Gina Sewell is a mom and grandma who lives in the Dallas, Texas area, where she enjoys cooking and spending time with her family. She loves to write about Jesus and encourage others. Gina shares her journey on her website: http://www.ginabartonsewell.wordpress.com
Spiritual Confidence By Gina Sewell
I have never been the most confident person. In fact, I was always shy and quiet with very low self-esteem. Until you become confident in your own skin, you’ll always be held back from fulfilling your purpose. But does that mean confidence in self? No, it means having assurance in what the Lord has created you to be. It means having an unshakeable faith as a loved and cherished child of God. Satan tries to steal our confidence. He is waiting at every turn, spewing his lies. But once we put our faith in God, it becomes easier to turn a deaf ear to those lies. Hebrews 10:35 (NIV) tells us, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV) tells us, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus...” 1st John 4:17 (NIV) says, “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” We have confidence because God is enough and in Him we are enough.
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So how do we do this? For one, we must stay in the Word. I’m not just saying to read your Bible. I mean, if you open it just when you have a particular need, nothing will change. That’s because instead of using it as a way of life, you’re using it only as a quick troubleshooting guide. In Matthew 4:4 (NIV), “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” The Word of God emboldens you. Pray Praying is not just a before-meal monologue. It is not a uniform letter of what we think we deserve. Prayer is time spent in the presence of the Lord, a conversation between yourself and your creator. And yes, it’s also a time to make your requests known to God. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1st John 5:14 NIV) “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16 NIV)
