CONFIDENCE AND TRUTH

Song for Today: "I Am" by: Kirk Franklin

What is Confidence? And how do i get it? It's easy to appear confident. Well dressed, Smiling, Calm, Patient, all of these things are merely symptoms of confidence and easy to fake. It's like pretending you're sick when you're a kid to get out of school, you act the part, but when the thermometer comes out, so do the lies. Appearing calm, yet storming on the inside is not confidence. So I'm faced with the challenge of true confidence. Because honestly I don't feel confident all the time. Usually we feel the most confident when things are going our way, but that only lasts a moment and at the end of the day you have to face yourself. If your confidence is performance based, it will be a constant roller-coaster... there has to be more.

There's a belief that insecurities are a self-fulfilling prophecy. For instance, if you have a project to complete, but you feel insecure in your abilities, than you are no longer focused on the task at hand, but the reactions you're going to get when it's all said and done. On the other hand, when you are confident going into the project, all of a sudden you have energy, drive, passion for what's at hand, and you're excited to show off your abilities. There's a famous quote that goes like this: "If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right".

I should mention here that I'm not talking about over confidence or pride. I learned that these characteristics have a repelling effect. Bragging, butting in, thinking overs are beneath you are not traits of true confidence. Proverbs tells us that Pride comes before a fall. We must be sober in our evaluation of ourselves. You see, when your self worth comes from outside sources, what society tells you, what people say about you, what car you drive, what job you have, how much money is in the bank, your current relationship status etc... You'll always be striving to please others, which will never satisfy you and only give you confidence when you're successful.

But when your self worth comes from within, you'll be confident even in the face of failure because you understand that life is a growing process and every failure is an opportunity to become better, and every success is proof of your growth. God has created each of us individually for a specific purpose and when we seek Him, He gives us our heart's desires (Psalm 37:4). Without Christ as your center, finding self-worth in the face of past hurts and failures is impossible. We have value because He paid the ultimate price for us when He died on the Cross. I'm not talking about a cross that hangs around the necks of hip-hop artists, I'm talking about an actual place, and an actual event in history that changed the path of the human race forever. And all it takes is believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Recognize that without Him, there is no hope for salvation for me or for you. We are all imperfect and in need of a real savior. We all need refining. Today is your first step.

I'm only a product of His grace and refining. If you'd like to know more, I would be honored to answer any questions, or to just be there to listen. CONTACT me.