MOMENTUM: Healing Insecurity in Relationships - Chris Brooks

Welcome to the celebration Orlando and we help you fight today.

Good morning everybody.

How y'all doing?

You guys can be seated.

Oh, it's great to be in Orlando.

I've been here a few times, but I wasn't even at the first launch of Celebration Orlando a few years ago.

But it's great to be with you this morning.

And uh, it's a beautiful day outside, isn't it?

I've known a team here for a lot of years, uh Pastor Whalen.

I knew a Pastor Whalen before he didn't have a beard.

Come on, anybody else?

How about um Pastor Justin Todd?

He used to have long hair.

We used to call him Minit Mini Thor.

Mini Thor.

I thought that was a good name.

Did that name stick?

I don't know, that's a good name.

Pastor Keith and Megan, amazing, amazing leaders.

The team, Lindsay Brenner, come on, y'all.

Does it get just incredible?

And then Justin and I were back there.

Caleb was playing drums.

We were like, can we just be Caleb one day and do learn how to do everything?

It'd be incredible.

But uh the the the pastors, the team, the volunteers.

I did uh set up I did mobile church for over 10 years of my life in different venues, so I'm well familiar with schools and having church in schools.

I mean you know it's all about where Jesus is, amen, and his people coming together.

So my wife Ashley's with me.

What do you want to say?

Wait to everybody, Ashley.

We've been married uh 25 years in May.

And so we have two teenagers, a 19-year-old son, and a 16-year-old daughter.

Uh and so uh let's go ahead.

Let me uh let me read a scripture.

If you have your Bibles, you can open it up to 1 Samuel chapter 10.

1 Samuel 10 · chapter mention

I know we've been in a uh momentum series here.

1 Samuel chapter 10, and in this passage, the prophet Samuel is anointing Saul to be Israel's first king.

1 Samuel 10 · chapter mention

You guys know the whole story of the Bible?

The people wanted to be like all the other nations, and they cried out for a king.

Yahweh wanted to be their king, a theocracy is what we call it, but the people wanted to be like everyone else.

They wanted a king.

So Saul was the anointed chosen first king of Israel.

And so here we see Samuel anointing Saul as king.

In verse 1, it says, Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people, Israel?

And you shall reign over the people of the Lord, and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies.

And then in verse six, it says, The Spirit of the Lord will come will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

Now, when we see these signs, now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

And so here we see the anointing of King Saul.

And then we see that God changes his heart, he becomes a new man, and to me, it's like a foreshadowing of being born again into his kingdom.

He gives him a new heart, he's turned into another man.

And then it gets time for his inauguration.

And in verse 22, it says, When they saw him speaking of Saul, they're ready to for his inauguration.

They he couldn't be found.

So they inquired again of the Lord.

Is there a man still to come?

And the Lord said, He's hidden himself among the baggage.

Can you imagine?

It's time for the inauguration, but they can't find him.

But the Lord knew where he was.

Saul was hiding.

You know, I was asking, why Saul?

Why are you hiding?

We know people hid in the scriptures.

Adam and Eve hid.

The Lord knows, he always knows where we are, right?

Saul, why are you hiding?

Could it be because of insecurity?

He was called.

The oil, you know, they just didn't put a tiny bit of oil like we do when we pray over someone.

They poured the oil over his head.

That's a moment, right?

And he, you know, he remembered that.

He was called, he's anointed, his heart was changed, but then he was hiding when it was time to step into his calling and his assignment.

I think he was insecure.

And I want to speak to you a few minutes this morning on healing insecurity in relationships.

If we're gonna have momentum in our walk with God in our relationships, we have to walk in freedom from insecurity.

And so let's say a prayer together.

Father, we thank you for your presence here.

We thank you for your word.

We open our hearts that we could receive from you today and be changed closer to you.

We thank you for the word of God.

We thank you that it's living and powerful and it brings change in our life, your truth, your spirit.

And we just open our hearts, God, to hear and receive and apply what you want to say to us, God, that we can grow closer to you and closer to others.

In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

Amen.

Thank you.

And so we all feel insecure at times, don't we?

