"For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in who he delighteth" (Prov. 3:12).

We have all been acquainted with people who are reluctant to receive instruction or correction. They would rather try it and be wrong than ask advice. When advice is offered, they turn it down.

Why will a person refuse help, going through life turning a deaf ear to it? Is it possible that this, too, is because of deep-seated insecurity?

Children, to begin with, are very insecure in many ways. If you hand them a new toy and try to show them how it works, they will usually pull away, and only come back for instruction when they give up trying their futile way. All of us have heard the familiar saying, "You do it your way, I'll do it mine," not fully realizing that insecurity could be showing.

This childhood insecurity develops more strongly in some than others. But all of us have a measure of it following us into adulthood, even into our new life as Christians. As long as we refuse to acknowledge this inherited trait, we keep the security and maturity of our Lord from developing within us.

If your family, neighbors, or friends have a way of doing something that is better, why not give it a try? If a brother or sister in the faith seems to be making more progress than you, would it not be a good idea to at least inquire as to why this is so? Maybe they can help you. This will put you into a much better position or posture than later feeling threatened by their apparent success.

This type of insecurity that leads to an unteachable spirit has gone undetected in the average Christian church. The majority of believers in the faith will remain in the church affiliation of their parents. Very seldom are they open even to discuss other faiths. Yet they readily admit that they do not practice the teaching they know is contained in the Word of God; and that when they read scriptural truths they are not experiencing, they are troubled.

If a person is secure in what he believes, surely he would be open to discuss the Word of God without being defensive. Many will develop a "blind spot" in their spiritual perception because of this. Even the Apostle Paul would not be welcome in their church if he taught all that he wrote in the New Testament churches.

Being secure enough as a person and as a Christian will always cause you to be open to correction and instruction. If you find yourself resenting others when they try to help you, remember that it can be a result of your childhood insecurity following you into adulthood.

As a born-again believer, you are a very secure person in Christ. If you know who you are and where you are going, you are far ahead of your unsaved friends. But because we do not recognize these symptoms of insecurity and deal with them, the life of the Lord Jesus cannot surface in us.

Note these powerful verses:
...nor receiveth correction: truth is perished.
(Jer. 7:28)

They have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock.
(Jer. 5:3)
These are only a few of the many scriptures which teach us the intrinsic value of correction. If a person is not open to receive correction, the truth will perish. A corrected son is a happy, secure son, who will bring delight to his father's heart. He that hates reproof or resents correction is a dying person.

God corrects or chastens those whom He loves. To put it another way, He corrects those who have an ongoing relationship with Him. Many Christians cannot receive correction from God because of a poor relationship with their own fathers.

A secure person, no matter how well he is doing, is always open to suggestions in order to better himself. Most parents know that their children seem to be born with much insecurity. They will resist any help, even in how to play with a new toy. Only when they have failed to operate it will they ask for help.

The answer to our childhood insecurity, that which follows us into our adult Christian life, is the Word of God. The Scriptures are given to us for correction. We need to constantly read them, listen as they are taught, and give heed to them - to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
(1 John 4:4)
With the knowledge that the Greater One is in you, you will be able to deal with the insecurities which may have plagued you from childhood.

Confess constantly that He is in you. Confess His strength, not yours. Confess His indwelling ability, not your ability. Do not speak of all the things you do not have or cannot do. Speak only of who you are in Him.

Arm yourself with the scriptural fact that the Greater One indwells you as a child of God, even greater than all hindrances and hang-ups. Once armed, use that armor by constantly confessing who you are in Christ, not who you are by natural birth. God is your new Parent. You now have the same Father as your Lord had. Speak openly of His security.

(Other scriptures for reference are: Prov. 13:1; Prov. 12:1; Prov. 15:10; 2 Tim. 3:16; Prov. 29:17; Job 5:17; Prov. 13:24.)

Source: Healing Your Insecurities by Roy Hicks
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers