Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Ephesians 6:10-14

Learn

I often find I am my own worst enemy. The devil doesn’t have to go far to scheme against me, because I am easily persuaded by his tactics, even without the help of others. One of the ways his schemes play out is through poking at my insecurities; insecurities about my body, my intelligence, my lack of faith, my marriage. I’m sure we could all think of a long list of daily battles we have with insecurity- and I don’t know about you, but when I am insecure about something I try to overcompensate in unhealthy ways. This usually looks like me for anything I can get my hands on so I don’t have to actually say to myself “Jaime, just admit it- you are insecure.” Instead I give reasons for my struggles that focus on someone or something that caused my insecurity. Instead of clothing myself with the full armor of God I clothe myself with complaints, gossip, anger, frustration and pity. To God I must look like a little girl trying to dress herself, but has no capability to pick out appropriate clothes or even tie her own shoes.

The devil desires to uproot our trust in God. He wants us to think we can pick out our own clothes and attempt to dress for success because he knows we will fail. He preys on our shortcomings, and he revels in our pity. He does this to distract us and confuse us so we lose sight of God’s truth while we are stuck fixating on what we can’t fix.

It is easy to forget we are fighting a battle beyond what we can see, and we need God to intervene on our behalf so we can replace our insecurity with the full armor of God. It is in properly clothing ourselves that we can move from frustration to gratitude as our Heavenly Father picks out our clothes and ties our shoes for us. We must trust that God is capable of knowing how to best tie our shoes and clothe us for success. When insecurity creeps in, we must remember to ask God for help, and thank him for being a good, good father.

Know

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7

Today as you are feeling insecure, interrupt your frustration with gratitude. Whatever present issue is causing you to worry or doubt, re-read the psalm as you work towards trusting and praising God for what he has already done for you and what he promises to continue to do.