But for many of us, there's this deep feeling of insecurity that it really can hinder healthy relationships.

In fact, your only your relationships, healthy relationships are comprised of healthy people.

The best gift you can give someone is a healthy you.

So dads who work so hard and are pushing themselves to the limit, the best gift you can give your family, wives, all of us, the best gift, healthy relationships come from healthy people.

And so what is insecurity?

Let's look at a couple definitions.

Insecure means unstable, uncertain, unsure, lacking confidence, shaky, unsound, secure, having full command, free from care, anxiety, and worry.

I don't know about you.

I like the second one.

Come on, anybody else?

I think I'd rather live in the second one than the first one.

Insecurity, it's an unhealthy emotion, an unhealthy thinking pattern that distracts us and limits us from our kingdom assignments.

It robs us of the joy and the freedom that God wants us to walk in.

An unhealthy emotion that robs us of the joy and the freedom that God wants us to walk in, affecting our lives, affecting our relationships.

It can stop momentum.

It can even sabotage the call of the things that God wants us to do if we don't find freedom from insecurity.

What causes insecurity?

I'm no psychologist, I'm just a ball headed pastor.

You know, some of you guys know Pastor Keith mentioned a little bit.

I Pastor Stovval Weems, the founding pastor and I, we were we went to LSU together.

Come on, I know y'all hate LSU, probably most of all y'all.

That's fine.

I'm down.

We've been preaching in Florida for 21 years.

We're used to it.

But the somehow this year the Lord said that we can talk about college football in church as much as we want.

I don't know what happened.

There's something at the national championship happened.

I don't know.

I don't know what happened there.

But we were we were bouncers at the same bar before we were pastors.

Remember y'all didn't know that?

How many of you know only God can take two pastors and make them bounce two pastors make them bouncers?

Two bouncers and make them pastors.

Come on, y'all.

Yeah.

So, but I again I'm no psychologist, but I was studying a little about insecurity for this message.

So, what causes insecurity?

A wound of rejection.

You know, we all experience rejection in different times of our life, don't we?

Some much worse than others.

But when we experience rejection, a wound of insecurity, a gap in our soul can take place.

It has to be dealt with, it has to be healed.

If not, it's just gonna, it's gonna, a root's gonna grow and it's gonna stay in our life and it's gonna affect us.

And so if you've experienced rejection, you have to seek healing.

You have to learn how to walk that out and find freedom there in that place.

Another thing that causes insecurity is an overly harsh critical view of yourself.

So maybe, again, I don't know what caused it, but maybe for some reason you are so harsh on yourself, you always have to be perfect, and so you're insecure because you never feel like you're good enough for your own standards.

It can cause some insecurity in your life.

And so I the next few minutes, I want to give you four traits of insecure people.

And then at the end, I'm gonna show give you some scriptures on how to find freedom from insecurity in your life.

It's a good message, all like I'll not not all my messages are good, you know, but this one's pretty good.

I mean, I think you're really gonna receive from it.

In fact, you know, there's been times in my like this has been in my spirit, and there's been times where like, Chris, just remember that message you're gonna preach.

This is man, this is good.

Like, you, you know, think through some of this, think through some of the things you're preaching, and it's good stuff.

It'll help you in your life if you're feeling some of these in your relationships.

And so the first trait of insecure people are insecure people often feel threatened.

They often feel threatened.

There's one thing that I am extremely threatened by snakes.

Anyone else?

Is anybody else afraid of snakes?

You don't like them?

I think there's a reason that Satan came in the form of a serpent.

Who says I is it who here like loves snakes?

You're like, I will have a snake as a pet.

I will pick that thing up.

Raise your hand, I'm gonna see you.

Man, I can't relate to you.

I I mean, I think it's cool.

Some we're we're wired very differently because I'm afraid of snakes.

I really am.

In fact, a few years ago, I went to mow my yard and I go in my garage to put my boots on, and I didn't have shoes, socks on.

And so I go to put my my boot on.

Oh, yeah, friend.

There was a snake in my boot.

I'm telling you, I played basketball.

I've never been able to jump that high, but I jumped, and I'm telling you, I probably jumped this high.

