Confidence

A few years back I remember a time where I felt like my confidence was shaken. I knew I was saved, that Jesus loved me, and that He had a great plan and future for my life. Even though I knew all those things, I didn’t feel the confidence that I knew I should have as a Christian. Then I came across something helpful in the book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:35-36, 39 (NIV)
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

We are reminded to not throw away our confidence. Unfortunately, that is one of the first things that we throw off when we are facing a trial or a difficult season. The problem with allowing our confidence to be shaken is that it hinders our ability to walk by faith. As you read on in Hebrews 11, if we are not walking in faith, it is impossible to please God (see Hebrews 11:6).

Here are some thoughts on how to keep your confidence, no matter what you are facing:

1. Remember Jesus is our source of confidence
On the cross, Jesus finished the work for me and you. Our confidence can not be rooted in what we can or cannot do in our own strength or ability. If your faith is in Him and the work He did for you and I, there is no reason to have your confidence shaken.

2. Don’t base your confidence (or the lack there of) on feelings
If you base everything on how you feel, you will live life on a roller coaster of emotion. Sometimes your feelings do not tell the truth like you would hope. As Christians, we have this amazing opportunity to hold tighter to our FAITH than our FEELINGS. Don’t allow your confidence to be altered based on how you feel, when you know that faith is saying something else.

3. Remember there is a reward
As we keep our confident faith in Jesus, there is a reward! Not only does it bring us a greater sense of peace and hope no matter what we are walking through, but there is blessing for our lives as we walk by faith and not fear. We are those who “believe”! The Greek word for “believe” in verse 39 is the same word translated “faith” all throughout Hebrews 11.

Keep your confidence in the Lord. If my confidence is based in what I can do or achieve or accomplish, I am in trouble. But if my confidence is in the One who never changes, the One who will never give me more than I can handle, the One who is always faithful - it is a confidence that can remain.

Keep Confident!