Insecurity Breach: “Identity Crisis”

Book Club
“Insecurity Breach: Identity Crisis”
6/1/25
Pastor Mark England

1 Kings 19:1-9 (NIV) Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” ³ Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, ⁴ while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” ⁵ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. ⁷ The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Are you giving to , things?

1 Kings 19:3-4 (NIV) Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, ⁴ while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

Beersheba: “The place of the ”

The worst thing you can do when under attack is abandon your , and the ( / ) who have your back.

Elijah just witnessed miracles and the power of God in chapter 18… All it took was a “” to derail his and .

Are you carrying a over your life that has you?

A is nothing but a thing we have the option to give power to.

A thing is anything that God has already , but you keep resurrecting because you find with the familiarity it brings.

Exodus 14:12 (CSB) It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Climb out of the abyss and of curses.

Deuteronomy 5:8 (NIV) “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁹ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Romans 5:18 (CSB) So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone.

is the curse. And the curse has been by !

John 9:1-3 (CSB) As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.

John 8:36 (CSB) So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.

Get your back.

Galatians 2:20 (CSB) I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

If you can to these “”, you can find your in who you are as a Child of God.

1. The need of .
Wanting everyone to me. Not why, they don’t me. Going out of my way to for why they don’t me. Changing to gain approval of someone who doesn’t me.

Practice “”.

The solution to needing to be liked is… you just .

There is an abundance of in not having to know everything.

Some of us need to to know everything.

The more you know the more room we create for to take root in our lives. (The News)

2. The need for .

Are you looking for the ? Because the applause will grow .

Anonymity isn’t a bad thing when gets all the .

Insecurity is when you believe that equals .

The solution is to “make famous!”

John 3:30 (CSB) He must increase, but I must decrease.”

3. The need to .

Our mission is to win by getting as many people on earth into as we can during our .

Are you constantly looking over your shoulder at what other people are doing? This will create an unhealthy need to , and ultimately create a war within you deepening the level of insecurity you may already be struggling with.

Galatians 6:4-5 (CSB) Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. ⁵ For each person will have to carry his own load.

Comparison is dangerous because you will either the success of others or the value in others due to a spirit in yourself. One of the greatest ways to find balance and harmony in the area of needing to win is when we find ways to !

Come alongside other people and find a they have and work to help . When this happens you win, they win, and the Kingdom wins! Discover a to see others win!

4. The need to be in .

Die to . Are you in love with and not having to to anyone else?

This is easy to die to when you discover that you were never the “” in the first place. The is and will always be the . The solution for always wanting to be in charge of everything is this… “Hold your tightly, but your lightly.”

Stay called and stay in the game. Serve God every day. But the and can change when you are in your calling from God. Be okay with giving your position away.

5. The need to .
Die to . Wanting to arrive so you can or .

There’s a mentality to now to later… and you don’t.

You pay now to do later. You build your whole life not so you can kick your heels up and call it a day… but to live a life of .

Sign up for a of serving . Get rid of the finish line mentality.

1 Kings 19:9-18 (NIV) ⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” ¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” ¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

How do you die to a finish line mentality, or that emotional place where you feel you can’t do this anymore?… You !

The best thing you can do to find security is to go back to Beersheba and “”.

It’s not in your career. It’s not in money. It’s not in acceptance, approval, or arriving. It’s in the moment we go back to the place where we met and . Our security is not in anything this world can give. It’s in the God who gave it all for you. Run back to Jesus.