Confidence starts in our relationship with the Lord.  Developing an assured confidence in all you do, with an ability to move out, do things and be confident in all you do, are and say, is what we all long for.  Previously in “Walking in High Heels” I shared two principles for confidence, today I would like to share another two.

What does confidence in life look like. I always think of Simba in Lion King, confident in who he is, because he “just cannot wait to be king.”  Then, when he is cornered in the elephant graveyard by the hyenas, his confidence is what makes him say that he is not afraid and he tries to roar.  A small  squeak comes out and the hyenas laugh at him and poke fun at him.  He takes a deep breath and roars again.  An enormous, king of the jungle roar comes out of him and the hyenas scatter.  Simba is satisfied at their response, but as the camera zooms out, we see his father Mufasa, standing behind him.

Simba within himself was just a cub, but with his father standing behind him, he was fierce.  The same is true for us, by ourselves we may lack confidence and strength, but with our Father standing behind us we are powerful, dynamic and confident.  To be confident like this, I would like to share two more principles:

Get Your Portion Everyday.

When the Israelites received manna from the Lord on a daily basis, it required that they pursue a relationship with Him to receive their manna from Him.  God provided for them, when they maintained a dependent relationship with Him.  They had to admit their own weaknesses and rely on God’s ability to provide. (Ex 16:4-5) They had to do this every day: actively receive their portion from God in order to survive.

Paul, when he pleaded with God to remove his “thorn”, received the answer: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.”  Paul goes on to say to the Corinthians in 2 Cor12:9-10:

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul understood, that in dependence on the Lord, God would provide strength for him.

We all know where our weaknesses lie and when and where we don’t have confidence.  We may feel small, inadequate, overwhelmed.  But God’s promise is that He will provide on a daily basis what we need, if we live in dependence on Him (Matt 6:33).  Every day, we are to ask for our portion.  When we lack confidence, we are to ask Him for our portion of whatever it is we are lacking.

There are many prayers for “my portion” in scripture.

Ps 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Lam 3:22-24: “Because of the Lords’ great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, ’The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’”

Even Jesus prayed for his portion, and led by example in the Lord’s prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt 6:11)

We need to plug in.

Just like Simba, we can have greater confidence when something bigger than us, is with us.  Jesus, before He left, promised us the Holy Spirit, our Helper, because He knew that nothing can be achieved in our own flesh, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit, a member of the Trinity, God Himself. Galatians 4:6 “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 

The Spirit first of all enables a permanent relationship with God by allowing us insight into His heart and mind.  He enables freedom from our sinful nature, by changing us from inside out, making us new people.

His goal is that we live by the outworking of the power of the Spirit in us, more commonly known as living by grace.

We need power that is not our own, to make changes, to fulfill our purposes in life, just like any appliance needs power to fulfill its purpose.  We need to “plug into” the Holy Spirit, but getting to know Him and rely on His power to do the miraculous in our lives, because we “can do everything through Him who gives us strength.” Phil 4:13

Thank You Lord that You are the source of my confidence.  I can be confident because I do not walk alone in life, but the fullness of God in the Holy Spirit is present with me and enables me to face life with confidence.  On those days when I don’t feel confident, help me to come to You Lord for my portion, because You will supply me with all that I need to confidently live my life.  As I learn to depend on You in everything, my confidence will grow.

Walking In High Heels

Anything Bothering You?

A Circle or a Line

Who Can I Count On?