I have struggled most of my life with a lack of self-confidence. Public speaking class, piano recitals, college auditions, job interviews, professional gatherings. Anytime I feel ‘in the spotlight’, so to speak, or in new situations, I am nervous and unsure of myself. I have gotten better as I’ve gotten older, but I have not completely conquered my inability to feel like I am able to succeed in certain situations. Is it a fear of failure or rejection from others? Am I afraid I will embarrass myself? Probably all of the above. But I’m surely not alone.
Moses repeatedly told God that he was not qualified to lead his people out of captivity in Egypt. Gideon felt ill-prepared to battle the Midianites. And there are many others like them. So how did they accomplish the tasks that were given to them? They knew they could not do it alone. They looked to God for their strength and success.
Philippians 4:13 tells us “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Satan wants nothing more than to convince us that we are unable to do anything. He will try his best to thwart our efforts to serve our God and to leave us drowning in a pit of self-doubt, achieving nothing.
But how can we forget David, who clearly understood that God was on his side when he confronted Goliath. He did not let his own brothers’ negativity stop him from slaying the giant. And Ehud, who did not allow his left-handedness, perceived as a weakness, to prevent him from defeating the Moabites. And nobody could question Queen Esther’s obedient confidence despite the great risk she was taking in her life. All these heroes of the faith may have been fearful of rejection or failure, but they continued in their tasks knowing that God was with them. They developed an absolute certainty of God’s ability to provide everything they needed.
We all have times when we would rather stay in the safety of our comfort zone, to keep ourselves safe from the risk of failure or humiliation. But God doesn’t want us to stay there. He has work for us to do. Work that can be accomplished with the confidence to succeed because the strength doesn’t come from us, it comes from God. Who knows what adventures God has before you, if you only take that step ahead just as Moses, Gideon, David, Ehud, and Esther did. You can be confident that the God who created you can walk right in step with you for every task before you. Don’t be self-confident. Just be God-confident!