And I ran out of my garage so fast.

Now, I'm telling you, if there was a video camera in there, I would be a millionaire on YouTube.

That had to be hilarious.

Can you imagine?

So, so anyway, snakes are have y'all seen this show, Guardians of the Glades.

That's because y'all don't watch TV like that.

Y'all just all watch Netflix, right?

I don't know if it's on Netflix, but it's a new show.

I saw it on TV and I said, I gotta watch this.

So nobody's seen this.

One person at Celebration Orlando, anybody, man, that show's gonna get canceled.

So there's this show, it's called Guardians of the Glades.

So there's these Burmese pythons in the Everglades.

Did y'all know this?

So, you know, they're not native to the Everglades, but guess how many there's they can't even count them all.

They say there's between a hundred thousand and three hundred thousand Burmese pythons in the Everglades.

So they have that's a lot, y'all, and Orlando's pretty close.

Okay, so so they have this show, and these guys they go out and they they hunt them and sell them.

They kick, you know, and they catch them and sell them for money.

That's their job.

Guardians of the glades, right?

So watch this.

They go out at night.

So listen, the guy wears shorts and no shoes.

I'm just watching this.

I'm like, oh my, I said, Ashley, you've got to come watch this.

He's in the Everglades at night walking, no socks, no shoes, hunting giant pythons.

I said, that is like my worst nightmare.

Anybody else?

Oh my goodness.

And so he catches them, of course, he grabs them, you know, there's and brings them out.

I said, man, that is some serious fear.

I would be terrified if I saw one of those things.

But we all feel insecure at times, don't we?

And so sometimes we feel threatened.

In the Bible, there's a passage after David killed Goliath, where he feels he starts to really get threatened by David.

This is what he says.

The women sang and danced and said, Listen, if women are singing and dancing with a song about you, someone's is better than you.

You could probably feel a little threatened and insecure.

Yeah, you know, if that was like a popular song.

So the women sang and they danced and said, Saul is slain as thousands, and David is ten thousands.

Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him, and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they've ascribed only thousands.

Man, you still killed thousands of people.

That's pretty good.

That's what I thought.

But it wasn't good enough because David had killed his ten thousands, and look at what the scripture says.

What more can he have but the kingdom?

So he eyed David.

I like the New King James, man.

I can't get away from it.

He eyed David from that day forward.

So Saul felt so threatened and jealous that of David.

It drove him mad.

The jealousy.

Have you ever been in so in our relationships we can get compete competitive?

In our marriages, we can get competitive.

In our relationship, we can get competitive, which can lead to envy, which can lead to being threatened, which can lead to being jealousy.

So feeling threatened can lead to jealousy.

In our marriages, do we compete or do we complete?

Have you ever been in a relationship with somebody or a friendship with someone?

And then all of a sudden everything gets confusing.

And you're like, I didn't I never said that.

And they're like, oh yes, you did.

And you're like, no.

And they're and so they're saying you said this, you're saying, and you're like, you're both believe that you said that, you're calling other people, and it's here's what it is.

It's just a confusing, just a giant ball of confusion.

And you're like, how did this happen?

How did we get here?

Come on, anybody?

Everybody, I I'm the only one that's done experienced this and watched it in other people's lives.

Yeah, it happens.

And you're like, how is this so confusing?

You know, there's a scripture in James, and it says this for where there is envy and self-seeking exist, for where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are.

So when we feel threatened, it can bring envy and jealousy in our life.

And the scripture says confusion and every evil thing are.

The scripture says God is not the author of confusion.

It says in James, it says this this wisdom is not from above, but from below, and it is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

The scripture that comes from above is pure and peaceable.

So how do you know where these voices and where this is coming from?

What brings peace?

And so when you find yourself in this time of confusion in a relationship, look and take a step back and say, is there envy?

Is there selfishness?

Because the scripture says you're opening up that relationship now to every evil thing.

Or can I find God's wisdom which is peace?

And so, do you ever feel threatened?

You know when I feel the most threatened?

When we often do, is in a time of transition.

Feelings of insecurity are very strong in a time of transition, aren't they?

So you were going through life at your job, and you have a new boss.

