Insecure: Fighting our Lesser Fears with a Greater One

by John Perritt

It’s there when you look in the mirror. You’ll find it roaming the halls of your school or workplace. It tucks you in at night and greets you as you roll out of bed. You’ll read it in text messages & tweets. See it on Facebook and Instagram. It’s in our conversations and is always rattling around in our minds.

What is it? Insecurity.

Insecurity is something all humans struggle with. Young and old, male and female, across the globe – insecurity has no boundaries. While it is a commonality among humanity, it doesn’t mean it’s something you have to live with.

Insecurity is painful for many, but there is a greater fear to drown out this lesser one. Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is in this greater fear, that we learn how to grow, live, and, possibly defeat, our insecurity.

Genres: Christian Living

105 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 12, 2019

About the author

John Perritt [M.Div. '09 at RTS, Jackson] is currently enrolled in doctoral studies at The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY. He has been working in youth ministry for over 10 years at Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church in Ridgeland, MS. He blogs on film and theology at Reel Thinking. He and his wife, Ashleigh, have four children - Sarah, Samuel, Jillian, & Will.

[Portuguese]

John Perritt (M.Div., Reformed Theological Seminary) é pastor de jovens há mais de 10 anos na Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church, em Ridgeland (Mississippi). Ele e sua esposa Ashleigh têm quatro filhos: Sarah, Samuel, Jillian e Will. John está atualmente fazendo doutorado no The Southern Baptist Seminary em Louisville (Kentucky).

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for HS or college students, particularly those who don’t enjoy reading. Really deals with the heart issues that are behind our insecurities, and shows how Christ deals with them. Filled with relatable, vulnerable stories from the author’s life, this was a quick read but a good one.

[Susan McCullouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I’m hoping to reread this with my teenagers and discuss.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chapter 9 was helpful, but the book was trite. It’s geared toward teens, fine, but that makes it very narrow in its application. Worse, it reads like it was written by a teen.

Not a helpful resource for people struggling with insecurity.

[Peter Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wondered what John Perritt would say in his book, Insecure: Fighting Our Lesser Fears with a Greater One, being someone who is very insecure. His little book is quite worth the read.

Perritt notes that some of the content of this book was given at conferences for Reformed Youth Ministries. In keeping with the audience first in mind, this is a very readable book, though it is not easy – it is bound to make anyone who suffers with insecurity a bit uneasy at times – but for good reason, and with an antidote.

Perritt defines insecurity as being “self-focused” (19). Now don’t get your backs up.

Each chapter ends with reflection/discussion questions and a prayer.

Insecurity – being self-focused comes from the lies that dwell in our hearts (“did God say”) due to Original Sin and sin in our lives (31).

Insecurity causes fear, judgmentalism, and jealousy. If you are unsure of this, just talk with most people about theirs views about their social media (59).

Freedom comes in believing that we are hidden in Christ (74), that we are created in God’s Image and for community – the Church (82).

“Our insecurities often move us to focus on self. So, a very helpful practice is getting our eyes off of ourselves. Getting us to stop focusing in the mirror and start looking out the window [seeing the beauties of God through the Scripture]” (90, italics his).

The book ends with a reflection on when we should care about what others think – that is, regarding our witness to Christ and His Gospel.

A second appendix with a quiz to see how social media is affecting you.

And a third with Scriptures we can say to ourselves to become secure in Christ.

Each chapter ends with reflections questions and a prayer.

This book is well worth your purchase, for junior high age and up – for anyone who has ever felt insecure and confesses Jesus as God and Savior.

[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]

[Josh Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small, helpful book on a topic we all struggle with in one way or another. Insecurity might seem like a small word for a common struggle. But there is more than meets the eye. Why we are insecure, how we express that insecurity, and what we do to combat it says a lot about how we view the gospel, Christ, identities, the difference between good and bad fear, and the role of social media. A big topic squeezed into a small, readable book.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deducted one star due to the excessive use of American pop‑culture context, which limits its adaptability for translation and international readers. Deducted another star for its narrow focus on a single stage of life, likely its target audience is teenagers.

[Assja Good · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some I agree with this book, but it was a short fun read. I read this due to my reoccurring anxiety which often makes me insecure and to not properly make me think without fogging things up inside my mind.

One note on page 19…”a core component to insecurity is obviously anxiety.”