|
Self-confidence???
by Fergus Davar Hello people, I write again today after quite some time. My life is now beginning to see the light of dawn and I thank God for the victory that he has given me in my life through the promise that he has kept me in Christ Jesus. Today I would like to write on something that the world refers to as belief in one's self. There are many who say you need to believe in yourself if you want to achieve a certain task that is at hand. The world thinks that its great heroes achieved the heights of their success, purely on self belief and nothing else. Well I'd have to say it is good to have a radically positive attitude but this kind of feeling is sourced from God. Even people, who don't believe in God, can be people of a radically positive outlook but this goes only as far as their humility, where they don't know the outcome of the events that challenge them and so they hope for the best before they engage the event i.e. they are leaving it in the hands of God. People many a times can unconsciously fellowship with God in Spirit and not know it. Every moment that you feel encouraged, that is the Spirit of God working in you. The grace and mercy of God has seen world leaders' rise to glory even when they have not acknowledged God but as a person rises and begins to cut out the very source of his blessing, he is actually cutting out the source of his own life and Salvation. I would like to quote a passage from my Bible, which may seem like a passage exhibiting self confidence over the will of God. Matthew 15:21-28 21 Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. "Son of David!" she cried out. "Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition." 23 But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him, "Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!" 24 Then Jesus replied, "I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel." 25 At this the woman came and fell at his feet. "Help me, sir!" she said. 26 Jesus answered, "It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 27 "That's true, sir," she answered; "but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters' table." 28 So Jesus answered her, "You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you." And at that very moment her daughter was healed. We can see from the above scripture that this was a really strong woman and a woman of great faith but the miracle she was looking for her daughter, only came to pass, when she laid her radical faith at the feet of Jesus. Her radically positive outlook allowed her to lay claim to her blessing that was already kept aside for her. This is a scenario where the woman submitted great faith at the feet of Jesus, trusting in Him to deliver her. Faith is fruitful only when your confidence is put in God whether you do it consciously or unconsciously (God leading you). Psalms 62:8-11 8 Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge. 9 Human beings are all like a puff of breath; great and small alike are worthless. Put them on the scales, and they weigh nothing; they are lighter than a mere breath. 10 Don't put your trust in violence; don't hope to gain anything by robbery; even if your riches increase, don't depend on them. 11 More than once I have heard God say that power belongs to him Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. A human being therefore should not puff himself in pride according to Romans 12:3. You can also clearly see that the measure of faith that each person has, is not something he or she has developed or had by themselves but it is rather God who has given them that faith. So you see that God is your provision also when it comes to pleasing Him because Biblically God delights in Himself and He has every right to do so and that is why He seeks worship from us through the provision of His own Spirit and is glorified in Christ Himself. It is for this reason that the Father, Son and Spirit are each God and together God, who is self sufficient. Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh Consider the time when Abraham was asked to offer his son Isaac to God. Abraham trusted that God would deliver him (Gen 22:5, 8). The faith Abraham had was what God had given him and the ram that was caught in the bush is also what God provided. So you see the sovereignty of God that He Himself is the provision in what people bring to delight Him Genesis 22:4-16 4 On the third day Abraham saw the place in the distance. 5 Then he said to the servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you." 6 Abraham made Isaac carry the wood for the sacrifice, and he himself carried a knife and live coals for starting the fire. As they walked along together, 7 Isaac said, "Father!" He answered, "Yes, my son?" Isaac asked, "I see that you have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" 8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide one." And the two of them walked on together. 9 When they came to the place which God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he picked up the knife to kill him. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" He answered, "Yes, here I am." 12 "Don't hurt the boy or do anything to him," he said. "Now I know that you honour and obey God, because you have not kept back your only son from him." 13 Abraham looked round and saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns. He went and got it and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place "The Lord Provides". And even today people say, "On the Lord's mountain he provides." 15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time, 16 "I make a vow by my own name the Lord is speaking that I will richly bless you. Because you did this and did not keep back your only son from me, Of all things mentioned in the Bible it is faith and waiting on God that pleases God. Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Beating, gashing and bring injury to oneself, is not a measure of faith (Hosea 7:14-16). Even though it is God who sustains people like these, it is and will always remain God and not yourself who will want to take you through a trial and it is HERE where you need to trust Him and this is what will please Him. Hosea 7:14-16 14 They have not prayed to me sincerely, but instead they throw themselves down and wail as the heathen do. When they pray for corn and wine, they gash themselves like pagans. What rebels they are! 15 Even though I was the one who brought them up and made them strong, they plotted against me. 16 They keep on turning away from me to a god that is powerless. They are as unreliable as a crooked bow. Because their leaders talk arrogantly, they will die a violent death, and the Egyptians will laugh." So you see there is no such Biblical thing as self confidence but rather God given faith, which you need to learn to exercise at the feet of Jesus. If you feel you don't have this then in Jesus' name I decree that God the Father may add to whatever measure of the faith you already have. Remember it is blessing to confess that you are spiritually depraved (Matthew 5:3). By Fergus Davar (Saved by HIS grace), just a pen in His Hand. Psalms 144:1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |