Confidence

I started this blog a few days ago and then never got around to finishing my thoughts. Today something came up that reminded me about this topic again, so I've decided to finish and post this. All that to say, someone needs to read this, so here it goes.

In my experience, I feel like Christians have a real problem with confidence. Because we don't want to be viewed at know-it-alls or arrogant. Because we don't want to push our beliefs on others. I agree that there is nothing worse than a Christian who has used their relationship with God to create a self serving image or platform. Who has made the gift of salvation all about them.

But our tendency to shy away from pride has created another problem among Christians. Lack of confidence. Somehow, we have become so "humble" that we aren't even confident enough to be who God has called us to be. And there is nothing wrong with humility. It is actually a quality that God wants us to have, but not to such a level that we are hindered.

Somehow we've forgotten that our confidence shouldn't be in ourselves but in Christ. You see, when we are his, he is the source of our everything. We don't have to feel meek or unworthy, but are made into the righteousness of God by the blood of Jesus. We are actually told to be confident.

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore, left us approach the throne of grace with BOLDNESS, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

I John 5:14 And this is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Our confidence has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Him. We are worthy of his blessings, his presence, his promises. Not because of who we are but because of who he is in us.

When the church doesn't grasp the authority and confidence we should a have in God, and learn to walk in that, Gods purposes are delayed. So we can't let that happen. We have to get in the word, remind ourselves who God says we are, and start living like it.

A good friend told me that the reason we struggle with feeling that we are worthy of what God has is that we impose our sinful nature on God. In other words, since we wouldn't find ourselves worthy if we were to be the judge, we assume God will see us the same way. The good news is that God is not sinful and he doesn't respond how we would. Although we can't fully grasp it, his love covers a  multitude of sins and he chooses to see past our unworthiness and love us, choose us, bless us seeing us as what he knows we will become.

Praise God that though we could never earn his love, he still gives it freely to us, and he has made us worthy.