Where Have You Placed Your Confidence?

The Christian life is not a “pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps” kind of life. It’s a submit and surrender life of trust, where we place our confidence in our Lord. It’s a life where we acknowledge we are too weak to make it on our own, only to receive the divine strength to do it. 

The Christian life is not a 'pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps' kind of life. It's a submit and surrender life of trust, where we place our confidence in our Lord. Click To Tweet

This goes against my natural tendency. My personality, when presented with a mound of decisions, an endless list of uncertainty, and an impossibility, is to make it work. I charge ahead, intent on getting it done, figuring it out, making it happen.

I tend to take this same approach in all areas of my life. Do the right things, make the right choices, work, serve. Do enough, and it’ll all work out. 

But whose confidence am I resting in?

Who am I counting on?

Who am I boasting in?

Our Confidence

Not all can be accomplished, solved, or made right in my power … in your power. We all need help. I’m talking physically and spiritually … from people in our lives, but most of all from the Lord. 

“We are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3 HCSB).

We won’t understand it all, solve it all, get it all done. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, all that is truly important can and will be done.

I can’t handle the cross I’m asked to bear; it’s too heavy. But the Lord renews our strength when we trust in Him. That’s the key: trust!

“but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31, CSB).

Trust God

When I trust God, He answers by providing His strength to my weakened state. The Lord should be our confidence, not doctors, programs, our own intellect or wisdom. But God and His omniscient, omnipotent, all-powerful, all-just, all-loving nature. 

Place your trust in Him and find an everlasting hope! 

The Lord should be our confidence, not doctors, programs, our own intellect or wisdom. But God and His omniscient, omnipotent, all-powerful, all-just, all-loving nature. Place your trust in Him and find an everlasting hope! Click To Tweet

“The Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared” (Proverbs 3:26).

We who are Christians need to quit trying to do life on our own. We need to stop pretending we are strong enough to make it. And we need to encourage each other to place our confidence where it belongs, squarely in God Almighty.

We who are Christians need to quit trying to do life on our own. We need to stop pretending we are strong enough to make it. We should encourage each other to place our confidence where it belongs, squarely in God Almighty. Click To Tweet

This is a real, ongoing struggle for me. But our victory is won in Him and only Him … for this life and the next! 

Reflections: Where do you place your confidence? In your abilities and strength? In the wisdom and intellect of others? Or in the Lord, who knows all, sees all, provides all?