A White Stone with a New Name

Insecurity is not anything new. The Bible tells of an insecure woman who lived 3000 years ago, and how utterly dangerous she was, to herself, and to all around her.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m her. I’ve been her my whole life. But ever since Jesus rescued me, He’s been transforming me. He has shown me that when you follow Him and obey Him, you’ll have more joy and peace than you ever thought possible.

Read Proverbs 7:10-23.

The Bible is so descriptive about this woman. This passage screams about the lies Satan was feeding her. Lies that are quite similar to what he whispered to Eve in the garden of Eden. Lies that he still spreads today.

Lie #1: You need to be seen.

We know she suffered from this lie because verse 10 says she wore the attire of a harlot and verse 11 says she was loud. Why would she do these things? Because she wanted to be seen. An insecure woman will do absolutely anything to get attention.

Truth: God alone deserves all attention, honor, and praise.

Psalms 96: 4-5, 8-9 “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His Name; bring an offering and come into His courts! Worship the LORD in splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the Earth.”

And although we don’t deserve to be seen, guess what? Jesus sees you. He is the God who sees. He saw the servant girl Hagar in the desert. And He sees you.

Lie #2: You need to stand up for yourself.

Verse 10 says she has a subtle heart. The Hebrew word used originally was natsar, and it means guarded. She had a guarded heart. Why would any woman feel the need to closely guard her heart but would be so willing to be unguarded with her body? BECAUSE HER HEART HAD BEEN HURT. And we can all say the same. If you have lived any amount of time on this fallen Earth, you have been hurt. So, then, we reason that if we do not take care of ourselves, who will? We take on the role of protector and vindicator of our own hearts.

The problem with living with a guarded heart is that you are unable to feel joy in life. This woman was so numb and desperate for love that verse 18 tells us she wanted to “leap for joy with love and solace herself”, even though she knew it would only be for one night.

Truth: God is your Protector and Vindicator.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

Psalms 91:1-3 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.”

Romans 12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Lie # 3: You are entitled to your own opinion.

Verse eleven says she is loud and stubborn. “I’m entitled to my own opinion”- we say it all the time. And as Americans, we are entitled to our own opinions. But as followers of Jesus Christ, WE ARE NOT.

Truth: You are not your own- you are bought with a price. You are a servant of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. SO glorify God in your body.”

Lie #4: You are not needed at home.

Verse 11 said that her feet do not stay in her own house. This is something that is, again, a huge trend in our culture. Wives and mothers are so busy that they are anywhere but in their own homes. They are at work, in the car, at the ballgames, leading the women’s Bible study, charities, shopping, doing lunch, etc. Feminists throw their heads back and howl whenever it is mentioned that a woman should be in her home. But think about it… a good life always stems from a happy living situation. Why is it perceived as such a demeaning position to be a facilitator of that to those you love most?

Truth: LIST OF PRIORITIES- First: GOD. Second: being our husband’s helper. Third: our children. Four: our home. Five: everything else.

Matthew 22:37-38 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” There is absolutely nothing more important than your relationship with your Creator and Savior. It must be the number one priority of your life. Philippians 2:12 “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…” The expression “playing with fire” could not be more appropriate. Putting your relationship with God on the back burner is disastrous. If it is being neglected, your whole life will spin out of control. I have been there many times, and the closer I get to God, the more I fear ever going back to where I was. James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” How do you draw near to Him? Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” READ YOUR BIBLE AND PRAY EVERY DAY.

Genesis 2:18 “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.'”  If you are a married woman, you were created to help your husband. He needs your help! Just as you need his love. There is nothing wrong with this. He needs you to support his dreams, to have his back when he is attacked, to be his partner in life.

Titus 2:4-5 “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed.”

Lie #5: It is necessary to take matters into your own hands.

Verse 13 is a loud representation of her “taking matters in her own hands”. She grabbed the guy and kissed him. No hello, no nothing. She went after exactly what she wanted, and she knew how to get it.

Truth: Wait on the Lord.

Psalms 27:14 “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” The Bible tells us over and over to pray and WAIT. When we have unmet needs, when there is something we want, when things are goings all wrong… do not take control of the situation! PRAY, AND WAIT!

Lie #6: Idle pursuits would fulfill her emptiness.

The methods this woman used to seduce this man are nothing short of brilliant. She spent a lot of time, money, thought, and effort… all for just one night! Imagine if she had employed her talents in seducing her own husband! Or she could have started her own business, like the Proverbs 31 woman.

Truth: Invest yourself into pursuits that will profit for all eternity.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Lie #7: Follow your heart.

Verse 18 tells us this woman was chasing love. She wanted to FEEL good. She was desperate for love, even though she knew it was only short-term. This is so sad to me. Because I’ve lived it. I’ve looked for love in all the wrong places, many times. And these intrigues, these affairs, these short-term romances, they will absolutely leave you worse off than you ever were to begin with. The only one who can love you the way you are so desperate for is Jesus. Your husband can’t. And certainly your affairs can’t. Only Jesus.

Truth: The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Romans 3:10 “As it is written: none is righteous, no, not one;”

The inescapable truth is that we are all wretched sinners. The last thing we should do is listen to our hearts. Follow Jesus.

Lie #8: You deserve to be happy.

Truth: Jesus says, Pick up your cross and follow Me.

Matthew 16:24-25 “Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

How do you conquer insecurity? By identifying the lies, and by embracing the TRUTH. Insecurity is cruel bondage.

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus loves you, right now where you are, in the middle of your mess. He died for you while you were still a sinner. He is more than willing to jump into the mud with you and clean you up and help you out of it. But you have to follow Him.

Embrace the Truth, and enjoy true freedom in Jesus Christ!