You move to a new city, and so you were very comfortable, and now you feel vulnerable.

And you're like, I don't know what's gonna happen.

I don't know.

So a transition, a new, a new city, a new boss, a new relationship, uh, you know, a new career, a new school.

A change happens, and none of us like it when change is thrust upon us, do we?

That's not in our control.

No one does, but it happens, doesn't it?

And so we can feel very insecure in these times of transition.

And you know how we feel?

Vulnerable.

Being vulnerable.

But did you know being vulnerable is not that bad?

Because when we're comfortable, we oftentimes become very independent, and we depend on ourselves.

You know, Western culture promotes what independence.

Be independent, you don't need anybody, you can do it yourself, be free from everybody else.

But the scriptures teach interdependence.

We're a family, we need each other, we're a body, and so vulnerability.

In fact, Ashley was telling me about a was it a TED talk?

I didn't watch it.

I'm sorry.

Phone about vulnerability.

Did anybody see that?

See, all these people watch that TED talk on vulnerability, but you don't watch Guardians of the Glades.

You're doing better than me.

I didn't, I did the opposite, and I'm preaching about it.

Vulnerability can be good.

Why?

And that's a good, I mean, I did watch a tiny bit of it, and she told me the rest.

So so vulnerability, it's it's so and it's so powerful.

Why?

Because now we're opening our lives up to others like we're supposed to.

We don't have all the answers.

Now healing can happen.

And also now we're we're stepping into a dependence upon the Lord that we didn't have before.

And so we're moving from independence to interdependence, healthy relationships where we need each other.

A second trait of insecurity is insecure people often feel overlooked.

You ever feel overlooked?

You know, you know how when we're over when we feel overlooked, we feel this need to tell everybody how great we are.

They don't see my greatness.

They don't see my potential.

I just, if you only knew how good I really was, it would you would want to be my friend if you'd want me to do this job.

We feel overlooked.

The scripture says, let another man praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.

Do you feel overlooked?

I feel you ever like so you're going to talk to someone, you so you're you're standing here and someone comes in and they're like, walk right past you, you're like, hey, how are you doing?

Good morning.

You're like, am I invisible?

Like, I didn't even see me.

And this person didn't even think about it, but you're like, man, I just felt overlooked.

I didn't eat it.

I'm not even, you know, and you're like, man, it's just it's that insecurity.

It rises up.

What about me?

You know, I just feel like am I not important?

Am I do I matter?

You know?

And so we all feel this at times where we feel overlooked.

And we're like, let me give you a powerful principle.

We all want to do things for the Lord.

We have desires in our hearts to do ministry for the Lord, to have relationships that we things that we feel like God's put in our heart.

But when we appoint ourselves to things, we have to sustain ourselves.

When God appoints us, he sustains us.

When God appoints you to do an assignment, he sustains you.

When you appoint yourself to do an assignment or a relationship, you have to sustain it.

And how many of you know that's not gonna land good?

God knows exactly, He appoints us, He knows exactly where we are, He hasn't forgot about us.

If you feel overlooked, God knows exactly where you are.

In today's media culture, I've I'm learning.

I mean, some of y'all are older.

There's a few people, a handful of people that are older than me, but not most.

I'm almost 50.

I've been married to Ashley 25 years.

I'm getting older.

I'm starting to come to grips that I really am from another generation.

It's okay.

I am.

You know, I'm good.

I got a white beard.

I'm starting to just accept this and walk into it, okay?

So in today's, so the social media culture, it is what it is, and it's it's not going anywhere, is it?

It is what it's a huge part of our culture, isn't it?

I mean, y'all are like, of course, we grew up in it, it's our whole life.

I'm like, I know, but I'm starting to understand it more and more.

I mean, so growing up without the internet, I'm you know, my daughter, she's 16, but she's got tiny little hands, and ever since she was a tiny little girl, she can type with her little thumbs on that phone so fast.

I'm amazed.

It's like a because she's just you know, and growing up in the so but in a social media culture, you know, it's good to be.

Reminded that it's okay to be anonymous.

It's not good to be isolated.

