Thursday, January 23, 2014

Better with Age: Walking in Confidence

A few nights ago my husband and I took our boys to a basketball game at the university where my husband works. As we left at halftime they were playing a song with the lyrics, "I live for the applause." I contemplated that concept as we walked to the car and was saddened by the insecurity displayed by those words. What happens when people are no longer applauding? When she's not Number One anymore?

When we live for other's approval we will always be insecure. There is no sure footing there because people change. There is always someone better. Someone more edgy. Prettier. More talented.

The only way to escape insecurity is to have confidence. Certainly we can't be confident in ourselves. We have already established that, if we do compare ourselves to others,  we might not measure up. So where does our confidence come from?

"For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." Proverbs 3:26

Our confidence comes from God.  Specifically our confidence comes from being obedient to God. It's not enough to claim random promises from the Bible and say that we live in them. We have to obey what the Bible says. Proverbs 14:26 says, "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."

Part of the fear of the Lord is obedience. Obedience is strong confidence. When we are walking in obedience to God we aren't living in our own ideas. How could we know they were really better than anyone else's? But God's ideas surpass any others that we could find.

photo courtesy of lkunl/freedigitalphotos.net


When we are living in obedience we can deflect criticisms of our marriage or child-rearing. We can rejoice in the knowledge that God made us just the way He wanted us and we don't have to be like anyone else. God has given us what we need for our race.

A lady with confidence in her God can love others instead of competing with them. She can work hard where God put her instead of envying a different lifestyle. She can stand firm in her convictions instead of doing what everyone else is doing.

Want to walk in confidence? Walk in obedience.

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