For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 (ESV)
When we receive new products, they come with a manual. They’re repeated in several languages with the hope that one of them with allow us to get the most out of the product. Most come with warnings and dangers too. When we leave the hospital with the most complicated, new item on earth, we get a congratulations and good luck while we think someone muttered, “they’ll need it.”
This isn’t exactly true, but I hear many people complaining about babies coming without a manual. I know I received quite a bit of information, but the fact is, nothing can truly be written with all the precise details to help us raise children. Information is certainly out there; we just need to search. We wouldn’t be able to fit the manual in the vehicle if all the information was combined into one book or even a volume of books.
I do know there is one manual out there that is a guide that has lasted generations and has stayed relevant on the fundamentals of having a successful life. The Bible. It may not contain illustrations on how to change a diaper, but it has guidelines to life. Often, it’s the best place to begin and end when trying to figure out a problem. A concordance to the Bible is especially helpful.
Many times, I’ve tried to look up verses on self-confidence without a whole lot of success. Surely with all the talk about self-confidence, it must be in that life manual! Come on…I need a foundation before hitting YouTube. What about some mantras or visualizations? Oh, how about breathing techniques? Don’t forget about standing up straight with our shoulders back (but don’t stick out the belly!) and head held high. Fake it until you make it?
I’ve reached a conclusion. There’s no self when joining our lives with God. Take the self out of self-confidence and we’ll be on the right track. Mantras and visualizations? Fantastic! They’re a great tool when you don’t actually believe you’re getting confidence from words or pictures just because you’re putting them out there. Your confidence goes back to being aligned with God’s will for your life and His promises of a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Look at that! A “c” word that begins with self.
Let’s have self-control in putting our confidence in the right person without letting our fears overtake us. The power to be brave will be there. We don’t have to look at our shortcomings anymore because it’s God’s ability that our confidence will be in, not our own. That should allow us to breathe easier! If nerves are still high, do some of that square breathing to calm the anxiety. Also, be sure to look confident in your stance because of whose you are.
Go ahead and pull out that concordance to look up scriptures on confidence, fear, and courage. Let them sink in and remember that when we’re in front of people, about to express a difficult opinion, or with a crowd that makes us unsure, use it for God’s glory. Do we really think we have more power than Him? If we’re following His word and being His representatives in life, we won’t screw it up more than He can cover. Endure for Him.
I challenge you to take your focus off yourself in stressful, nerve-wracking situations, and put it on the only One we can be fully confident in. Always fall back on being kind, even if it’s just through facial expressions. It transcends language barriers, cultural differences, age gaps, and whatever else you can think of.
So, put on some stress response deodorant and remember that being brave is simply being scared and doing it anyway. Don’t let fear win. That’s feeding into the devil’s plans. Robin Sharma said, “The fears we don’t face become our limits.” Don’t limit what God can do through you!
