Confidence in Christ

Confidence in Christ Devotional Reading and Podcast

I recall the excitement of being hired by United Healthcare as a Quality nurse. The training center was in Dallas which was a two-hour commute round trip, but at the end of the five-day orientation, we would return to our assigned location which was 30 minutes from my home.

On the first day, an incident happened that caused a wave of shock throughout the room. One of the nurses who was a former school principal with two Master’s degrees–education and nursing challenged one of the company’s processes as outdated, time-consuming, and not a reflection of the theory of working smarter, not harder.

The trainer made the simple comment, This is our process, and moved forward. Our coworker was asked to meet with the supervisor during the last 15 minutes of training.

The following day, she was extremely quiet and made no comments. At lunchtime, she invited several people to go out with her for lunch. Two of us declined the invitation because we valued our reputation and our new job. But she did not lack the determination to attempt to recruit the only two people who were not in agreement with her thought processes.

The following day she did not go out for lunch. As the three of us sat quietly eating in the large room, our coworker attempted to persuade the two of us that she was right in her evaluation of the outdated process. I ignored her rant and kept eating.

Our other coworker was a quiet, young man with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He responded respectfully, “If you feel that you cannot be loyal to the company and have confidence in their processes then this is not the right place for you,” ending the conversation as the three of us finished our lunch without speaking another word.

Self-Confidence = Spiritual Dilemmas

Many believers are in a spiritual dilemma because they have overconfidence in themselves. Thinking too highly of oneself diminishes our confidence in Christ. We can easily verbalize that God is powerful, but excluding Him from our daily lives is evidence that we feel we are doing a good job of taking care of ourselves.

Decision-making based on prior life experience, educational achievements, and emotions brings unnecessary consequences into our lives. Eventually, we will face a challenge that we cannot resolve. After trying everything humanly possible, we will stand at the spiritual crossroads finally recognizing our need for God.

The Spiritual Side of “You Can Do Nothing”

Jesus tells us that He is the Source from which all power flows. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” –John 15:5

Every day we demonstrate in whom we place our confidence and loyalty, either in Christ or ourselves. Although we do not verbalize our unbelief in Christ telling us we can do nothing without Him, the decisions we make, the friends we hang out with, and our lifestyle reveal the true status of our hearts.

What did Jesus mean when He said, “…for without Me you can do nothing?” We can never achieve daily spiritual growth leading to a complete spiritual transformation–the change of our carnal heart into the likeness of Christ [Sanctification]–without love and loyalty to Christ. Divine Intervention is required for us to be saved and receive the reward of eternal life.

Misunderstanding the Importance of Agape Love

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.'” –Matthew 22:37-38

Love is the foundation for our faith, trust, confidence, loyalty, and obedience to God. Love motivates us to put God first! Love causes us to willingly give our all to God. Love causes us to persevere and keep running the race because we have confidence in God, the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Dilemma of Not Recognizing Our Limitations

The closer you get to Jesus, the more sinful you realize you are. –Billy Graham

When we study The Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5 and the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23, we realize that despite our excellent decision-making skills, spiritual transformation is impossible without abiding in Christ.

Steadfast love for God strengthens our faith and gives us the right standing to have a thriving relationship with Christ. Without the angelic hosts who protect us, we cannot fight the demonic forces of wickedness. Excluding God places us in the same dilemma as unbelievers who reject God–suffering the hard way of the transgressor. Satan knows that humanity is defenseless against his spiritual warfare so he distracts us with worldviews that promote self-confidence and self-made success.

Having confidence in our abilities robs us of the joy and peace that flows from Jesus, our Lord, and Savior. When we have to face the unexpected alone, our spiritual state is already compromised causing our emotional state to rapidly decline. Faced with a situation that is beyond our capabilities leaves us anxious and worried. We were not created to resolve trials, tribulations, and sorrows without Divine Intervention.

Building our Confidence in Christ

Acknowledge your weakness and repent: “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” –Romans 7:14-15

Pray for Christ’s Divine help: The Apostle Paul expressed his continuous struggle to live a Holy and righteous life. He knew that we could not live righteously without Divine Intervention. Paul proclaimed, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Make the Commitment to Put God First: Every day when you awaken, set aside uninterrupted time for worship. Pray a daily prayer of surrender, “God, what do you want me to do?”

Study the Scriptures: Study the book of John to learn about Jesus and His life on earth as seen through the eyes of the disciple whom Jesus loved. John was far from perfect, but he desired to be like Jesus.

Align Yourself with Christ: We cannot live to please ourselves. Forsaking our desires and praying before we make decisions places us in harmony with God. Have you ever thought about doing something, but then you had a thought that said, No? It was the Holy Spirit’s intervention to keep us in the will of God. The Holy Spirit teaches, reveals God’s plans, and gives us spiritual discernment to keep us from making decisions that lead to unforeseen consequences.

Live with the determination to have Confidence in Christ!

Those who focus on Jesus will be empowered to do many things for His honor and glory. The Christian believer will always be courageous when their confidence is in Christ. We are never alone! Maintain a daily relationship with Jesus to strengthen your faith. Be consistent in your worship in the good times, so that when the stormy times come, you will have unwavering faith and the confidence that Jesus is with you.

“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” –Philippians 1:6

Prayer: God, we thank You for your love, grace, and mercies. We repent for excluding You from our lives. Thank you, Jesus, for your life, love, and strength. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus, Amen.