This article is designed to create a better understanding of how to silence internal insecurities. For the next 30 days read the questions and allow them to spark deeper personal reflection and life change.

Many people are plagued by self-critical thoughts, especially that they are different in a negative way. We compare, evaluate, and judge ourselves with great scrutiny. The result of this self-sabotage can be failing to seize opportunities God has for us.

1. Much adult insecurity and inner self-criticism stem from painful experiences, which become ingrained into your self-perceptions. What insecurities do you deal with? How do they affect your thinking?
2. Read Exodus 2:11–15. First Moses killed an Egyptian for hurting a Hebrew. Then his people rejected him and Pharaoh tried to kill him. How do you think this experienced traumatized Moses?
3. Read Exodus 2:11–15. It’s possible the rejection and trauma Moses experienced caused him to be so insecure he felt he could be nothing more than a shepherd. How do you relate to Moses’?
4. Read Exodus 2–4. God called Moses to do something great but Moses responded again and again outlining his inadequacy. If God called you to do something great how would you respond?
5. Read Exodus 3:12. God countered Moses’ insecurities with His presence. How does knowing God will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) help overcome your insecurity?
6. Read Exodus 3:11–12. Moses focused on his inadequacy but God continued shifting the focus to Himself. What changes when you shift your focus away from your inadequacies to God’s abundance?
7. Read Exodus 3:13–22. God told Moses His personal relationship name, “I Am." How does your personal relationship with God make a difference when you feel inadequate?
8. Read Exodus 4:1–9; Romans 8:11. God provided Moses with demonstrations of His power to bolster his insecurity. What great demonstration of power by God verifies His promises to you?
9. Read Exodus 4:10–12. God reminded Moses that He was in control and in His providence made Moses a certain way. How does knowing this is also true in your life give you a sense of freedom?
10. Read Psalm 139:13–16. How does knowing God made you and embracing your uniqueness help you overcome insecurity and self-criticism?
11. Read Exodus 4:12. God told Moses He would instruct him in what to say. That meant Moses had to trust God for his words. What are ways you can trust God to provide for things in which you feel inadequate?
12. Read Exodus 4:13–17. God provided Moses with a partnership through his brother Aaron. Who are some potential partners you have who could help you in areas you feel inadequate and insecure?
13. Where is the line between feeling so insecure it keeps you from trusting God and realizing you cannot do the task adequately and therefore need help?
14. Read Genesis 37; 50:20. Joseph’s brothers hated him but he reframed the experience and saw God’s hand in it. How can you reframe your painful experiences in this same way?
15. Read Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28. The outcome of Joseph’s experience was salvation for many people. How does Romans 8:28 confirm Joseph’s experience? Where has this been true in your life?
16. Read Judges 6:15–16. God called Gideon to be a judge over Israel but he was insecure about his status in the community. What is God’s answer to these kinds of insecurities?
17. Read Amos 7:14–15. Amos, called by God to be a prophet, boldly stood up to the king. What three insecurities did the sense of God’s call help him overcome?
18. Joseph, Gideon, and Amos all overcame insecurity with God’s help. How can a sense of God’s call, presence, and providence in your life help overrule your insecurities?
19. Read 1 Samuel 8:21; 10:20–23. Saul was terribly insecure. His failure to overcome his insecurities ultimately caused him to take his own life. How else could Saul have responded to his insecurities?
20. Read 2 Timothy 1:6–7. Timothy was timid. What did Paul write to him to bolster his confidence? How does developing the unique gifts God gave you help you overcome insecurity?
21. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. Insecurity is rooted in self-perception. What happens to your insecurities if you begin to see yourself as a new person with a new life?
22. Read Philippians 4:21; Colossians 2:10. How does God view you if you are in Christ? How does this affect your self-criticism and insecurity?
23. Read Ephesians 2:10. Seeing yourself as significant is a key to overcoming insecurities. What truths in this passage express how significant you are?
24. The opposite of insecurity is confidence. In what or whom is your confidence and security placed? Should Christians have self-confidence?
25. Read Matthew 6:19–20; Colossians 3:1–3. Some people’s security is related to their possessions. What does Jesus say about security in possessions? What should a believer’s security be rooted in?
26. Read Galatians 1:10. Some people’s sense of security is tied to pleasing others. How would following Paul’s example free you from people pleasing?
27. Read Romans 8:31–34. How does this truth set you free from the fear of what others might think about you?
28. Read Philippians 4:13. Although Paul was gifted and had excellent education and pedigree, his confidence was not placed in those things. What was the source of Paul’s strength?
29. Read 2 Corinthians 12:9–10. How does Paul reframe his weakness, turning potential insecurities into tremendous strength? What weaknesses do you need to reframe like Paul?
30. Read Philippians 4:19. True security comes when you recognize Christ is God’s answer to all your insecurities. What are ways you can base your security on the all-sufficiency of Christ?