Confidence in God

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Just How Important is Having Confidence?

A person who lives without confidence will always fall short of their potential. When we do not believe that something is possible for us, we will not take the steps required to succeed. I might wish to be a great guitarist, but if I don't believe it is possible, I will never take guitar lessons or practice sufficiently to get good at guitar. A person may desire to succeed in business, but if they don't believe they can, they will never take the steps required for success. They will be half-hearted, discouraged, perhaps cynical and definitely unmotivated. This thinking will affect the way they do their work, their attitude, and will work to create the mediocrity that they are expecting. The only time we rise above our actual level of confidence is when someone else helps and encourages us, even prods and pushes us, ultimately showing us the way past our fears into success. Not everyone will get this kind of help though in the things that matter most in life. You are blessed indeed if you have a pastor who cares enough for you to take an active interest in your personal development. Most pastors cannot do this except with a small number of people, and they usually select only the ones who are already showing the greatest leadership potential. So its better, if you want to grow in God and be fruitful as a Christian, to learn how to draw on Christ for life and strength directly.

You may wish to live a holy life, but if you don't believe its possible, if you have no confidence, you won't seriously aim for the target. Your condition is limited by the belief that what God says is impossible when you think that way.

God wants us to have faith in Him, and confidence is an important element of faith. When we have strong faith in God, we have a confidence to move out because we have come to know God, to know what He wants, and to know that He is with us to help us and work with us, especially when we have been obedient to His commands.

In Whom Should our Confidence Be?

The world teaches those aspiring to success the value of self-confidence. It says, "You can do it if you believe you can". There is some truth to this, but it is not gospel truth, and sometimes it fails.

The Bible however, does not tell us to believe in ourselves. It teaches us to believe in Christ, to have faith in God. Though man can and does achieve things in this world aided by self-confidence and a positive self-image, Jesus said to his disciples, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). In one sense this is absolutely true, since Christ is the Sustainer of the Universe, and upholds all things by His Word. But I believe the main thing He is saying is that apart from an intimate relationship with Him, where you draw on His life, you can do nothing OF TRUE VALUE.

What good is it for you if, armed with a positive SELF-image and great SELF-confidence, you achieve a measure of worldly achievement but MISS THE GOAL which Christ has for you? In the light of eternity, it won't matter how rich or famous you were on earth. What will matter is how obedient you were to Christ's calling for your life. No one is going to come to the end of their life and regret the fact that they have been so faithful to Christ. No one.

When it comes to the things of God, in following Jesus, self confidence will ultimately fail us. Peter was so sure of his loyalty to Jesus, of his courage, that he said on the night Jesus was betrayed, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be!" and "If I have to die with You, I will not deny you!" (Mark 14:29, 31). Peter was confident in himself, but when push came to shove, and Jesus was on trial, Peter denied THREE TIMES that he even knew Jesus at all. Peter then went out and wept bitterly, utterly ashamed of his failure. Self confidence will fail us where it counts most - in the integrity of our walk with God. God will allow things to come up which will shatter our self confidence, with the hope that we will learn to have CONFIDENCE IN GOD, and not in ourselves.

Deep Crises Prove only God-Confidence is Sufficient - Paul's Example

"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead ..." (2 Corinthians 1:8,9)

Paul faced a situation where he was sure he was going to die, so bad were his troubles. Paul does not use this situation to teach us to be confident in ourselves, quite the opposite.

This verse would not be in the Bible if God wanted people to trust in themselves. Self-confidence is an attitude that you have got what it takes to make it, come what may. God showed Paul that he didn't have what it took in himself. He needed to trust in God who raises the dead. That is a big part of what it means to have the kind of faith that pleases God.

We can become self-confident through education and experience, but God wants us in a place where we know we need to depend on Him. If you are a genuine child of God seeking to follow Him, be assured that you will face situations which require God's concrete intervention from time to time. When we face circumstances that look hopeless, we need to look PAST those circumstances, and see God, who is more than enough for any challenge we face.

Living Out of the Life of Christ

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