Confidence: Do you have it?
I was asked to teach a CRAM (Christ's Redeemed And Mentored) class this next Sunday. It's our college leadership training class that our youth pastor has started. It's awesome. I started praying about what the Lord wanted me to teach on and almost immediately in prayer I felt like He wanted me to teach on having confidence through the Lord. Not just confidence in what the Lord can do, but what the Lord can do in us and with us.
I hear all the time things like "Man, I can't get up in front of people. I freeze" or "I freak out and shut down in front of lots of people" or "I don't know where to begin or even how to do that". Most of us probably feel the same way to some degree. However, I feel with strong conviction that when the Lord asks you to do something, it's not up to us to question it, just do it! Nike had it right with that one didn't they?
As I started researching this topic I realized the bible has a lot to say about having confidence. So I'm going to list several scriptures before I log off, but bring out a few that really struck home with me.
Of course if you have been in and around church at all we all know Philippians 4:13.
Yes I can! I can do it! Not because I have the strength, but because God gives me the strength! Because when I put my complete dependence on and in Him, that is a game changer. If you knew me pre-Jesus you would know just how fragile I was. God has brought me through so many tests, trials, and sorrows, but through HIS strength I was able to endure. You can too! This wasn't just a promise for me, but for all of us. Doesn't matter what the situation (speaking in front of others, being bold, or just living a Christian life) is HE gives us strength.
Confidence in and through Christ and the Holy Spirit leads us the boldness to complete the tasks He has given us. The ultimate task, to win others to Him.
So here it is "apart from me you can do nothing"!! WoW! Do you understand that statement??? It doesn't matter how good or bad you are at ANYTHING, because if you don't have Him, you can't do anything. You won't make an impact and you won't reach souls. We have to go into all things relying on Him and Him alone. His words, His will, not our own. We have to have REMAIN IN HIM, and He will REMAIN IN US! This shouldn't be earth-shattering, but somehow we don't always get this concept. Put the ego away, be it high or low self-esteem and let's get some GOD-ESTEEM in us!
8-10 And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!
11-13 All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don’t let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!
Paul understood that without God He could do nothing! Yet he was preaching the gospel and winning souls for the Kingdom. I love how The Message bible interprets it, "And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ". Understand this, God qualifies the unqualified.
When people say "I can't", well me either, but I know who can! We are ALL called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When God calls you to do something that is over your head, remember His goodness, His mercy, and inexhaustible riches and generosity.
Here are a few more scriptures that will shed light on this subject:
Hebrews 10:35-36
Romans 8:37
Proverbs 3:26
1 John 5:14-15
Hebrews 13:6
Isaiah 41:10
Philippians 1:6
Habakkuk 3:19
Zechariah 4:6
Isaiah 43:2
2 Corinthians 7:16
John 1:12
John 16:33
Lord, just let me have confidence through you. To carry out the work you would have me to do. Not my will, not my words, but let it all be you Lord. Help me to stand firm, to be bold and courageous and shine your love to all I meet. AMEN!
I hear all the time things like "Man, I can't get up in front of people. I freeze" or "I freak out and shut down in front of lots of people" or "I don't know where to begin or even how to do that". Most of us probably feel the same way to some degree. However, I feel with strong conviction that when the Lord asks you to do something, it's not up to us to question it, just do it! Nike had it right with that one didn't they?
con·fi·dence
/ˈkänfidəns/
Noun
| ||||
Of course if you have been in and around church at all we all know Philippians 4:13.
Philippians 4:13
New International Version (NIV)
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.Yes I can! I can do it! Not because I have the strength, but because God gives me the strength! Because when I put my complete dependence on and in Him, that is a game changer. If you knew me pre-Jesus you would know just how fragile I was. God has brought me through so many tests, trials, and sorrows, but through HIS strength I was able to endure. You can too! This wasn't just a promise for me, but for all of us. Doesn't matter what the situation (speaking in front of others, being bold, or just living a Christian life) is HE gives us strength.
Confidence in and through Christ and the Holy Spirit leads us the boldness to complete the tasks He has given us. The ultimate task, to win others to Him.
John
15:1-8
New International Version (NIV)
The
Vine and the Branches
15 “I am the true vine, and my
Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that
bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that
it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because
of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also
remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me
and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If
you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If
you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will
be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear
much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
So here it is "apart from me you can do nothing"!! WoW! Do you understand that statement??? It doesn't matter how good or bad you are at ANYTHING, because if you don't have Him, you can't do anything. You won't make an impact and you won't reach souls. We have to go into all things relying on Him and Him alone. His words, His will, not our own. We have to have REMAIN IN HIM, and He will REMAIN IN US! This shouldn't be earth-shattering, but somehow we don't always get this concept. Put the ego away, be it high or low self-esteem and let's get some GOD-ESTEEM in us!
Ephesians 3:7-13
The Message (MSG)
7-8 This is my life work: helping people
understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real
surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message
to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any
of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be
sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.8-10 And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!
11-13 All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don’t let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!
Paul understood that without God He could do nothing! Yet he was preaching the gospel and winning souls for the Kingdom. I love how The Message bible interprets it, "And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ". Understand this, God qualifies the unqualified.
When people say "I can't", well me either, but I know who can! We are ALL called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When God calls you to do something that is over your head, remember His goodness, His mercy, and inexhaustible riches and generosity.
Here are a few more scriptures that will shed light on this subject:
Hebrews 10:35-36
Romans 8:37
Proverbs 3:26
1 John 5:14-15
Hebrews 13:6
Isaiah 41:10
Philippians 1:6
Habakkuk 3:19
Zechariah 4:6
Isaiah 43:2
2 Corinthians 7:16
John 1:12
John 16:33
Lord, just let me have confidence through you. To carry out the work you would have me to do. Not my will, not my words, but let it all be you Lord. Help me to stand firm, to be bold and courageous and shine your love to all I meet. AMEN!
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