be confident

The Bible has many warnings against pride, arrogance, and selfishness, but it never warns against confidence. In fact it declares the opposite.

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised." - Hebrews 10:35,36

It says not to throw away our confidence. It says that confidence has a great reward and that when we endure in doing God's will that we will receive what has been promised. I don't know about you, but I like God's promises, and I like receiving what He has promised. 

I think this raises a very important question. What does it mean to be confident? How is that different from being prideful and arrogant?

Confidence (noun): firm trust, the state of feeling certain about the truth of something, a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities

Pride (noun):  a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired, the consciousness of one's own dignity,the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance

Confidence is based upon the truth. It is based on trust. It is appreciating my abilities, having a correct assessment of my abilities. It is based upon who I am, not on what I can do. Who I am is based upon God. What I can do is based upon me. 

Confidence is about looking beyond myself to Someone greater who I can trust in, who I can be certain of, and who I can praise for His greatness. Pride is about looking at myself and saying how great I am.

There is great reward in having firm trust, deep trust in God. And if we endure in trusting Him not only will we have great reward, but we will also receive what He has promised. I pray that I may ever trust God more, that I may ever endure, and that I may always be confident in who I am before Him.       

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