When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. Isaiah 43:2–3 (NLT)
We can read story upon story in the Bible of people God had to work with before He could use them to do incredible things. First, they had to see themselves as a leader. He needed them to think bigger.
Similarly, God’s plans for you will not become a reality just because He believes in you. Although He has a great plan for your life, this doesn’t mean that it will automatically happen. You are capable of it, but you will only live it out if you believe it too—if you believe in yourself, trust that God made you exactly as He wanted you to be and believe that He will always be with you.
I’m certainly not saying that God wants you to become arrogant and full of yourself. The confidence you gain by reading the Bible and connecting with your Heavenly Father isn’t an over-inflated, I’m better-than-you attitude. It simply teaches you to know your Father and shows you what you are capable of when you live connected to Him.
When you learn to get your confidence from God, it becomes unshakable. If you get your confidence from success and achievements, setbacks will devastate you. Pats on the back are also bad places to get your confidence because they are intermittent and unreliable. Don’t live on an up and down roller-coaster of confidence—get it from the unshakable, unchanging truth of what God has promised you!