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Never become insecure about what others are doing beneficial to God’s work. Insecurity becomes an enemy of releasing great potential in an individual’s life. When you find yourself in this predicament, all level of creativity becomes dull and ineffective. Trusting in your gifts and what you are capable is crucial to achieving personal success. No one has everything, and remembering everyone has moments of insecurity helps us overcome ours. However, the difference with others is how they conquer their insecurities and becomes a stronger person than before.
Here’s a story found in Numbers 11:24-30 about an instance of insecurity attack:
“So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again. However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.”
The same scenario happened when John saw another performing what Jesus was doing:
“Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:49-50, ESV).
Just like how Moses provided them with an important truth, Jesus provided John the most important guideline in our service to God: “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.” No matter how you view it, God is not a respecter of persons. He wills and chooses whom He wanted. Just because a person is not part of our “exclusive” group, they must stop doing what they are doing. On the contrary, these instances are eye-openers for us that we are not alone in doing the task given to us. But unfortunately, this is where insecurity attacks people by often masking as a seeming concern for the individual or group where an outsider operates in the same way or better.
It is during this moment of seeming concern that a sharp discernment of what is going on in the person’s psyche is needed. Are they concern or just insecure of others sharing in the same gifting? Let’s learn to differentiate what’s real concern when there’s one and when insecurity is rearing its ugly head. Seeing the big picture like Moses and Jesus is more important than engaging in exclusions of others outside of our group especially when they are doing God’s work as we do.
What’s the best way of overcoming insecurity? First, admission is the first step and recognition of its reality in one’s life. I like how Kobe Bryant dealt with his insecurity:
“I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don't deny it, but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it.”
Next, become open with the fact that God endowed people with various gifts and talents. Individuals received what is appropriate for them because “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV). Finally, we must realize our uniqueness. When we do, we will never see other people as competitors but instead, see them as partners in the same work albeit in a different group. Remember, God is in the habit of doing various things His way in fulfilling His plans and purpose. If we are doing God’s plan and purpose, others are doing the same and they are part of God’s team just like us.
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