that little voice in your head? What would have happened if Eve had known her place with God and turned on the devil and told him he was lying, she already was like God! What would happen if we started doing that? Satan wants us to compare. God wants us to keep our eyes focused on Him, not your neighbor. Paul said it this way, Oh, don't worry; we wouldn't dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant 2 Corinthians 10:12 (New Living Translation) How often do we do just that?
As we go into the shopping season, look at the advertising all around you. How much is sowing the seeds of insecurity and inferiority? What is the number one message of advertising? Buy this and look better, feel better, have more friends, basically either fit in or be superior! They feed those nasty seeds of insecurity and inferiority, with that underlying message if you don't do this then you won't "fit in".
How many people are in debt today trying to fit the mold of what their life should look like? How many young people starve themselves trying to fit the model of being "skinny enough" which once that takes hold they can never obtain skinny enough they obtain death by starvation. How many people drink, do drugs and look at porn because they feel inferior to those around them and want to drown that feeling in any way they can. Science now understands that doing these things releases 'feel good' emotions in the brain. The high doesn't last and takes more and more to reach it, but still it is an attempt to short cut feeling good, instead of depending on God and trusting in Him. Once the cycle starts breaking it without divine help is extremely hard.
Inferiority and insecurity do seem to be at the root of a lot of our issues. If we become aware and seek God to show us how our actions relate to the inferiority and insecurity we will start taking authority over those spirits and refusing to participate. If we dig up a lot of scriptures to quote back to those spirits as they taunt us we will defeat them. We will come to really understand and believe we are Sons and Daughters of the most High God. We will know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We will start exercising our God given power and authority over our situations instead of feeding the negative.
Feeding the negative, how much easier is it to sort out inferiority and insecurity if we just stop feeding negative thoughts? When we start to judge or compare, if we remind ourselves that isn't our job, that's God's. Judging and comparing are very much inferiority and insecurity. If we take every thought captive and don't go down the road of judging and comparing ourselves to others we will stop them in their tracks! How much fuller will your day be if you don't allow yourself to judge and compare. How much richer will you be in the things of God, joy, peace and love if we keep judgment and comparison out of our day?
Join me today as I battle this battle. I am guilty! I do judge and compare. I am more secure in who I am in Christ than I was a few years ago, but I still judge and compare. I don't judge and compare as much, but it does raise its ugly head more than it should. OK it shouldn't at all! If you want to post a verse that helps you stay focused on who you are in Christ or join in praying for me as I pray for you in this area please leave a commit.
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