How To Have REAL Confidence

It's dangerous to have too much confidence.

In the wrong place, in the wrong place.

But the Bible says, be confident, you know, in this

I will be confident.

Doesn't the Bible say that? Yes. But the question is,

in what will you be confident? In what?

And sometimes we want to have a confident belief without

the behaviors that build confidence in our lives. You know,

because to have real confidence, you've got to have consistency,

don't you? I mean, to have confidence, you've got to

have competence. Competence is built through consistency. If you're going

to have real confidence, you've got to have character. Amen. Amen.

I'm going to.

Spend the rest of my life preaching what I think

is true, whether anybody says amen to it or not.

I'm committing to that.

These little gray hairs that keep popping up are trying

to tell me, you don't have time to get up

there in that pulpit and just hype people anymore. Because

while we're hyping people in one sense to believe God,

we are actually making the problem worse. Because when their

circumstance is not reflecting their confession, their faith collapses beneath

the weight of unmet expectations.

And so the Lord was.

Really speaking to me, you know, because I go back

and forth of feeling really confident sometimes. And then sometimes

I feel I can't find my confidence anywhere. And so

then I think, well, I had too much confidence. I

need to be more humble. And then sometimes I think, well,

I don't have enough confidence. I need to chest bump

myself in a mirror a few times and get out

there and put myself back in the game, coach.

Get out there.

And I'm back and forth. And God spoke to me

this week. He said, it's not how much confidence you have.

It's where you put it that counts. Paul said, I

have no confidence in the flesh. All of these people

who are telling you, you need to be circumcised. And

that's how you prove that you have a relationship with God. Or,

you know, this temptation that we all have to fake it.

until we break. That's what really happens, you know. You

fake it and you never make it because no matter

how much you work to develop your confidence in your flesh,

it will always fail you.

It will always fail you. And all of this behavioral.

Modification that I know is necessary for us to make

improvements in our lives, and maybe it's important for us

to have confidence if we're going to stand on stage

and give a presentation or go into a meeting that

we don't feel qualified for. I understand that, but my

question is, have you put that confidence in the right place?

The other day, I noticed Holly didn't have her wedding

ring on.

It wasn't anything sketchy. We were just at the house.

She wasn't going out without her wedding ring on. In fact,

I got that covered too.

I made her put a tattoo on her ring finger.

So even if she wanted to take it off, it

says H and S.

And so if she wants to leave me, the dude

is already going to be narrowed down. His name better

start with S or she'll have to turn it into

an eight, but she is mine. But I said, where's

your ring? She said, Oh, I put it over here.

I was washing dishes. And I asked her a question.

I didn't have to say much. I said, is that

a good place to put it? Because listen, she lost

it once. And when she lost it, we had insurance.

And she got a better one.

So now I'm starting to wonder. Are you trying? Ask

somebody next to you, is that a good place to

put it?

Because you keep putting your confidence in people and you

keep putting your confidence in your performance.

And you keep putting your.

Confidence in your ability to be disciplined. And I'm going

to exercise. And I'm going to stay on my diet

this time. And I'm going to pray for 15 minutes

every day. You know, I hear people say sometimes, I

gave up on God because some people in the church

let me down. But let me ask you a question.

Your relationship with God is so precious. Why would you

put your confidence in God in how people treat you?

People will always let you down. People will always fall short.

Even if they have good intentions, they have limited ability.

Do you really want to put it in people?

Haven't you spent enough time trusting in people to meet

your needs? I feel like preaching.

Ask them again. Is that a good place to put it?

Do you really want to put.

Confidence in your flesh, your effort, your ability to keep

the law? Now, Paul said, if you want to play

the game of who has more reasons to be confident

on the basis of lifestyle or legality, he says, if

you want to play the game, whose circumcision is better,

let's play.

Watch this. He starts reading off his resume. And what

a weird game this is. Watch this. You know, people

try to top everything.

Paul's like, my circumcision is better than your circumcision.