The scriptures teach the proverbs teach about the danger of isolation.

But it's okay to be anonymous.

Listen, do your brand, do your thing.

But it's okay to be anonymous.

And being anonymous, think of Jesus.

His public ministry was only three years.

30 years, only three years was he public.

His whole life was anonymous.

People didn't know.

And then when people then he even said, Don't tell the people who I don't he would heal somebody a couple times, he said, Don't tell anybody.

And then when there would be these great miracles, and then he would go and go off to a mountain, he'd go to another town, another place.

The scripture says he hid himself in a solitary place where he prayed.

He wasn't afraid to be anonymous.

How about how about Moses on the backside of a desert for 40 years?

Did you know that hidden places, being in an anonymous time in your life, it can be a surprising birthplace of great spiritual depth.

It can be a place where God is molding you and refining you for the purposes and the assignments that He has for you that you can't see yet.

He listen, there were times when I was young, I got saved as a 21-year-old college student.

And the times where I was anonymous, where I just had to seek the Lord in different times, just that that's a precious time to me where I got to know him.

And I I didn't grow up in church.

I had to learn to walk with him.

I had to learn to hear him and to follow him.

I mean, I couldn't that that was very foundational for me.

It was anonymous, it was a good time.

Do you feel overlooked?

Do you feel hidden?

It might be affecting your relationships because true security can't come from anything outward.

It can't come from outward success.

It's internal.

And so God knows exactly where you are.

Some of you need to be reminded, He knows exactly where you are in your life.

Maybe you came today, and you even come to this spiritual family, this community, and you feel overlooked and you say, I'm not so sure I fit in.

I'm not so sure.

You know, you can feel lonely in a crowd, you cannot feel apart.

The scripture says he who has friends shows himself friendly.

Maybe it's a barrier, maybe it's keeping you from the blessings of attaching and connecting to the community that's here that God has for you.

Maybe it's insecurity, maybe he wants to set you free from that, and if he wants you to take a step this year.

And so the third trait of insecurity is insecure people often they often have a constant need of affirmation.

So we all need affirmation.

It's very important.

In fact, Jesus needed affirmation, which is so interesting to me.

When he was baptized, the father, there's only two recorded places in the scripture where you hear the father talking to the son.

And they're the same.

This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.

Think how, listen, if Jesus needed verbal affirmation from his father, how important is that verbal affirmation?

Wow.

In fact, in every relationship, there has to be three things.

You may want to write these down.

These are good.

Parents, people who want to have kids in the future, write them down on your phone.

Every relationship needs this acceptance, some level of affection and affirmation.

I got two teenagers.

Acceptance, some level of affection and affirmation.

Affirmation is very important, but sometimes if we're insecure, we have this over need of affirmation.

We we constant need of affirmation.

And think of when you're a little kid and you're learning to ride a bike or something.

You need, watch, dad, watch this.

Watch.

Did I do good, mom?

Did I do good, dad?

You need.

It's very good.

And then even as we try new things, you know, you're learning to play golf.

How many of you know?

Man, that that will humble you, whatever.

You'll need lots of information.

You're trying to learn to play golf.

I didn't start playing golf till I was 30, man.

You talk about I mean never mind.

Anyway, you know, I needed someone to say, good, good, good shot.

I was like, am I a decent golfer?

I tried to give people, am I a decent golfer?

Yeah, you know, am I pretty good?

But you eventually you want to step into where you are moving from needing affirmation to believing.

You want to step from needing affirmation about everything to believing that you are who God says you are and that you're where He's called you to be, and this is the person that you're supposed to be.

You're anointed for this assignment that you have, this place, you got to move from needing affirmation to believing.

It's a key to breaking free from insecurity.

If we can step into sin, I I know internally whether you like it or not.

The fear of man is a snare.

Because I believe I don't need that.

I believe that God is with me.

You can be free from insecurity.

And so a fourth and final trait of breaking free of insecurity in our relationships is insecure people often feel inadequate.

Inadequate.

Let's look at the scripture in Saul in uh 1 Samuel chapter 9.

1 Samuel 9 · chapter mention

Let's look at Saul's response when the Lord calls him.

