Incremental Steps To Insecurity

Step 1: Fail to build a lifestyle that establishes Christ as preeminent.

Step 2: By subtle or not-so-subtle implication of Step 1, as Christ decreases you increase yourself.

Step 3: Begin to see the Christian life as primarily (although not yet overtly at this stage) about you.

Step 4: Begin to minister to others in the name of Christ yet primarily about gaining respect for yourself.

Step 5: Interpret success in the Christian life and ministry as self-earning rather than by grace alone.

Step 6: Start to increase your comparison and contrast to others in the Christian life and ministry.

Step 7: Fail to heed the smaller warnings and signs of Fatherly discipline that come to all God’s children through the ordinary means of grace and godly friends.

Step 8: Keep up Step 1 but now add to it thoughts such as: “I want to know more about God so that others will see that I’m very spiritual.”

Step 9: Focus far more on outward gifts rather than internal godliness.

Step 10: Begin to feel threatened when people gravitate toward someone else rather than you to learn more about God.

Step 11: Readily entertain thoughts of judgment toward that person in Step 10 while exalting yourself in your own mind.

Step 12: Fail to enjoy others’ ministry toward you by only thinking how you could do it better.

Step 13: As you receive criticism, give criticism in return—also, let others hear you criticize others.

Step 14: Begin to meditate less on Scripture and decrease your prayer life while increasing your desire to “master” the skills of ministry or secure a “Christian” reputation.

Step 15: Fail to heed more obvious Fatherly discipline that comes your way.

Step 16: Hear/preach sermons and teach lessons where the Law is supposed to convict others but not you. At the same time, don’t make it your primary responsibility to adore Christ in those sermons/lessons.

Step 17: Begin to plot ways and strategies for you to gain back your popularity. This happens with the double-edged dagger of exalting yourself and throwing others under the bus.

Step 18: Develop an entire posture of judgmentalism and sin-hunting.

Step 19: Firmly establish a Christian life and ministry that is functionally all about you yet in the name of Christ.

Step 20: Fall into some hidden sin yet excuse it. This sin can be staunch legalism or a heinous sin from an antinomian heart.

Step 21: Develop an anger, bitterness, and jealousy “aroma” about yourself that others notice.

Step 22: Write a blog about insecurity yet don’t heed it for yourself.

Step 23: Expect the Holy Spirit to intervene because He loves you!