The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one’s after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions.

Proverbs 28:1 (The Message)

The wicked man flees though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1 (New International Version)

The wicked run away when no one is chasing them,
but the godly are as bold as lions.

Proverbs 28:1 (New Living Translation)

God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.

2 Timothy 1:7 (The Message)

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7 (New International Version)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7 (New Living Translation)

The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one’s after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions.

Proverbs 28:1 (The Message)

The wicked man flees though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1 (New International Version)

The wicked run away when no one is chasing them,
but the godly are as bold as lions.

Proverbs 28:1 (New Living Translation)

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (New Living Translation)

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (New International Version)

There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (The Message)

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have
made the Lord their hope and confidence.

Jeremiah 17:7 (New Living Translation)

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

Jeremiah 17:7 (New International Version)

But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
the woman who sticks with God.

Jeremiah 17:7 (The Message)

You don’t have to worry or be burdened by the things of this world. Give God your troubles and worries with confidence and He will give you His peace and freedom.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NASB)

*** *** *** ***

The secret to living with confidence is to be confident in God’s compassion and power. He is the Almighty and everlasting God, and his power and compassion are unlimited. We gain confidence by developing confidence in God and letting go of confidence in ourselves.

When we think we have to do it on our own, or when we think we are doing it on our own, we stand on an uncertain foundation, like the man who built his house upon the sand. No matter how confident we are in ourselves, eventually the rains will come, washing away our self-confidence.

But when we have God-confidence, we know – deep down – that we will always be able to approach God’s throne of grace boldly with confidence – knowing “we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” (Hebrews 4:16, NLT)

With God-confidence, we know we are loved and accepted by God; we know we are created and shaped by God; we know we have talents and skills given to us by God, and by understanding our true position in Christ, we can be confident that God is with us always, even unto the ends of the earth, even when we open our mouths to speak.

In faith, we can be confident, knowing God’s power is there, trusting God makes it possible for us to do “all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, NASB)

What does this mean?

· Transfer your confidence to God – Believe he is “working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13, NLT) Compare your track record to God’s and see which of you has proved to be more trustworthy. If you believe your confidence should still remain with you, ask God to help you dig deep to uncover why you believe that way. He is never upset or surprised by such honesty.

· Trust God’s Spirit is working within you – Ask God to develop within you a confidence that his Spirit will give you a supernatural power to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and to release prisoners from the darkness. (Adapted from Isaiah 61:1-3)

· Why God-confidence is important to you – You may be thinking, “There’s something I’d really like to do, but I don’t think that I can do it.” This kind of thinking may keep you from even trying, but if you’re confident in God – and what he can do through your life – then there’s every reason to move forward, and no good reason to stand still.

· If you had God-confidence, how would the next few days of your life be different?