What We Can Do About the Insecurities In Our Community

By Robin Keating

This month, we’ve been discussing how a lack of security affects those living in poverty. Insecurity often shows up in behaviors such as low confidence, anxiety, or fear. But at its root, insecurity often stems from misplaced trust or a misunderstanding of where a person’s true worth comes from.

When we encounter someone struggling with insecurity in any area of life, we have the opportunity to point them to the unshakable security found only in Christ. As we come to understand who God is—and the great value He places on those created in His image—security grows. Knowing His promises, His character, and His steadfast love brings a peace that circumstances cannot shake.

Practical Ways to Help Others Find Security in Christ

• Remind others of their strengths – When someone is challenged with insecurity, express their God-given strengths to them. Look for ways they are demonstrating tenacity, resourcefulness, commitment, and doing hard things. It takes a lot of encouragement to remove one insecurity.
• Share promises found in the Bible – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your steps.” Sharing truths from Scripture such as this one can be an encouragement for someone and help them to find their security in Christ.
• Remind others of their created purpose – “We are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10. Being reminded of this truth, will help others to feel secure, knowing that God has created us intentionally and given us a purpose in life.
• Encourage others to place their trust in God – But don’t simply say “Just trust in God,” because this is often not helpful to a difficult situation. Instead, remind them of ways God has taken care of them in the past. Better yet, share how you have become secure in Christ as you have discovered His character. Your confidence comes from Christ and not your own abilities.
• Be that security for others – Use your resources, your talents, your time to offer that extra bit of support for someone else. Maybe God has given you extra finances that you can use to provide a friend or neighbor with some extra support in a tough time. Or maybe you have a skill that pays you well, that you can offer up to a neighbor at no cost.
• Equip yourself – Attend a Healthy Helping training at Love INC. You’ll learn how to walk alongside others in a way that affirms their God-given value and directs them to the hope found in Christ.
• Serve in the Connection Center – Meet neighbors face-to-face as they wait for assistance, and share with them the truth that their identity rests in Christ, not in their circumstances or the labels others have given them.
• Volunteer in Healthy Habits – Join Christians from many churches in walking with individuals who desire life change but don’t know where to begin. Love INC provides both training and Bible-based curriculum to guide them toward the security of God’s purposes for their lives.

Insecurity touches all of us at different times. For those in the body of Christ, we have the blessing of fellow believers who remind us to place our hope in God and to root our identity in Christ. Outside of Him, there is no lasting security. This is why it is so important to intentionally point our neighbors, coworkers, and even strangers toward God through Christ—the only true source of security and peace.