It's time to be BOLD, be STRONG, be COURAGEOUS, be WHO GOD HAS MADE YOU.
This past weekend I was able to speak on this theme for Courageous Lady in Montgomery, AL, a ministry that empowers, encourages, as well as bless and assist women to transition from "fear" to embracing the God-given "courage" to live and be the person who God destined and designed them to be. We gain our God-given courage or confidence from putting our faith and trust in God and not in ourselves.
A word that I like to describe this as "GOD-FIDENCE."
But let's first start by defining the word confidence. Confidence is defined as a feeling of self assurance arising from one's appreciation of their own abilities and qualities. We have to appreciate and love how God has created us and the portion that he has gifted you with.
There is a difference between self-confidence and "Godfidence."
Self-confidence is a word that is more commonly used in this society. It is simply the belief in self. You trust is put into yourself. It can come off for example as, "I can do anything I set my mind to" or "I got this." "Self-made." But we should be careful because self-confidence can be a little shaky and unstable and can wear off from time to time depending on how we feel.
2 Corinthians 1:9 states ,"...that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead."
On the other hand, confidence in God is the trust that is put into Him that his promises shall come to pass in our lives and that He is always with us. It is guaranteed assurance.
Self-confidence says, "I think I can...I think I can.....I think..."Yes, the famous quote from The Little Engine That Could.
Godfidence says, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me."
You don't have to think you can when your confidence is put into God because you know HE can and nothing is impossible with God.
2 Corinthians 3:4-5 (NLT) states, "We are confident of all of this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. (5) Our qualification comes from God.
When we put our trust in Him, we have that assurance about who we are and what we are able to do through Christ. Greater is He that is within me, than he who is in the world. When we are not able to work in our own strength, that is where our confidence in God steps in.
2 Corinthians 12:9 states, "And he said unto thee, my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Vs 10 goes on to say, "....for when I am weak, I am strong."
This makes me think of the story of David and Goliath. David was already pretty confident that he could defeat Goliath. He was like "Go ahead and send me." Saul did not think he was qualified to go because of his youthful age. David was like..check my credentials. "I've defeated lions and bears who tried to attack my father's flock and the Lord delivered me from them, so I know He will deliver me from Goliath." Now I believe if David was working in his own strength, there may be a little intimidation there because Goliath was a giant." David has no armor, no formal training, or any huge weapons. All he has was this little sling that he pulled from his pocket. (Can you imagine going into battle with a giant only using a rock and a sling?) David told Goliath that this battle is not his, but the Lord's and He was able to defeat Goliath. Not in his own strength, but through God, because the Lord was with him.
That's some true Godfidence right there!
We must understand that true Godfidence comes from within. Our confidence is not validated by what we look like, what we put on, what we drive, where we work, etc. These are used as a clutch. People lean on these values to give them the boost of confidence or esteem needed. Confidence has nothing to do with materialistic values. It all comes down to how your feel about yourself on the inside. Will you still feel good bout yourself if you were without these things? We must remember that our true validation comes from Christ and Christ alone.
I Samuel 16:7 states, "But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
People may look at others and think because they are well put together in dress and looks that they must be really confident. You want the type of confidence that when you walk in a room, you're not catching people's attention based off of your looks or what you have on. But you are glowing because of the God that is on the inside of you.
I have 3 ways that we can gain and maintain Godfidence so that we can boldly and courageously walk into the purpose that God has laid before us:
1.) Understanding your identity in Christ
- Whose eyes are we viewing ourselves through? The world's or God's? Are we viewing ourselves through our failures, disappointments, our past, or other people? Or are we viewing ourselves through the word of God? Negative thoughts about ourselves can appear when our focus is shifted from Christ. When Christ is not the center, we will start focusing on other people's lives, our doubts, what we lack, our discontentment, etc. The enemy is hard at work when you find yourself focusing on your shortcomings and your past and you start beating yourself up because you believe the lies planted in your heart that you are not worthy, pretty, smart, or good enough. The enemy wants you to believe those negative things about yourself because he knows if you don't have confidence in God, you won't be able to boldly and courageously walk into the purpose that God has laid before you. Proverbs 23:7 states, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." We have to learn how to transform our thought process and eliminate those negative thoughts about ourselves. We need to fill ourselves up with the word of God daily. Recognize the positive things that God says about us in the bible for example, in Genesis, we are made in His image and in Psalms, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Life and death is in the power of the tongue. Speak life!
- Comparison is the thief of your joy. A lot of times society and social media can affect how we look and feel about ourselves on the inside. By comparing your life to others, you are planting seeds of discontentment in your heart, which will eventually sprout up envy, anger, sorrow, bitterness, or anything else that is not of God. This is attacking your confidence within yourself as well as your confidence in God because you don't trust His timing. Philippians 4:11 states, "Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."You don't have to compare your life to others when you are focused in your lane doing what God has called your to do and following His leading. God portion you just the way He wanted with gifts, talents, and all. There is only one you in this world. Why would you want to be anyone else. Why be pretty like her, when you can be pretty like you? Jeremiah 1:5 states, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee." Your blueprint of life is already laid out. Before you entered this world, it was already done. God already knew who He wanted you to be. Did you know He ordained each and every one of you with a purpose? Even if you don't understand what it is yet, you have one. We should not focus on what we lack or even dare look at any one else's grass because the grass is not always greener on the other side. We should be content with the person God has created and place our confidence in Him that He will finish the good work that He started in us from the womb.
- We, as believers, are renting these earthly bodies until it is time to transition into our heavenly bodies. But while we are here on earth, we want to make sure that we are taking care of our "temples" so that we can live long and healthy lives. We were bought with a price by the way. 1 Corinthians 6:19 states, "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, are not your own?" We want to make sure that we are making the Holy ghost within us comfortable. We want to do the proper steps to commit to taking care of our bodies. Some ways we can make sure that we are dedicated to taking care of self is by eating healthy and watching what we are consuming in our bodies, being in good health by making sure that we are going to the doctor and getting our regular check-ups and exams, exercising and staying in good shape, and having good hygiene. A healthy lifestyle leads to a confident lifestyle.
2 Timothy 1:7 states, "For God hath not giving us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound mind."
Failure is the number one fear that holds many back from fully walking into their purpose. You can't fail with God. Failure is not in His vocabulary and it is definitely not in His track record. You were created to fill a purpose that only you could do. ONLY YOU. You were built for this. If there is anything that I've learned concerning confidence is that God does not give you a task if He didn't think you could do it. Nobody could have told me 5 years ago, that I would be speaking and encouraging over 75+ women about finding their confidence. Me? When God wants your to do something, HE WILL PUT YOU IN POSITION TO DO IT. He's already qualified you to do it despite your past, background, credentials, etc. Your past is the reason you've been brought to this appointed time and appointed job. If there is something that God I giving your to do, put your trust in Him so that you can activate your Godfidence and be obedient. He WILL take care of the rest.
Acknowledge. Fix. Keep it Moving..
Speaking at Courageous Lady July 25, 2015
Montgomery, AL
