Question 1

With so much instability in the world, how can my faith help me feel secure?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 125:1Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.Proverbs 1:33“All who listen to me [Wisdom] will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”Matthew 7:24“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”When we build our faith day by day on the truths of God’s Word, we have built a solid foundation that will not easily crack under the world’s pressures. Upon that foundation, we begin building our place in the world. When life’s battles come our way, some may be strong enough to knock down some walls, but our foundation will remain strong, steady and not easily moved, because God’s truths are eternal. A secure foundation gives us greater courage to face whatever troubles might come our way.Psalm 40:2He [the Lord] lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.When our faith remembers what God has done and is doing, it has reasons to look forward to what God can and will do in the future.Psalm 3:3You, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.Psalm 9:9-10The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.Psalm 46:1-3God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!Psalm 57:1Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.Psalm 63:8I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.Proverbs 14:26Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children.Proverbs 18:10The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.No matter how much the battles and storms of life batter us, we are eternally secure when we put our faith in God. Nothing can ever separate us from God’s eternal presence and security.

Question 2

How can I feel secure about the future?

Accepted Answer

Romans 16:17-20Now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.Philippians 4:6-7Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.Our greatest security comes from knowing the peace of God. When we find it, our perspective on life will change. And we will find it when we pray and hand our problems over to God for him to resolve.Romans 8:38-39I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.The most powerful security in the world flows from knowing that nothing can separate us from God’s love.2 Corinthians 1:22He has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.Titus 3:7Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.1 Peter 1:3-5Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.1 John 5:18We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.Revelation 3:5All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.The Bible promises that we will be saved from judgment and eternal death (the greatest form of insecurity) when we loyally follow his Son, Jesus Christ, as Lord. When Jesus holds us securely, the evil one cannot get his hands on us. We should ask God each day to build our confidence in Christ.

Question 3

How do I deal with my feelings of insecurity?

Accepted Answer

Ephesians 2:10We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.Ephesians 3:14-20When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.Philippians 3:12-14I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.Insecurity can be a sign that we are measuring our value by the wrong things. The only thing that matters—and the only way to be secure—is to find our value as a creation of God, one of his masterpieces. When we truly understand how much God loves us, we can begin to feel secure in ourselves. Instead of letting memories of the past immobilize us, we can let God redeem those memories and choose to “forget” them as we focus on following Jesus each day.

Question 4

What if I feel unprepared for death?

Accepted Answer

1 Peter 1:3-4All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.Jude 1:24-25Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!If your faith is in Jesus Christ, your eternal destiny is secured.2 Corinthians 1:22He has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.The presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit is God’s guaranteed seal on your heart.1 Corinthians 11:23-26I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.Every time you receive communion might be your last this side of eternity. The Lord might return or you may be ushered into his presence. Either way, the Lord’s Supper celebrates his death and anticipates his return for those who trust him. And each time you celebrate it, you are allowed to renew your anticipation of what awaits you at the end or your life.

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