I never thought I was insecure. Until I realized I was human.
But if you want to lead, you can’t stay there. You need to overcome insecurity. Fight it to the death. Be prepared to attack when it rears its ugly head. I’m not being dramatic. If you want to lead, insecurity must die.
Consider the best leader in your life. What made them so effective? Why did you love them? It probably had something to do with how they empowered you to be your best. Not that their coaching and feedback was always easy and stroked your ego, but it was what you needed. And it was delivered in a way that moved you forward, rather than holding you back.
A great leader creates unlimited space for others around them. The sign of an effective leader will always be their team because they are living for something beyond themselves. It’s a vision that includes maximizing the collective potential of everyone under their care. This applies to worship ministry, but also marriage, parenting, business, and sports.
But an insecure leader won’t let this happen. Insecurity will always hold you back, 100% of the time. Why? Because an insecurity always act in its own best interests. An insecure leader is too concerned with their own image and reputation to allow others to thrive. Team members are only a means to make an insecure leader look better. And when they don’t, they are written off.
The space around an insecure leader is small. But that’s not you. Right?
I feel like God has always put me in situations where my insecurity can be dealt with. Isn’t that nice of Him? Like the time in college I made the renowned traveling team and wrote an original song that made the record. Except that it was mixed and mastered with the bass an entire beat behind.
How does that even happen? It was my moment to shine. Instead, I was embarrassed.
Or the 1000 times I’ve felt overlooked or unappreciated.
Situations like this reveal where our hearts are and what we’re truly building with our lives. So if insecurity is to be avoided, what do we strive for?
The opposite of insecurity is a God-centered life. If you allow God to satisfy the deepest parts of who you are, your leadership won’t be a proving ground for your worth. It will be a battleground for Kingdom impact.
Of course, this isn’t easy. It’s not a snap of the finger. There’s a lot of inner work that needs to be done. But I’ll tell you this: it’s worth it.
God centered security. Knowing who we are. Without it, insecurity will always win.
- Insecurity will keep you from developing others. You’ll be too concerned with getting ahead.
- Insecurity will keep you from empathy. You’re too busy being the center of attention.
- Insecurity will keep you from compassion. Because no one was ever there for you, right?
- Insecurity will keep you from growing a large team. You are the lid that limits the growth.
- Insecurity will keep you from your creative potential. Because you aren’t the best and you need a team.
- Insecurity will keep you from pastoring people. Instead, you’ll use them for your own ends.
A victory today would be to call out your own insecurity. Name it. And go to war. And that war is worship. There’s nothing more deadly to insecurity than worship. Worship puts everything in context: we see Who God is, we see who we are, and we become more satisfied to “seek first the Kingdom.”
His Presence changes everything. Do you agree?
I love Insecurity.
I love Ignorance.
I love Weakness.
I love Foolish.
Here’s why:
” Friends, when I came and told you the mystery that God had shared with us, I didn’t use big words or try to sound wise. (clever songs and band performances on stage) In fact, while I was with you, I made up my mind to speak only about Jesus Christ, who had been nailed to a cross.
At first, I was weak and trembling with fear. When I talked with you or preached, I didn’t try to prove anything by sounding wise. (great performances like Smash Mouth–perfect jeans and latest hair fashion) I simply let God’s Spirit show his power. That way you would have faith because of God’s power and not because of human wisdom. (great lights, camera and action)
We do use wisdom when speaking to people who are mature in their faith. But it isn’t the wisdom of this world or of its rulers, who will soon disappear. We speak of God’s hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. The rulers of this world didn’t know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross. But it is just as the Scriptures say,
“What God has planned for people (or the perfect “set-list” the praise-me band put together) who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard. It has never even entered our minds!” I Corinthians 2:1-9
Glenn, I’m not using “insecurity” in the sense of humility and self-awareness. It’s insecurity in the prideful, “protect oneself at all costs” mindset. Thanks for your insight!
Here’s the reality. The best, most talented worship leader (some say worship instrument) was Lucifer. Was he insecure? I doubt it. He was prideful, and was so in love with himself, and his abilities and looks, that he felt he was above God.
And he was IN GOD’s PRESENCE, right? He knew God, and must’ve had a relationship with Him at some point. But at some point his pride at his lofty position became too much.
This is the core problem of musicians/worship leaders/pastors, basically anyone who has an inordinate amount of attention and praise placed on them, and they begin to crave that, and want that. It’s a feedback loop. Once you get a taste of it, you want more. Better said, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
I’ve been on many worship teams, and have led a few. In those teams I lead, I always wanted a fuller team, with more excellence. A regular electric guitarist, or a regular bass player, or cooler lights, etc. I felt that that would help the whole worship experience, because everything would be so good sounding and looking. Since in some churches, it was only me and my vocals and guitar, and a drummer, and 1 or 2 vocalists. And then I got involved with a mega church. And they expected excellence, to the point that they they would rehearse and rehearse over and over for perfection. It already was good the 1st time they practiced. The third time didn’t sound much if at all different. They had the click tracks, and fancy lights, and fancy sound system, smoke machine, honestly it was like a night club.
And after experiencing that for a year or two, I began to realize that God was not in all that chaos and fuss for perfection. Do you know where God really was? In that small church where I led, with a couple people on that platform. That was honest worship of God. Not this human manufactured worship concert experience, where unfortunately the focus is rarely up on God, but upon the “experience”.
The other part of the problem as I see it with modern worship is that it’s far too youth/young adult led. The vast majority of youth and young adults by their very nature are far too immature to be leading congregational worship. Pride enters in, and so does a big lack of experience as to what the church really needs. Where are the older, more seasoned believers who are musicians? Most of them are far too busy with families and making a living to be slave volunteers to some worship machine’s idea of perfection. You know who has tons of time? Single young adults. So, that’s who seems to dominate the worship scene, and thus you have this unhealthy worship experience. And you have the Sr. Pastor who doesn’t care because this worship band is hip, and he thinks it will draw people in. And it may. But do you really want people going to your church because they are entertained?
These are things that have bothered me for the past few years. Of course not all churches/worship teams are like this. But it’s been a trend that has spread far too much, and has caused me to leave churches because the worship has became a night club worship concert experience, instead of an intimate encounter with our Creator. It has forced me to rethink my entire concept of worship, and has given me perhaps a deeper appreciation of my childhood experience with Russian Orthodox accapella worship. Simple, honest, and not pretentious. No band in front of people. The choir above and out of sight.
“The opposite of insecurity is a God-centered life. If you allow God to satisfy the deepest parts of who you are, your leadership won’t be a proving ground for your worth. It will be a battleground for Kingdom impact.”
Amen to that!!!! Such a great article! Thank you for sharing this. =)