CONFIDENCE ,,, in HIM !

Confidence! Is it everything and all you need? There are two types of confidence, one is in self and the other, in others. This blog article only looks at the first type. I am reminded of the song from Sound of Music sung by Julie Andrews, ‘Confidence in me.’ The song lyrics say, “I have confidence in confidence alone; Besides, which you see I have confidence in me.” It is a musical number that nestles a profound reminder for each of us. Be confident in who you are, and the world will agree with you. Don’t you think so?

Let me take you through a self-confidence testimony of mine. Through the years, my confidence was often dictated by the knowledge of a topic or the mirror. Acknowledgment of this confidence truly satisfied me. But it was hard work working on myself and being consistent with exhuming this mask of self-confidence. One day, well, it must have been one day when I realized my self-confidence was not at all from myself but from others. You can imagine how tossed about this must I have been.

To discover the essence of myself, I decided to go to the source. Who is my source? God, of course! After all, I was created in the image and the likeness of Him. I dived into the center of myself through His Word. I emerged out transformed, renewed, and refreshed in His Truth of knowing who I am in Him. Confidence was no longer in self but became in Himself. Yes, it took a few months first to uncover the Truth, and I continued to renew this Truth each day. The more I became rooted in this TRUTH (Galatians 2:20), the more I realized how simply easy this is and was!

Now that I was freed from myself, what’s next? How could I possibly take Him and self into the real world of life now? My eyes gazed upon this wonderful saying, “Confidence is something you create within yourself by believing in who you are”! Something felt so right about this saying yet it felt incomplete. My eyes fell next on.

Mark 11:22-24 - So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Matthew 21:22 - "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Now my faith was in Him. Therefore if I could say and absolutely believe what I say shall come to pass, it will surely do so? Or when I ask in prayer, I first believe that I have already received and it shall be mine? This sounded too easy to be true. I felt God say then, ‘Let this Truth settle in your heart.’ The Truth in this passage eventually set me free. It set me free not because I now had a ‘formula’ on how to pray but because I knew my faith was in Him, I also had THE faith of the Son of God inside of me. Isn’t this profoundly simple? Jesus had equipped me in this, for the faith I possess is no longer in me but in Him, and I do NOW live by the faith of the Son of God.

The more I began to exercise this understanding, not just knowing who I am but "What and Who I am equipped with through Christ," I was able to pray the prayer of agreement for my son’s bruised injured finger, and instantly received healing and also my daughter’s tailbone injury (see Testimonies on GAL220 Ministries webpage). YES! No pain, no bruise! Every day became a living manifestation of His Word. I don’t mean the manifestation of epic proportions but the manifestation of the right heart, the right attitude, having the mind of Christ, right believing, right seeing all through His precious Word. All I had to do was be confident in Him and simply obey. If you are truly in Him, then you aren’t going to again fish for yourself. You will begin to see how you are partakers in this divine nature of Him. Let Him lead, and you simply follow. I warn you, and you will be amazed!

Now James says, "if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let, not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways". (James 1:5-8).

With doubt, you shall not receive anything from the Lord, and you are double-minded, yikes!!

Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened". Matthew 7:7-8

In this context, he simply says, "Confidently ask, confidently seek, and confidently knock." I can say so much more on this verse. However, I simply want to point out how matter-of-fact and pointed Jesus was! I often tell my children, "When you pray for something, like for you to be patient or be a good child, please know half of the prayer is already answered by God. He has given you His Word, and he has given you His Spirit who will lead you into the Truth and help you". The rest of that prayer has to be answered by you. By first understanding that you have received the answer, and then acting upon that prayer by following His lead, His directions through the Word. Therefore when you go to Him in Prayer, know that he hears you and has heard you, so seek to find out what is needed to ‘follow’ through so that you can bear fruit or have that prayer ‘answered’ so that your Father in Heaven may be Glorified.

Paul says

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. Romans 14:5

Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. Romans 14:22

Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. But why? Paul goes on to say in Romans 14 that since we live and die by the Lord, and everything we do is for the Lord, so be fully convinced in what you do and don’t judge others. Be confident in who you are and what you do. Why? Because It is no longer self or for self, but for Him and for Him that you are convinced of. He is faithful! He does not change with every wind of doctrine.

Hebrews 10:2-23 - Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Lastly, Confidence in Him empowers you to do more than you can ask or even imagine in love and Glorifies Him in self.

Won't I get too prideful being confident? Yes, as long as your confidence is in yourself, pride will surely follow. I said, the only thing you lose is yourself. Lose yourself in HIM! Humility and confidence are two truths in HIM. Trust Him to lead and guide you through His Word, confidence!

For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught. Proverbs 3:26