He says, Am I not a Benjamite of the smallest of the tribes of Israel?

And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?

Why then do you speak like this to me?

Okay, are you guys still with me?

Say amen.

So Saul is called to be king, but how does he respond?

What does he say?

And you what about my family?

Do you know where I'm from?

Do you know my family?

I'm the least of the smallest tribe.

Do you understand who I am?

I think many times we feel inadequate in life because we look at our family heritage or background, we look at the mistakes we've made, and we walk in this just this inadequacy.

God's trying to call us, he's trying to move us forward, but we say, Man, have you ever met my family?

You ever met anybody in my family?

I'm I'm from Louisiana.

The scripture says, can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Sometimes I'm like, you know, you know, Bethlehem was a very small town.

And Nazareth in the country.

So can you can you think of like Rome in its grandeur and power?

Nazareth.

Bethlehem.

You see what I mean?

It's like, can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Sometimes I think can anything good come out of Louisiana?

I mean, we're we were we're last in everything, last in education.

Mississippi, I'm telling you, last in like the poorest whatever.

I mean, you know, and then Ashley and I, we came to know the Lord when we were in college, and we didn't grow up in church, and in fact, there's no one in our families that served the Lord.

And I'm almost 50.

That's a long time to be serving God.

There's, I mean, Ashley led her grandmother to the Lord.

How old was your grandmother?

80?

Ashley led her grandmother to the Lord when she was 80.

I led my stepdad to the Lord right before he passed away when he was almost 70.

But we don't have I I know some of I don't know if Pastor Key has shared some of his story, but I'm telling you, man.

For some of you, it's a you have this feeling of inadequacy.

Man, alcoholism is in my family.

Addiction runs in my family.

People in my family get divorced.

We don't make lots of money in my family.

We we we can't do that.

You feel that?

Did you know the scripture?

I'm telling you guys, the kingdom of God on the earth, the scripture says, not many noble, not many mighty are called.

Not many noble.

Do you know what that word noble means?

Of noble birth.

And so it's it's when God sees God's army on the earth, it's an army of what the scriptures call the least of these.

Go out on the highways and the byways and compel them to come in.

The scripture says the last will be first and the first will be last.

It's the people on the earth that say yes to a king.

We'll follow you, Jesus.

We'll follow.

It doesn't matter your status or your lineage.

In fact, Jesus didn't have perfect lineage.

His blood was perfect because God was his father.

He was born of a virgin, but his lineage was full of people who made lots of mistakes.

And so if you if you feel inadequate because of where you're from, because of your parents, because of your background, because of people in your life, addiction, divorce.

You know what it should do?

You know what I've tried to do?

That's for me in my house.

So absolutely, divorce in our families almost everyone at some point in their life.

Addiction across the board.

And you guys know that having that reads alcoholism, people struggling at the latter end of their life financially.

But here's what I say, as for me in my house.

That's true.

And so when the enemy comes in lies, I said, That's true.

As for me and my house, we're gonna serve the Lord.

Amen.

We're gonna have a new legacy, and by God's grace, our kids will stand on our shoulders.

Amen.

And so this scripture, it's been in my heart all week.

I hope it strengthens someone today.

The scripture says in Isaiah, it says, He gives power to the weak.

And to those who have no might, he increases strength.

So if you feel inadequate, when you're weak, you're strong.

Paul said, I may boast in my in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

He said, For when I am weak, I'm strong.

How about Paul?

I will brag on my weaknesses because now Christ can show up.

So now I'm moving from insecurity to true humility.

You know what true humility is?

It's seeing yourself as God sees you, nothing more, nothing less.

When you're walking in true humility, insecurity, man, now you're walking in freedom.

Now you know who you are.

And so let me give you, as we close here, let me give you a few things on how to break free from insecurity in these relationships.

The scripture says that the fear of man is a snare.

But whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

You know what I've learned about this?

You can be a teenager and walk free from the fear of man, and you can be a 50-year-old man and be a slave to what people think about you.

Can you see how that's gonna affect your relationships?

If you're all consumed with your reputation and what people think about you instead of what who what God thinks about you, I'll tell you this when I was a young man in college, do you know this decision I made?

