Let’s move on to the next behavior which Mrs Meyer calls the Confidence Habit. This kind of goes hand in hand with what we talked about yesterday, right? The issue though is in WHO we are placing our confidence in. If we place our assurance on MMI, then it will waver. If I feel confident, then I will BE confident. But if I don’t, then I won’t. No, we must learn to place our confidence in Someone way much higher than ourselves. Of course, as Christians, our assurance that we can be courageous is founded on Christ. And since God never changes, then our confidence need not change either. We can trust God will meet us as we step out in Faith. This is often my experience when I have a speaking engagement. While I have been diligent to study the material, and written out all my notes, and even created a PowerPoint on the topic, I still need to know that I know, that God will be with me the whole time. Since my assurance is in God, I can have the boldness to teach His Word and share my heart. Apart from that truth, I would be a nervous wreck!
The Bible teaches us to “put no confidence in the flesh,” because, it is not our level of education, it is not our address or how many digits are in our bank account…it is not even who you know in this world that can lead to the peace and joy we to be confident. St Paul goes into a whole discourse about how he had all the accolades their people would assume would grant a full life, but then he ends by saying, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” (Php 3:7 NLT) You see, none of these worldly things can make us righteous. The truth is, apart from the Father’s Love, the Son’s Sacrifice and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are all sinners doomed and bound for an eternity in hell. Whenever we falsely believe we can save ourselves from that horrific fate, we stop ourselves from receiving God’s free gift of Salvation, and the power to live an increasingly fuller life it grants. So whenever we place our confidence in anything less than God, and God alone, we are choosing death instead of life. Curses instead of blessings. Darkness instead of light. Hell instead of Heaven. Are we seeing the seriousness of this?
In Christ, we can BE confident, even if we do not feel confident. Because we are trusting God and what God says about us, instead of allowing the opinions of others judge and control us. Opinions are not truth. Only God’s definition of who we are is truth. If we belong to Him, then we are His beloved, holy children, who can do all the things He has prepared in advance for us to do, and enjoy doing them. (see Php 3:14 & Eph 2:10) If you do not belong to Him, and you still have breath in your lungs, you can choose right here, right now, to belong to Him. Then let God change your identity which will grant you the confidence to live this life to the full, as you journey towards Everlasting Life. In Christ, we can be confident of this eternal destiny, which gives us the confidence to live this earthly life well.
14 Good Habits
Behavior 1: The God Habit
Behavior 2: Thoughts, Words and Habits
Behavior 3: The Habit of Being Decisive
Behavior 4: Healthy Habits
Behavior 5: The Happy Habit
Behavior 6: The Faith Habit
Behavior 7: The Habit of Excellence
Behavior 8: The Habit of Being Responsible
Behavior 9: The Habit of Generosity
Behavior 10: The Hurry Habit
Behavior 10: The Hurry Habit
Behavior 11: Emotional Habits
Behavior 12: The Confidence Habit
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
April: Living the Resurrected Life: “The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life” by Dr Charles Stanley
May: My Spiritual Mom: “Making Good Habits Breaking Bad Habits” by Joyce Meyer
<>< Peace, Diane
