Cultivating Confidence Part 2: The Confidence to Stand Firm: confronting fears and insecurities6/22/2017  Confidence means “full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing.” God calls us to live with confidence, fully trusting in Him and relying on His power. Self-confidence, or the confidence to be myself, is found in Christ; in living as who I am in Him. Living with confidence can be hard, I know. There are many fears, insecurities, anxieties, and worries that can weaken our courage. So often, I can feel weighed down by them, held back by them, and even chained by them. They grip my heart, and squeeze the bravery right out of me, and find my spirit caving under the pressure, folding in and curling up on itself. Weak and helpless, no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to shake the insecurities out of my heart. And in this death grip, those insecurities keep me from fully living; they hold me back from doing the things I want to do, the things I feel called to do. I don’t speak up, I don’t try the new, I avoid the uncomfortable, I keep saying Next time, I put up walls, I put on masks, all because of the fears of rejection, failure, disappointment, the unknown. Maybe insecurities sometimes, or a lot of times, grip your heart? Maybe some fear is weighing down and holding back, and you feel your spirit caving? Is there freedom for those who are slaves to the fear and insecurities? Yes. Yes, there is.
Jesus has freed us from all chains. He has lifted the weight and the burdens from our backs. We are called now to stand firm. In Christ, we can have the confidence to stand firm and not give into the fears and insecurities that press in. We don’t have to be swayed by them, chained by them, or ruled by them. The spirit that was caving, folding up and curling in, can confidently stand tall, firm, and strong. How? How can we stand strong and confident in our spirits, even when insecurities grip our hearts? It is by the Spirit God has given us:
In Christ and by the work of His Spirit in us, rather than fear, we have power, love, and a sound mind. Power Romans 8:11 tells us that the same Spirit who rose Jesus from the dead lives in you and me. Think about that for a moment. The Holy Spirit raised Jesus to life after He was dead and buried for three days. And he wasn’t raised to life only to die again, only to be overtaken and overcome by sin. Jesus was raised to eternal, victorious life. That same Spirit lives in us. It doesn’t get anymore powerful than that. By the Holy Spirit, we have the power to stand firm in the face of fear because we know the One who is mighty to save. We have the power to walk with confidence because we are walking in step with the One who gives us life. Love God is love (1 John 4:8), so in giving us His Spirit, we are given the Spirit of love. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (ESV) The Spirit of God in us gives us the assurance of God’s love for us. We are loved perfectly, wholly, eternally, and unconditionally. Knowing God loves us calms our fears. (Zephaniah 3:17) Not only does God love us, but in His love, He enables us to live in love relationship with Him. And that love for Him overflows into love for others. We can stand firm in the face of insecurities when we live in love; when we choose to live the assurance of God’s love for us and to love Him and others. Love gives us the bravery to live like Jesus. Sound Mind Oftentimes, maybe even all the time, our insecurities are rooted in lies. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and through Him, we can have a sound mind that knows the truth and is not swayed by lies. We can confront the fears and insecurities we have and can choose to stand confidently on the truth of God’s Word, not being pulled by our emotions and insecurities. Here are five questions to go through to help you in confronting insecurities and in cultivating the confidence to stand firm in face of them: 1. What are my fears? Take a few minutes to write down your fears, insecurities, worries, and anxieties. Satan is called the father of lies, a masquerader, a deceiver. He twists and distorts and fogs up and darkens. Don’t let those fears be burrowed into your heart any more. Get them out and into the light. Bring them to Light. 2. What feeds the fear? Is there anything you’re doing, reading, watching, listening to, that is feeding the fear? Does scrolling through social media cause you feel insecure about yourself? Does comparing yourself to others cause insecurities to rise? Do you criticize yourself often, reinforcing the insecurities? Are there lies that you’re believing that increase the fear? Are you spending time in prayer and in God’s Word? When you look at what feeds the fears, you’ll know how to starve the fears, and you may find there is something that needs to change in your life; a habit that needs to be broken, or one that needs to be made. 3. Am I resting in God’s love? Look at the list of fears you made and ask yourself, In this fear, am I resting in God’s love for me? Or am I believing that I am worthless, ugly, insignificant, of no value? Next to each fear, write in big, bold, maybe even colorful letters, Jesus loves me. And every time you feel insecure, say, Jesus loves me. Keep writing it, saying it, thinking it, letting His love cast out the fear. 4. Am I relying on God’s power? Look at the list of fears you made and ask yourself, In this fear, am I relying on God’s power, or my own? Fear of failing, fear of the future, fear of change, worries and anxieties that I have, all these rise up in me when I’m trying to control things and do them in my own strength rather than trusting and relying on God. Next to each fear, write (again in big, bold, maybe even colorful letters), I trust God. And every time you feel insecure or anxious, say, I trust God. Keep writing it, saying it, thinking it, letting His power strengthen you. 5. What is the truth of God’s Word? Learn what God’s Word has to say about those things you feel insecure and anxious about, and replace the lies that feed the fears with His truth. God has given us a Spirit of power, of love, and of sound mind. When we live by His Spirit, we have the power, love, and sound mind needed to confidently stand firm in the face of fear and insecurities.  The post Cultivating Confidence Part 2: The Confidence to Stand Firm first appeared on The Overflowing
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