Because watch verse five.

I was circumcised on the eighth day when you're supposed

to be.

A lot of the Judaizers, the dog. They were circumcised

after the fact.

Paul said, I was circumcised when I was supposed to

be circumcised because I was born the way you're supposed

to be born into the race that God said that

he would use to bless all the nations of the

earth through. So I was circumcised before all y'all on

the eighth day. I don't remember it. I'm glad I

got that out of the way early in life. I

was of the people of Israel. So I have connections.

I was not only of the people of Israel. I

was of the tribe of Benjamin. That was the tribe

that the kings came out of, the tribe of Benjamin.

So he's like, I'm already one of God's favorite people

because I'm an Israelite. And then I'm the favorite tribe

within the favorite people. Come on.

You want to talk about flesh? My flesh is impressive.

Mm hmm. And I was not only of the tribe

of Benjamin. It was not only a matter of birth.

I wasn't only born into fortunate circumstances. But I was

a Hebrew of Hebrews.

Wow. I was a Hebrew of Hebrews. I was competent.

Watch this. I was connected. I was competent.

In regard to the law, a Pharisee, that's the strictest

order of religious law for the Jewish people.

So he says... I was on a scholarship. I was

a prized pupil of Gamaliel.

He doesn't mention that in Philippians 3.

He mentions it elsewhere that he sat.

Underneath the tutelage of one of the greatest teachers of

his day. This is like you interned under Elon Musk.

Paul said, let's talk.

You want to talk to me, you dogs that think

you're so much better than other people?

He said, I had all of that. I was so

good at it.

That I was promoted to the highest level. I was

so zealous. Verse 6 please. I was persecuting the church.

Asked for righteousness based on the law.

Faultless. So stop. Make sure we got this. He's connected.

He's competent.

And his character he says according to human law. And

what you can measure. And what you can see. And

what you can judge.

Faultless. Connected.

Competent, and his character is faultless. And he built his

confidence to a certain level. But then something happened to Paul.

Paul saw a contrast. And sometimes what we need when

we get a Quiet people, loud people, flashy people, low-key people.

It can happen to every one of us that we

start to trust.

In our flesh.

And about the time you think you get it figured out,

you know how we do.

We get our categories exactly right.

Okay, here's the kind of people that are going to heaven,

and here's the kind of people.

That are going to hell.

And the way I know is there are certain things

that people who are going to heaven do and don't do.

And certain people who are going to hell, here's what

they do and they don't do. The only problem that

I'm finding with this is a lot of our confidence

that we put in our judgments and our assessment is

based on our external observations of people. And we can

never really know anyone's heart. And here's what I'm trying

to say. Let's stop being so quick to categorize people

based on what we see with our eyes or where

they are in certain behaviors in their lives. Judge nothing

before the appointed time you don't even know what battles

they're fighting and you don't know how far they've come

And you don't know what is taking them just to

keep running the race and they might be limping But

they might make it to the finish line because.

They live I Don't know anymore I Put no confidence

in the flesh. I I don't have categories.

They're not as clear anymore for who's a godly person

and who's not and who God has favored and who

God hasn't. Because some of the people that I thought

were walking in the favor of God were faking it.

But I didn't know it until they fell apart. Paul's

writing to Damascus one day. A Hebrew of Hebrews. A

Pharisee of Pharisees. In regards to the law of righteousness. Connected.

And competent, connected and competent. And all of a sudden

he was blinded by a light on.

His way to imprison Christians in Damascus and bring them

back to Jerusalem to be sentenced. And something happened to

him that will happen to all of us in one

way or another.

If it hasn't happened to.

You yet, send me a text message when it does.

god in his mercy and god in his wisdom knew

that if i allow paul to remain confident in his

flesh he will not fulfill my purpose for his life

he will live the rest of his life putting his

confidence in himself and his competence and his character And

so all of a sudden, you can read it in

Acts chapter 9, a blinding light throws Paul from his horse.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

He is thrown to the ground on the way to

exercise his gift.

