Godly Confidence

One thing I know that inspired me was a book called Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. It has made me realized just how much our generation limits itself. We have so much potential in Christ to do amazing things in this world.

Sometimes, I'm guilty of looking at famous musicians, actors, athletes, and even politicians and giving them extraordinary qualities. I envy them, because there is just something about them that sets them apart from the rest of humanity. In my mind, I make them untouchable, unreachable. But you know what? They are just like you and I. As cliche as that sounds, they really are just human beings like the rest of us. What sets them apart? THEY do. Yes, they have talent, but so do you and I. Everyone has something that they excel at. Those select that we look up to as our heroes simply choose to put in that extra effort. I doubt they were born with a guitar in their hand or running shoes on their feet. It took hardwork and vision. And you know how it all started? Taking that first, scary step.

Taking that first step is what I want to talk about. For a while now, I've felt as though there is so much more I could do. I have this passion, this desire to reach the world, but if I let this passion fizzle out without actually doing anything, then it's wasted. Part of that first step is pursuing what I believe God has called me to do: music. In deciding where to go now that I've seen God's vision for my life, I've faced a lot of inner conflict. You see, when you stand up and decide to pursue God's plan for your life, this is when the tests are going to come. Tests to see if you're willing to fully trust in God and step out in faith. Through those tests, I've learned a few things. In this blog, I'll start out with my first big lesson.

1. Finding Godly Confidence

For the past two years of college, I've tried many different majors: biology, psychology, social work, etc. None of them quite fit, but one thing has always remained constant, my love for music. I have always dreamed of being a musician, but I never thought it was possible. I play a lot of instruments, but I don't really know a lot of music theory. I've always kind of taught myself. When I first realized what God was calling me to do, I dismissed it saying "God, you know I'm not good enough. How could I ever succeed?" I put all of my confidence in myself and found that there wasn't much to be confident in at all. I was right about one thing. I'm not good enough.

In Philippians 3, Paul talks about "those who put no confidence in the flesh." The flesh? What does that mean? Well, the way I think of it is that the "flesh" means our body. We each have three parts: body, soul, and spirit. The soul is fed by our emotions, the spirit is fed by our relationship with God, and the body is fed by not only by food but also, the urges or desires that are of the world and not of God. By putting confidence in the flesh, we are putting our confidence in the things of this world to satsify our needs and not in God. Did you ever notice that material things always get lost or broken? That people leave or let you down? That the economy fails? All of these things, these "temporary trappings of this world", will never be reliable.

The good news is that we don't have to rely on those things. Paul also talked about those "who boast in Christ Jesus." A boast is something you possess, something you can have pride in, and to have pride is to have a sense of personal self-worth. When we can boast in Christ, we have a reason to be confident in ourselves. We have the creator of the universe, the King of Kings himself, to rely on for everything we need, to make our dreams a reality. He will never let us down or fail. He is a constant in which we can put our confidence. And guess what? That same power, through which God does everything, is in us when we accept Him into our lives and begin to follow Him. With the power of God within you, you can accomplish things that you never would have dreamed of doing. Let Him use you!

In ourselves and in this world, we really have nothing to be confident about, but in God, we can have full confidence. So, if there's something that God's calling you to do, whether it's taking that first step to start a relationship with Him or if it's following His plan for your future, like I am, then have confidence in Him. Sometimes, we worry way too much. If you are confident in something, you know for a fact that it will meet your expectations. When we worry, we show just how unconfident we can be. But God says to us in Matthew 6: 25-27, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

I love these verses, because they are so true. What does worrying really do for us but waste time? God has everything under control. Our job is to trust Him for everything. Is there something you need? Ask Him! Have confidence that He can provide for you. Right now, all I can do is trust that God will direct my path and give me the skills I need to succeed. After all, if this is in His will, then He won't leave me with nothing. He equips those who follow after Him. Believe for that!

Take Home Message: Put all of your confidence in God and nothing or nobody else. This is TRUE confidence.