It brought, it took my walk so much further with God.

I made a decision that I'm gonna care more about what God thinks about me, to whom I'm gonna be accountable one day, than what people think about me.

I did that on the college campus.

I'm and I'm telling you, when I truly made that decision, because you guys know what it's like, you want everyone to like you, you want everyone to be your friend, you want everyone to have this, you want this reputation.

When I said, listen, I care about the Lord's what he says.

I'm telling you, it brought freedom from insecurity in my life.

If you want to be free from insecurity, break the stop fearing men, stop fearing man and whatever make let the scripture says Jesus made himself of no reputation.

Stop believing the lies of the enemy.

He comes and he says, You're from this family, you're not gonna make it.

And you know what you're weak.

You know what you can say?

Of course I'm weak, but the power of Christ is gonna rest on me, the power of God is in me.

Of course I'm from this family.

Stop, take it.

The scripture says, take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

The scripture says, submit to God.

That's the first step.

Some of us aren't submitted to God.

Submit to God, resist the devil, and he'll flee from you.

How do you how do you resist your thought life?

Stop fearing man, stop listening to the lies.

The scripture says he's the father of lies.

There's no truth in him.

Stop listening to his lies.

Don't just let him, don't just take his lies and let him take his way with your imagination.

The scripture says, casting down vain imagination, every in the high, every high thing.

Take it captive to the obedience of Christ.

The last thing is this, guys.

Believe what God says about you.

Truly believe what God says about you.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

How do you do that?

You believe what God says about you.

He says, watch this.

He says that you are a daughter of the king.

He says that you're a son of the king.

He says that you're created in his image.

You're his imager on the earth.

What if you woke up every day and we what if I woke up every day and I could walk in this revelation that I'm his imager?

That I reflect his glory?

What if, how would that change my decision making?

How would that change my relationships if I said I'm his imager?

I am his imagery.

I'm created in his image.

I'm reflecting his glory, his kingdom on the earth.

Man, would that bring freedom from insecurity?

Trusting in him?

Man, I was I was preaching at the College Park campus a minute before this service, and as we closed, you guys can stand quickly.

Here goes the seats, right?

As we as we um and I was preaching, and I was just at the end of the message, I really felt this.

I believe there's a lot of truth in what I shared today, but you know what hit me?

Man, they they got a group of guys that come to the college park campus like fresh start group.

I don't know if y'all seen that, but it's cool.

I mean, it was like 50 guys.

I don't know if it's a recovery or what it is, but you know, I was looking at him and I said, you know what heals insecurity?

You know what really heals insecurity in my life?

I had to walk a lot of this stuff and still am walking a lot of stuff out.

It was his love.

His love can do more if you if you can get a revelation of how much he loves you, that's the foundation of security.

And the scripture says, nothing can separate you from his love.

Not that you can study that passage out.

What Paul's saying is nothing on the inside, nothing that happens to me, outwardly or inwardly, can stop his love for me.

If we walked in that, we'd be free, wouldn't we?

Think how that would affect our relationships if we walk in the security of his love.

I'm telling you guys, I believe it's something that has to be received.

There's barriers, there's things in your life that block and stop the love of God from flowing into your heart and setting you free.

So here's what I want to do.

I want to pray for you guys this morning to be free from the insecurity that you feel in your life.

I believe if we pray together, it can be a step that God takes us into freedom.

Are you guys with me?

So if you want to agree with me in this prayer, man, lift a hand up all over this place, lift a hand up.

We're agreeing, we're gonna agree for freedom and insecurity.

Father, right now, you know where all of us are.

Some of us feel threatened, we feel overwhelmed, we feel inadequate, we feel, God, we feel like we need others to tell us who we are.

And Father, we're all in a different place.

Some of us are in transition right now, in a new city, a new job, a new relationship.

We feel vulnerable.

Father, right now, I just pray that you would help us to stop listening to the lives of the enemy.

I pray right now, God, that we would place our trust and our fear in you and not man.

God, I pray right now, Father, that we would have a revelation of who we are in you.

What you say about us would get from our head to our hearts.

