S - SAVED FROM HERSELF

In case you didn't read yesterday's post: I'm going to be using the six points of Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity simulcast message as we blog-chat this week. These six statements are a description of a secure woman. The first letter of each statement is an acrostic for the word S-E-C-U-R-E.

Let me clarify before we even begin: My posts will not be recaps of Beth's message. My notes are not comprehensive enough to do that by any stretch of the imagination. If you could see them, you'd laugh. They're so scratchy they're barely readable. The sanctuary was dim and so are my eyes - GRIN (Reminder to self, it may be time for new glasses.) Beth was in true Beth form .... so anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit that her mouth could barely keep up with all she wanted to say. By the time I could write something she said in my notes, I'd already missed the next five things! I gave up on note taking and just soaked in the teaching as best I could.

The first letter of S-E-C-U-R-E is, of course, the letter S. A secure woman is first SAVED FROM HERSELF.

Do you ever need to be saved from yourself? I sure do! Sometimes I am my own worst enemy!

We seem to be living in the midst of a society that grows more narcissistic by the day. The sense of entitlement we possess in our culture is growing by leaps and bounds. Me - Me - ME .... it's all about ME has quickly become an apt description of our generation. We've become afflicted with full blown "I" disease that no ophthamologist on earth can cure. We've developed a near-sightedness that leaves us unable to see other people and their needs because we can only see ourselves.

Watch this video.

The video's funny and I hope it gave you a good laugh - but doesn't it also give us pause for thought? Oh, YES, my sweet sisters, we DO, indeed, need to be saved from ourselves.

Let me ask you some questions I asked myself:

• Are you living your God-given destiny right now? If you're not, it's probably because you've demanded your own way over God's will.


• Are you content? Or, do you hear yourself muttering things like: "I'm so tired of wiping noses and picking up toys. I wish I could get out of this house and back to my career." Or maybe, "I'm so frustrated with the constant stress of this job. I'd give anything to be able to quit and be a homemaker." Or maybe, "This house is driving me crazy it's so out of date. I wish we could move or at least remodel." Or maybe, "Marriage sure isn't what I thought it would be. Maybe I'd be better off on my own." Are you content, girlfriends?? If you're not, it's probably because you think you "deserve better than this."


• Do you have a teachable spirit? Do you approach God's Word with an openness and expectancy for it to fill you with a knowledge of His will and change your life? If not, it's probably because you think you already know it all.


• Do you have an emotional wound that just won't seem to heal? You think it's okay and then it begins festering and hurting again? If you do, it's probably because your pride has kept you from fully forgiving.


• Do you have a vision for what God is doing in the world? Do you see Him at work in daily events and hear His invitation to join Him in His work? If not, it's probably because you'd rather look in a mirror than out a window. (That simply means your focus is on you instead of God!)


• Is your life blessed by true and genuine friendships? People you know will be with you through thick and thin? People you know you can count on? If not, it's probably because you won't let anyone know the real you.

Girlfriends, I pulled every one of those bullet point questions from Beth Moore's poem, "My name is Pride, I am a cheater." [pp.59-60, Praying God's Word] I didn't like the questions very much when I asked them of myself. You may not have liked them either. Truth hurts sometimes. You see, my sweet sisters, if you are demanding your own way - it's pride. If you think you "deserve better than this" - it's pride. If you think you already know it all - it's pride. If you'd rather look in a mirror than out a window - it's pride. If you won't let anyone know the real you - it's pride. And, oh girlfriends, pride is a liar and a cheater!!!

Pride makes you think it's looking out for you. But, in truth, it's only looking to make a fool of you. Pride is an epidemic in our society. Beth Moore says "The challenge to overcome pride may be the only common denominator on every one of our spiritual 'to do' lists." None of us are exempt.

Oh, girls - pride feeds our insecurities and makes them grow bigger every day. If we want to be SECURE women living out our God-given destinies in daily victory, we must be SAVED FROM OURSELVES.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10