The Insecure Man

The word insecure means "lacking assurance or confidence, uncertainty." It also means "a dangerous state of affairs; something unsafe, not firm, liable to give way."

Most of us are insecure. Most of us hide it. It's an old story worth repeating. An experienced preacher gave his apprentice some last minute advice before the novice delivered his first sermon: "Son, your third point is your weakest. Raise you voice and pound on the pulpit when you make that point. No one will notice."

Insecure men pound on something--their point-of-view, accomplishments, money, sexual conquests, physique, social position, political power, charitable work, church work, skills, sacrifice. Anything to distract from their lack of confidence; anything to conceal the dark hole of uncertainty in the middle of their soul that refuses to go away no matter how hard they pound or how loud they boast.

Like the Pharaohs before them insecure men build monuments to themselves--pyramids to immortalize and validate their existence. Something that says I am here; I make a difference; I matter; I'm important.

Yet our self-made monuments only tell the world how inadequate we really are. Our accomplishments, drivenness, lust for things and power, "outght's" and "have-to's" make us look busy and important but, in reality, they keep us from living at peace with ourselves or with God.

The insecure man is never at peace with himself. He hides behind a mask of intelligence, humor, skill, charisma, good looks. The mask lies about who he really is to everyone except himself and God.

If the insecure man wears his mask long enough he'll believe his own lie.

How is insecurity erased and confidence embraced? The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever, Isaiah 32:17. The immediate context of this promise begins a few verses before--till the Spirit is poured out on us from on high.

Confidence is God's work. It comes from the Spirit. Only when God's Spirit fills us, covers us, works freely among us will we move from insecure men to confident men. Only God can change our condition. Only His righteousness will cause quiet confidence to flow from a once insecure soul.