Confidence

This week I struggled to put into words all that God has done in me, and how much He's changed me. I wrote about it in yesterday's blog I Have No Words.

This morning I had an "aha" moment. The major difference between me years ago and me now: confidence.

OK, so I've always been confident on the outside. But the confident mask hid a fragile, scared child. One false move, one criticism, one failure and my insides fell apart. Some days it took all I had to keep the mask firmly in place. And some days I failed.

Why?

Because my confidence was SELF-confidence.

MY ability, MY intellect, MY skills, MY talents. Shaky foundation at best, quicksand at worst.

Now?

My confidence is GOD-confidence. 

HIS love for me, HIS strength when I am weak, HIS perfection, HIS faithfulness, HIS omni-everything.

As I grow in my faith in Jesus, I slowly shift my focus from what I can (or can't) do to what God can do. I don't need to have

• all the right answers
• all the right words
• all the right solutions to all problems
• all the right...ANYTHING!

News flash: I am not perfect. 

• I make mistakes, sometimes BIG ones
• I munch on shoe leather
• I lose my temper
• I am thankful noone can read my thoughts

Bigger news flash: I am free!

• Free from the need to impress
• Free from fear of failure
• Free from pressure to measure up
• Free from the futility of trying to change myself

Moving from self-confidence to God-confidence is a life-long journey. The more I obey and trust Jesus, the more I know and love Him. The more I know and love Him, the more confidence I have in Him. The more confidence I have in Him, the more I obey and trust Him.

And so on.

No more mask, no more hiding. I'm excited to see what's ahead! Join me?

I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. 
(Philippians 1:6, AMP)

for we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh 
(Philippians 3:3, AMP)