With authoritative letters from the Jewish ruling council, he falls

off of his horse. And a voice from heaven asks him, Saul, Saul,

who do you think you are?

And Saul said back, I don't know, who are you?

And the voice said, I am Jesus.

And Paul spent three days blind and someone had to

lead him by the hand. You know, that's when life

gets really interesting. When you're used to leading others. When

you're used to knowing what to do. When you're used

to making it happen. When you're used to smiling and

getting through it. But then every once in a while,

something will come along in your life and you'll say,

I didn't take a class on this.

I didn't read a book about this.

Nobody told me it would feel like this. I wasn't

prepared for this. I didn't know it would be like this.

And Paul said, I lost my confidence. I lost my confidence.

And I had to start all over. And I had

to give up all my connections because everybody hated me

that I used to serve with. I had to start

all over, because I didn't know how to preach Jesus,

because I had just met him.

I had to humble myself, and I had to.

Reevaluate my character, because I had been comparing myself to others.

Do you know how we do?

If you compare yourself to others long enough, you will

come to the place eventually … If you're not there yet,

you'll get there. Just keep doing it. Keep comparing yourself

to others. Just keep right on doing it. Do it

to make yourself feel better.

Do it.

When you see somebody whose kids are on drugs, you

just silently tell yourself, my kids would never do that.

Go ahead. Go ahead and do that. Just go ahead

and do it. Just go ahead and do it.

When you see somebody who's not married, I'll tell you,

go ahead and compare yourself to them because you're better

than them.

That's why you're married and they're not. Just go ahead

and compare yourself. Go ahead and do it. Go ahead

and do it the other way too. Go ahead and

compare yourself to people that are better than you.

All the time, just all the time, look at everybody

sucking in on the gram and then compare yourself bloated

after a whole day of running your kids around and

then compare yourself who didn't have time to eat healthy

because you actually care about other people and that's why

you had to go through McDonald's.

But compare yourself to them.

You won't even know that they're selfish and that's why

their body looks like that because they never have time

for anybody else.

Here's what I want you to do.

I want you to completely compare out of context for

as long as you can. And don't ask the question,

you know, like they're real successful on their job, but

I wonder.

Are they happy? Don't ask that question.

Because if you could compare across all the categories, you

might see that their success is costing them their fulfillment.

But don't do that.

Just compare, just completely take it all out of context

and compare what people show you to what you can see.

And don't take time to wonder what's really going on.

And don't take time to stop and think about how

they're so gifted and they're so wonderful.

Just compare yourself to them until you.

Feel so terrible that the only place left for you

to go The only thing left for you to conclude,

the only thing left for you to do is to

fall down off your horse and.

Say, God, I'm sick of myself.

I'm sick of false standards.

I'm sick of worldly measurements. I'm tired of my flesh.

I'm tired of keeping up. I'm tired of falling short.

I'm tired of looking around. And in that moment, you

will come to the point that Paul came to in

verse seven. where he said, I compared myself to everyone

else so long, and it finally brought me to a point,

not because I hit the bottom, but because I was

on top. And then something happened in my life. I

compared myself to Jesus. And when I compared myself to him,

I didn't have anything left to brag about. When I

compared myself to him, I wasn't such a good person

after all. When I compared myself to him, I lost

my confidence in me. I lost my confidence in how

nice I am and how sweet I am and how

polite I am and how educated I am.

When I compared myself to the fullness of wisdom that

was revealed in Jesus Christ, I didn't bring up.

My IQ anymore and I didn't show him my SAT scores.

When I compared myself to him, my posture changed. When

I compared myself to him, I quit trying to be

first place in a race that I realized I couldn't win.

When I compared myself to him, I fell off my

horse and I was led by the hand. And Paul

says in verse seven, now, whatever were gains to me,

I consider loss. I lost my confidence, but watch this.

I gained Christ. Hey, thank you for watching.

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