Beth Moore, renowned evangelical speaker, Bible teacher and author, has done it again. She’s come out with another insightful manuscript concerning a spiritual stronghold that almost all of us as women (and men) struggle with: insecurity. Although I’ve always been a fan of Beth Moore and have taken several of her 10-12 week studies, I was a little skeptical when I saw So Long Insecurity on the shelf at my favorite local bookstore this week.
There, in the “religious” section of Borders, sit many books from Christian authors, some familiar, some not. Various names and titles that stick out most as you walk by are Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages, Max Lucado, Francis Chan’s Crazy Love, Phillip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew, Desiring God, and Joyce Meyer’s array of colorful and snappy titles like, Battlefield of the Mind.
And then, of course there are Beth’s books. Her beautifully-designed paperbacks and companion study guides are appealing. These eye-catching materials are colorful and feminine in design and it doesn’t take long to figure out what part of the population the publishers are targeting. The titles of her books, like Get Out of That Pit or Breaking Free, also carry with them this sense of self-empowerment. As I slide one of these titles from the shelf, I think, “If I read this I will finally feel what all these happy and mature Christians around me experience every day.”
Well if there’s one book which made me feel not-so-empowered to pick up, it would have to be Moore’s So Long Insecurity. (One of the young women I meet with weekly at UGA had actually told me about this book prior to my visit to the bookstore, so I’d already had a pretty good synopsis of what it entailed.) I must admit that I felt a little self-conscious about taking it to the counter to buy it, but when I got there, the store clerk smiled at me and then proceeded to give me a 25% discount without even having a coupon. I guess he felt sorry for me. (I am laughing at myself now as I type this)
I took the book home and began reading it that night as I sipped on a bowl of hot tomato soup. I couldn’t put it down. Here’s some of the first few golden insights Beth Moore gives on this chronic problem I’ve discovered in myself and perhaps in many around me.
• In the second chapter of her book, Moore gives a definition of insecurity. It’s actually cited from a published work from Joseph Nowinski’s The Tender Heart, but here it is:
“Insecurity refers to a profound sense of self-doubt---a deep feeling of uncertainty about our basic worth and our place in the world. Insecurity is associated with chronic self-consciousness, along with a chronic lack of confidence in ourselves and anxiety about our relationships. The insecure man or woman lives in constant fear of rejection and a deep uncertainty about whether his or her own feelings and desires are legitimate.”
Placing a definition to insecurity helped me tremendously because a lot of times I will let the culture around me (movies, music, the “rich & famous”) define insecurity for me. It was good to see it defined by someone who’d done his research.
• Often, as Christian women, we think we should constantly be trying to reach a point of “perfection” in our faith; a place where we are feeling closest to our Father and free from worry, anxiety and insecurity. Beth addresses this when she says: “Is the goal of the believing life to get to a place where we simply hold steady till we die? Maybe that’s part of my problem. Maybe I just get bored easily. I’m forever wanting to go someplace with God. I forget that in order to really want to go, something has to happen to make me want to leave where I am. Maybe we’re just sick to death of taking three steps forward and two steps back.”
Later, Beth says, “I’m a common woman sharing common problems seeking common solutions on a journey with an uncommon Savior.”

• Insecurity can inhibit us from becoming the woman God intends for us to be. Beth Moore states that insecurity is an epidemic, but not incurable. “ I’m sick to death of insecurity. It’s been a terrible companion. A very bad friend. It promised to always think of me first and meticulously look out for my best interests. It vowed to stay focused on me and help me not get hurt or forgotten. Instead, insecurity invaded every part of my life, betrayed me, and sold me out more times than I can count. It’s time I got healthy enough emotionally to choose my lifelong companions better. This one needs to get dumped.”
Beth calls her first Chapter, “Mad Enough to Change.” Well, nothing could be further from how I’m feeling. I’m sick of feeling insecure. I’m tired of trying to excuse my feelings by defining them as being “overly sensitive.”
Ephesians 2:10 is the verse Beth paraphrases and points us to, and it’s really what God is saying to us: “I have appointed you to accomplish something good. Something that matters. Something I prepared for you before time began. Something meant to have a serious impact within your sphere of influence.”