If you are trying to overcome some sort of battle in
your life, gain freedom in an area in your life or are moving closer to God in
any way-the enemy will try to defeat those attempts. How? By weakening your confidence.
You may have known for a while that you were suppose
to take that bible study on getting free but as soon as you signed up for the
class the enemy sent assaults to question if it was even possible to get free. You
just knew God wanted you in that group on gaining freedom but somehow an unseen
war has been waged. There may not be a Bible study that your struggling with
attending but perhaps someone has made you feel not good enough, worthy enough
or even condemned you in some way so that all you can now hear is the whisper
of the enemy that you will not succeed. What is happening in the above scenarios
and countless others, is a feeble attempt of the enemy to destroy your
confidence so that you do not obey God and go forth with what God has told you
to do.
When you lose your confidence and you begin to
question if God even said for you to do what He wanted you to do, fear creeps
in and before long you are going the opposite direction of what God said to do.
You can almost expect opposition and resistance in some form from the enemy
when you decide to follow God’s ways, or when you are trying to get set free
from bondage. The enemy can only threaten and intimidate, he has no real power
over you, it just seems very large and overwhelming when you are hit by the arsenal
of arrows in the enemy’s camp.
The
enemy is clever and will use old issues and problems in your past in hopes that
you will trip and stumble and lose your confidence.
If you place your confidence in yourself you will fall
when the enemy sends his weapons aimed at tearing your confidence to shreds. Your
confidence comes in Christ. If you are
like me and have struggled with self-worth and self-esteem, it will take some
rewiring to understand your confidence in Christ. Your worth and value does not
come from what people think or say about you. Yes, we all want approval and to
be well-liked, but some people simply will not like you or what you do.
You
can become strong, fearless and confident in the midst of your “giants,” your
opponents and your adversaries.
You may not feel confident in Christ, but instead of
going on feelings, go on the truth. The Bible says to have no confidence in the
flesh (Philippians 3:3). Proverbs 14:16 says that a “righteous man departs from evil, but a fool rages in confidence,”
meaning the arrogant believe sin has no consequences. Psalm 118:8-9, tells us
that it is “better to trust the Lord than
to put confidence in man,” meaning those who trust in government, finances
or people will be disappointed in the end. Those
that put their confidence in God will never be ashamed (Romans 10:11). The Apostle
Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, “being
confident of this very thing, that he which begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
►Tips
to build your confidence:
Believe what God says about you and obey what God has
called you to do even when opposition and resistance comes. Begin to act the
part until your feelings catch up, walk tall and straight, when you speak do so
as if you know Christ dwells in you, be well-groomed and dressed, smile and
make direct eye contact, start speaking what God says about you out loud, set manageable
goals and work towards them, and begin your day communing with God. Believe that
God is bigger and mightier than any “giants” that have come to rob you of
confidence.
Recall the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17
to reflect on how mighty God is. David and Goliath confront each other. Goliath,
name meaning giant had his armor and his javelin and David had his staff and
sling. The Philistines cursed David by his gods, but David replies: “This day the Lord will deliver you into my
hand, and I will strike you down. David hurls a stone from his sling and
hits Goliath in the center of his forehead with one shot and Goliath falls on
his face to the ground. David then cuts off Goliaths head. The Philistines flee
the battlefield (the rest of the enemies). Saul had the first opportunity to fight
Goliath but he placed his confidence in himself and cowered down offering David
to fight instead. The difference between Saul and David was David’s confidence
was in God not in what he could do. Clearly Goliath was stronger, bigger and
taller than David but he chooses to believe that God would deliver Goliath into
his hands. Wow, now that’s confidence in God! The lesson of this story is no
matter who or what is seemingly larger and more powerful than you, they are no
match to the Mighty Warrior. Your “giants’ may try and scare and intimidate you
because of their perceived power or
might, but rise up like David and believe that God will fight your battle as
you face them and not run like Saul did.
When
you lack in confidence remember these truths:
Yet
to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the
right to become children of
God. John 1:12. You are a child of God
But
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special
possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9. You are a
chosen people.
The
Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great
delight in you; in His love he will longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over
you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord takes great
delight in you.
