How to Discover Safety When You Kinda Feel Like the World is Against You

You know, for those of us who have chosen to be His child, Heavenly God is always working in us until that work is done and it is good (Philippians 1:6)! Knowing Father God as our healer, provider, protector, peace, and always-present help can give us a strength and security that is unshakable. Lynn Cowell comes alongside women of all ages to help them, even as she wrestles to overcome her insecurities each day. Lynn is a Bible teacher, devotions writer, and author of numerous books, including Strong and Secure: 100 Devotions for Young Women, which she wrote with Christian counselor of over 25 years, Michelle Nietert, LPC. It is such a joy to welcome both Lynn and Michelle to the farm’s table today…

Guest post by Lynn Cowell and Michelle Nietert

“You always do that! You always have!”

The hurtful words hurled at me cut straight to my heart.

I had been trying to change, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I knew I was growing.

But one day, in a quick moment, my old behavior returned in a second, and with it another’s pointing finger, reminding me of my past. They finished with the accusation,

“You’ll never change.”

What is that area, that thing, where you’re trying to change, but someone feels it’s not fast enough?

No matter what it is, you are growing, even if it’s slow. You are becoming more empathic, responsible, compassionate, patient, unselfish, on time, or careful with your words. Yet this change is all too quickly dismissed, and when you fail, once again you hear the words, “You always __________” (fill in the blank with your weakness, shortcomings, or sins).

When others rub in our failures or grow impatient with our progress, their words can chip away at our confidence. We can feel our strength and security slip away. Those around us can feel unsafe to be around.

We sense they’re not on our side, witnessing the growth that is happening. Their words hurt. Cut. We can want to give up and can believe the negative thoughts in our head. “You will always be that way. It is who you are.” Our emotions spiral into hopelessness and helplessness, siding with our accuser because the enemy is mean and the spiritual battles on earth are real.

“The more we know the heart and mind of our heavenly Father revealed in God’s word, the more we can align our thoughts with His thoughts.“

Every time; on every occasion; without exception: these lies that produce guilt and shame can be extreme exaggerations. And yet when it comes to our faithful God, His ways bring hope that motivates healthy change, for He: 

always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres as Love Himself (1 Corinthians 13:6–7) always prays for us, interceding on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25)always is with us, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20)

The more we know the heart and mind of our heavenly Father revealed in God’s word, the more we can align our thoughts with His thoughts. We become strong and secure in our heavenly Father’s love and faithfulness as we soak in His always. 

There is another “always” that gives me comfort when I have been hurt by someone else’s words. Psalm 62:8 tells us, “Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each of your concerns. God is our place of safety” (CEV).

We can always come to God in the middle of the places we fall short.

We can come with our hearts wounded by others. We can always find safety in the presence of our heavenly Father. We can always tell Him each and every one of our concerns, admitting our weaknesses and confessing where we need His forgiveness, and He will always forgive (Psalm 103:12).

When we are hurt, we can turn to Father God for healing. We can trust Him with our deepest secrets and innermost thoughts. Because the cross of Jesus covers our sins, we are freed from our past. We can declare this freedom knowing Father God will never bully us by bringing up our past failures. He doesn’t rehearse stories highlighting our shortcomings or failures. His promise to us is “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12 NIV). 

Not only does Father God forgive us, but He can also help us forgive others.

Unforgiveness looks for a place to plant and grow in our hearts when others hurl hurtful words at us. We can ask Father God to empower us to forgive those who hurt us, following Paul’s words in Colossians 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (NIV).

As we spend more and more time close to our Faithful Father as His child, always can even become a beautiful description of our new behaviors as we become more like Him.

Reading the truth in His Word, and connecting with the power of the Holy Spirit, you and I can be changed! We can be known as “always”:

always seeking Father God’s face (1 Chronicles 16:11)always praying for the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:18)always having our conversations be full of grace (Colossians 4:5–6)always giving all we have to the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58)

This is our prayer.

Father God, when we hear the word always swirling in our heads and in our hearts, may the truth of Your word bring us peace. You always protect, trust, hope, and persevere. You always pray for us, interceding on our behalf, and You are always with us. And as we grow strong and secure in Your love, may always bring us hope as we learn to always draw close to our Father.

In Jesus’s name, amen.

Lynn Cowell is a contributing team member with Proverbs 31 Ministries and author of several Bible studies such as Fearless Women of the Bible and Esther: Seeing Our Invisible God in an Uncertain World. She is also the coauthor with licensed Christian counselor Michelle Nietert of several books for tweens, teens and young adults, including Strong and Secure, Loved and Cherished and Managing Your Emoji’s. Lynn, her husband, Greg, and the occasional backyard deer make their home in North Carolina. With their three adult children and their spouses, the Cowells enjoy hiking, making homemade pizza, and anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter. Connect with Lynn at www.LynnCowell.com. 

Deepen your understanding of God the Father with Strong and Secure, the 100-day devotional for teen girls and young women that explores topics like anxiety, self-esteem, and the pressures of everyday life and examines five key traits of God to guide you toward building an enduring relationship with Him.

The Bible tells us to think of God as a Father, but what exactly does that mean for teenagers and young adults who are forming their own identities? Strong and Secure considers the nature of the God who protects, heals, brings peace, provides, and is always present, and shows readers how they can experience Him fully and grow stronger as His child. Through personal anecdotes, Bible passages, and practical advice, Strong and Secure illustrates how God is with you in your anxiety, grief, disappointment, struggles, and even trauma, and that He longs for you to find strength and security in His love, even when others let you down.

Strong and Secure,:

-meets young women where they are in life to affirm that they are loved by God and invites them to deepen their relationship with Him.

-refers to specific Scriptures that speak to God’s traits and paint a portrait of who God is.

-includes a section on how to use this book in everyday life, as well as a topical index to help readers find devotions relevant to their life situation.

-is a great gift for birthdays and graduations, as well as moments of struggle.

{Our humble thanks to Zonderkidz for their partnership in today’s devotional.}