And right now, Father, I just pray that we receive your love.

You would show us who you are, Jesus.

Some of us need to be reminded how much he loves you.

No matter what you've done, no matter who you are, no matter what your background, he loves you just how you are.

His love will set you free if you can walk in it.

The scripture says, as you've received his love, now walk in it.

In the mighty name of Jesus.

Amen.

Come on, sir.

We put our hands together.

Hey, listen, I want I want to say in this moment of worship right now.

Listen, Pastor Chris just spoke an incredible message on insecurity and the trap that it is, and how can we we can all be free of this?

But the fact of the matter is there is one thought through it all.

Everything that he said of what insecur- an insecure person does this, an insecure person does this, but the thing that that that held all together, but with Jesus.

You see, insecurity is a trap that all of us can fall into it.

The only way that you and I are able to get out of insecurity is with Jesus, because in the kingdom of God, there's a difference between reality and truth.

The reality is, yeah, you may be from that type of family.

The reality is, yeah, you may have failed in that area.

The reality is, yeah, you may struggle with addiction, but in the kingdom of God, that's not truth.

You see, when you're with Jesus, that may be the reality, but that's not the truth.

That's not who you are, that's not who Jesus makes you.

You see, when you're with Jesus, he's the one that overcomes all that.

When you're walking with Jesus, when you're walking with God, he's the one that doesn't make all that a reality.

And so, what I want to do across all this room is we never end a service without giving someone the opportunity to respond to Jesus.

So with every head bow and with every eye closed, there's some of you in this room, man, that the enemy's been the enemy has been telling you who you are.

The enemy has been telling you who you are not.

In all of those things, they may be reality.

Oh, Jesus is not the truth.

And so there's some of you in this room, and insecurity has been overshadowing your life for a really long time, and it's because you've just been doing what only you know what to do.

There's some of you in this room who you've never had a moment in your life where you have stopped, you've said, Jesus, I'm done living life my way.

I want to live life your way.

I want to accept what you have done for me.

You see, over 2,000 years ago, for those of you who don't know, Jesus Christ came to this earth, lived life as a man, and then he took your place and my place on a cross.

And he died for your sins and my sins for everything you've done and for everything you will do.

And then he was placed into a tomb and remained there for three days, but he did not stay there.

No, three days later he was rose from the dead, and he conquered sin, death, and hell, and gave you a hope that is everlasting and a life that is everlasting in a relationship with him.

And when he did all that, he placed the ball in your court.

It is up to you now of whether or not you want to accept that forgiveness, of whether or not you want to accept that hope and accept that life everlasting.

For some of you in this room, you've never had a moment where you've accepted what Jesus is offering you, and I want to give you an opportunity to do that here today by committing your life to him for the future.

Very first time.

Then there's those of you in this room, man, who, man, you have accepted Jesus at some point in your life, but maybe for the last several months, maybe the last several years, you have been living your life like you never made that decision.

I want to give you an opportunity to recommit your life to him and to not walk out of this room the same way that you came in.

So what I'm gonna do all across this room is you want to commit or recommit your life to Jesus, I'm just gonna count to three, and I'm gonna ask that you raise your hand, then I'm just gonna lead you in a short prayer, and then we're gonna celebrate, and we're gonna walk out of this room knowing what God has done here.

So if that's you and you're in this room and you want to commit to give your life to Jesus for the very first time, or you want to recommit your life to Jesus, just want to ask that you raise your hands in one, two, raise them high.

Three.

Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen.

Church, if you just raise your hand to either commit or recommit your life to Jesus, I just want to lead you in a quick prayer of salvation, and I want to ask that you repeat these words out loud after me.

And I'm gonna ask everyone else in the room to repeat these words out loud as well.

Jesus, I stand before you today.

Asking you to forgive me of all my sins and all my mistakes.

Today I choose to make you my Lord and my Savior.

From this point forward, I'm gonna live my life, the rest of my life, for you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Come on, church, can we put our hands together?

There were a lot of hands that just went.

Thank you for tuning in to today's podcast.

For more information about Celebration Orlando or to get in touch with us, please visit celebrationorlando.org.