Can I Have Confidence?

by David Rollert

Confidence is a funny thing. Some people confuse confidence with arrogance, so they think it is wrong to cultivate confidence. Others believe that confidence comes from looks, so they become hyper-focused on their physical appearance. Others feel that confidence can only come from higher education, so they put all their trust in higher degrees. Interestingly, none of these assumptions are correct. I have met arrogant people who are neither confident nor competent. I have met good-looking people who were extremely insecure and full of doubt. I have met highly educated people who felt like they could never do anything right. So where does true confidence come from?

In Philippians chapter 3, Paul speaks about confidence. He points out that our flesh is not a reliable source of confidence (Phil. 3:1-6). When it comes to righteousness, we can never be righteous enough on our own to have confidence before God. Paul was extremely accomplished in doing the deeds that the Jewish community saw as important. But he considered it all a loss for the sake of Christ (Phil. 3:7). Some of us may feel that our confidence comes from our ability to follow rules, traditions, or checklists. However, hyper-focusing on those things tends to make us insecure and even neurotic.

Real spiritual confidence comes from truly understanding God’s power and Christ’s sacrifice for us. When we trust that to be true, we will want to do as God has commanded: to serve Him with our whole being because He loves us and wants the best for us! Paul states, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14)

We have all done things in our past that we regret. God has forgiven the Christian, and we don’t need to carry that shame anymore. We press on toward the goal. Try as we might to avoid it, we all will at some point do something in our future that we will regret. If we repent of those things, God will forgive us, and there will likewise be no need to hold on to the shame! We press on toward the goal.

Our confidence is in God and His love, not in our own abilities. When we understand that, we can confidently press on toward the goal, knowing God will be faithful and gracious to those who strive to be faithful and obedient to Him! Examine yourself. If you suffer from insecurity, doubt, or anxiety (as many do), consider where you have placed your trust. Perhaps you state that you trust God, but secretly you rely on yourself alone. Even if you do your very best, failures happen to everyone. Insecurity, doubt, and anxiety come from trying to be the exception. Rather than placing your trust in yourself, place your trust in God and His love for you!