Confidence

God has given gifts to everyone; no one has been left out.  God has a plan for our lives, and He equips us with everything we need to fulfill that plan.  The gifts He gives us are not solely for our own benefit but are to be used in serving and caring for others. The first step in developing confidence in using our gifts is to acknowledge that God is our creator and each one of us is individually gifted with the qualities God desires to use.

Lord … You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. (Psalm 139:13-14 NLT)

To improve our confidence, we will need to demonstrate to ourselves that we can achieve what we set out to do.  How do we do that?  We ask God for help to do the next right thing and then we step out and do something we haven’t done before.  We leave behind the safety and security of our comfort zone to achieve something new. This might include having a talk with a counselor or pastor, signing up for a class, volunteering our time, doing service work in a support group, participating in a Bible fellowship group, applying for a job or training course, etc.  We will never grow in confidence if we stay in our comfort zone. 

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

As we participate in what we believe God has planned for us to do, God promises to help us.  Are we willing to step forward, confident in who God says we are? Are we willing to follow the plan He has for us.  Will we resolve each day to exchange our old pessimistic self for the new confident self who is created in God’s likeness?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for the good plan You have for my life and the gifts You have given me to fulfill it. Please guide and direct me as I seek to follow Your plan and also fill me with the power of Your Holy Spirit to carry it out. Amen