The Security Lie

The security lie: I am what I have. The counter truth: I am what's been given for me. Security is found in God's Kingdom not in building my own.

Are You Believing the Security Lie?

Are you believing the lie that your worth or security is tied to what you own? I've got some good news for you today as we continue our series on the lies we believe and the truth that sets us free.

It's easy to think we aren't defined by what we have, until we lose what we have. And then suddenly, we feel exposed.

You might be thinking, no Jo, I don’t think this applies to me.

Maybe not, or maybe it’s hiding. I wonder if you've noticed thoughts like these creeping in...

• If I had more money, people would care more about what I have to say.

• If only I had (a better house, a nicer garden, a bigger kitchen) I’d feel more confident inviting people round.

• I need to work hard so I have a good buffer of savings in my account in case anything happens.

Sometimes that last one is wisdom, sometimes it’s self-preservation because we aren’t quite sure God will provide for us if something happens.

I get it, no judgement here.

How This Lie Sneaks Into Into Our Thoughts and Prayers

I fall into this trap so easily. In fact, since I’ve started working for myself, it’s only intensified. I caught myself praying something really odd the other day which made me realise this, it sounds quite holy on the surface but it isn’t really.

I found myself praying, "God, if you give me more I'll be generous with it".

And I would be, I have been in the past. The problem isn't that I'd keep it. The problem is that I want it in the first place, that I feel defined by it in some way. I want to have the options it brings, just in case. The more I store up, the more secure I feel.

And that’s where this lie gets troublesome. Not just the greed element, because some of us don’t feel greedy at all, I don’t, maybe you do and that’s great self-awareness. The part that really gets us though is that we start to think we have security in the things we store up.

And even if we’re generous and we don’t store up, we think well if at some point things start to get a bit shaky we can pull back on our generosity and very quickly store up a little buffer to protect us from actually needing God.

I decided to journal about this prayer I’d found myself praying and here’s what I concluded: it wasn't that I wouldn't be generous - it was that I wanted to have more so I could choose to give it away, rather than just... not having it. And there's a pride thing there. "I have less by choice because I'm generous" feels so much better than "I have less because that's just my situation." Vulnerable moment, I want the power that comes with having options, even if I don't use them.

How Responsibility Turns Into Fear and Control

It’s true but it frustrates me, it isn’t the kind of life I want to live or the kind of person I want to be, so it’s good to get curious. Why am I believing this lie?

Because I've been noticing this lie in unexpected places...Have you found yourself doing any of these things lately?

Scrolling through online stores when you're feeling insecure about something completely unrelated - not just as a pick-me-up, but because somehow that new thing will help you feel better about yourself.

Or house-hunting online when you're not actually moving, because you want to feel like you have options, like you could upgrade if you wanted to.

Or even checking your savings account balance repeatedly - not because you need to know, but because seeing that number gives you a little hit of security.

I get it.

This lie is sneaky because it sounds responsible on the surface, a lot like the self-reliance lie, it all depends on me. Of course we should be wise with money. Of course we should plan ahead. Of course we should provide for our families. But there's a difference between healthy stewardship and anxious hoarding. And it's hard to spot if we aren't looking out for it.

When we believe "I am what I have", we become anxious instead of trusting God. We make decisions from fear instead of faith. And we start treating our circumstances like they define our worth as human beings. It’s exhausting and in the end we never actually get the worth or security we’re looking for, because our true worth and security is found in Jesus, not stuff.

It affects our relationships too. We subconsciously start making assumptions about people based on what they drive or where they live. We either feel superior or inferior, and both feelings steal our joy. And sooner or later our relationships turn into comparison contests without us even realising it.

The Story of the Rich Young Ruler: A Mirror For Us

I've been thinking about the rich young ruler lately… We see all of this in his story don’t we?

You can find the story in Matthew 19. We meet the rich young ruler, he has everything sorted - great possessions, he thought he kept all the commandments, the one thing he asked for was what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.

Now obviously, you can’t do anything to inherit something, you just need to exist. But he was in the doing mindset, earning what he had and so Jesus answers him. Not with how to inherit eternal life, but to show him the better way to live, to not be defined by his stuff and his accolades but to sell his things, help the poor and come, follow Jesus.

But it’s too much for him.

What bit is too much I wonder?

What bit would be too much for you?

Would it be selling all your possessions because you actually like your possessions?

Would it be selling all your possessions because you’d feel less secure without them?

Or would it be giving up the life that has led you to those possessions in order to follow Jesus?

We don’t know which it was for the young ruler, but I wonder what it is for you? Or if you’re livin in truth, maybe you’d be willing to give it all up to follow Jesus.

The rich young ruler wanted to follow Jesus, but he also wanted to keep his safety net. He wanted eternal life, but he couldn’t part from this temporary one. His possessions had started to define him, to give him peace, they became his identity. It’s hard to get rid of what defines us.

The Truth That Sets Us Free: Security in God Alone

So what truth do we need to hear to set us free from this lie?

Quite simply: we are not defined by what we have. We’re defined by what’s been given for us.

Security is found in God’s Kingdom not in building our own.

I know. How counter-cultural. Our world tells us constantly that we are what we accumulate. But the Kingdom of God works completely differently. In God's economy, the first are last, the poor in spirit are blessed, and the one who loses his life finds it.

I know you know this. I know it too. But isn’t it so hard to live by it sometimes? This is why it’s good to meet our reluctance with curiosity. Not to just push through and try to believe this truth but to question why we find it believing it so difficult in the first place.

Take the first line of that truth: we are not defined by what we have. We’re defined by what’s been given for us. Jesus gave his life for us. The bit that I sometimes struggle to believe is that He’d continue to provide for me now.

And when I really think about that, it’s a bit ridiculous. Why would Jesus give his life, and not the lesser things I need? If I can trust Him to make the ultimate sacrifice, why would I not trust Him to continue to keep me?

Okay so that’s getting more underneath the lie so let’s keep going.

Well maybe because I feel like I haven’t earned it. Like somehow this extra bit on top is something that I’ve got to be well-behaved to believe. I’ve got to have the purest motives, the cleanest heart, the best behaviour, otherwise I should expect for things to be tough, because I haven’t earned anything better.

Oh no, that isn’t the gospel at all!

Maybe that doesn’t relate to you at all and that’s fine, but what I’m trying to show you is how helpful it can be to get curious about the why that underpins our belief in a lie or that shows us why we might struggle to believe the truth. Somewhere down the line it will come back to something we’re not trusting God with. And once we know that, it’s freeing, we realise God has known this all along yet still loves us, and we can go to Him and say this is the lie I’m believing, help me to replace it with your truth.

Here’s truth for you to finish:

Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

Next week, we'll talk about the third lie: "I am what people think of me." Because apparently we're all working on that one too.

Until then, remember: you're not what you have, you’re defined by what’s been given for you. Security is found in God’s Kingdom, not in building your own.

Question

Is there a part of your life where you’re being defined by what you have and what might be getting in the way of you believing the truth?

Prayer

Lord I thank you that we are defined not by what we do, not by what we have, not by what other people think of us but thank you Lord that you are the one who defines us and in you we find the ultimate security. As we spend time with you now would you help us to identify those lies that we’re believing. In your gentle way, would you bring to the surface those things that are getting in the way and keeping us believing these lies, and would you replace them with your truth: that you are good, that we can rest in you, that you’re the most trustworthy being there is. Would we experience even more of your freedom today. In your precious name Jesus amen.