Here is Real Confidence

Were you ever asked to do something that you felt completely unqualified to do?  Or, have you faced a difficulty in life for which you see no obvious answer, a problem that dares you to try to find a solution?  Perhaps, you, like me, are smiling at those questions because you know about feeling inadequate too well! We all experience insecurity at least some of the time because none of us can possibly be the master of every skill or know the answer to every question. Here is good news – those fears need not control us if we receive God’s truth by faith.

Jeremiah was a young man, raised by a priest in ancient Judah. He, like his father, would be a priest. Then, one day, God showed up and turned his life inside out, calling Jeremiah to step out of the anonymous ranks of the priesthood to become His spokesman to Judah.  The message was one of judgment to come, a warning of the destruction of the Temple that the Lord was going to allow because of the sins of the nation.  What a challenging mission! Jeremiah knew it. His response reveals his fear - “Hold it, Master God! Look at me. I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy!”  (Jeremiah 1:6, The Message)  But, the Lord did not leave him. Instead He told Jeremiah several things that would be the foundation of a very hard life, full of rejection and sorrow.

"This is what God said: “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations— that’s what I had in mind for you.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5, The Message) "Don’t be afraid of a soul. I’ll be right there, looking after you.” God’s Decree." (Jeremiah 1:8, The Message)

I made you!

I knew all about you before you were born!

I laid plans for you prior to your birth!

I will be with you through it all!

Go back and read those four lines again, out loud, and this time; insert your name at the end of each declaration. (Just do it!) 

Those truths, and they are true about you just as they were for Jeremiah, are foundational to a life that overcomes fear with faith. The sure knowledge that you and I are not accidents in time, that there is a purpose for our existence that was designed by the Creator of the Universe, makes us bold. When tough times come, and they do eventually come to all of us, if we know that God is with us, we will stand without wavering, hold onto hope without questioning, and avoid the traps that destroy so many who are driven by their fears.

Self-confidence, as wonderful as it might be, has limits. We cannot talk our way around some situations.  They are just too big to overcome by our own cleverness or strength. God-confidence is secure, making us unshakeable.  I am made by Him. He knows me inside and out. He has a purpose for me, in this very situation. He is with me, right now.  "I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken." (Psalm 62:5-6, NLT)

Paul, the apostle who appears to be a man of such great confidence, actually experienced awful rejection throughout his life.  He endured all the difficulties, not by building an impressive power image or learning how to project self-confidence.  His words reveal the source of real confidence.  Take this word from the Word and answer God’s call to you – readily saying, “Lord, I’ll go wherever You lead, do whatever You command, as long as I know You’re with me.” 

"We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God. He is the one who has enabled us to represent his new covenant. This is a covenant, not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:4-6, NLT)

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There's nothing worth more that will ever come close

No thing can compare You're our living hope

Your Presence

I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves

Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone

In Your Presence Lord

Holy Spirit You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory God is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your Presence Lord

(Your Presence Lord)

(Your Presence)

(Oh God how we love Your Presence Lord)

Let us become more aware of Your Presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness (Lord)

Holy Spirit

Bryan Torwalt | Katie Torwalt

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