Joyce Meyer - Confidence

Thank you for joining me today on, "Enjoying Everyday Life". And it's my prayer that you will not only enjoy the program, but you'll learn something that's gonna make your life better. Today, I wanna talk to you about what true confidence is. We all want confidence, we all need confidence. Some people are confident, but there are others who are not, and they wanna be. So, what is confidence? Well, confidence is a quality of assurance, that leads a person to undertake, to do a thing. We normally, won't step out and try something new if we're not confident that we can do it. It's a belief that we're able to do something, and that we are acceptable.

Satan absolutely loves it when we have no confidence, and we feel bad about ourselves all the time, and we're afraid of failing. I frequently tell people, "You're never gonna find out if you're right, unless you're willing to step out, and take a chance on, being wrong". And by the way, let me tell you, being wrong is not the worst thing, in the world, that can happen to you. A lot of you, don't know what you wanna do, with your life. And really, the best thing you can do, is just step out, and find out. It doesn't take you very long to find out kinda, where you fit, if you're willing to find out where you don't fit.

Confidence causes us to be bold, open, and plain or straightforward, in a godly way. Confidence is faith. Faith in God, faith in others, faith in yourself. Faith in a product, a chair. I'm not even gonna sit in a chair if I'm not confident that it's gonna hold me up. Confidence, enables us to live without fear, and to feel safe. And we all want that. We wanna live without fear, and we wanna feel that we're safe. And it's part of your inheritance, to be confident, to be secure.

Isaiah 54:17 says, "But no weapon that's formed against you shall prosper, but every tongue that rises against you in judgement you shall show to be in the wrong. This peace, righteousness, security", which is confidence, "And triumph over opposition is the heritage", or the inheritance, "Of the servants of the Lord". That's so good. It's part of your right. It's part of your inheritance. It's part of what God wants you to have, to be confident, to not live in fear. He wants you to be bold, and to believe that you can do things, and not be afraid to step out and try new things. We need to know who we are in Christ Jesus. Who I am, in Christ, is a lot different than who I am, without him.

Isaiah 32:17 says, "The effect of righteousness:" knowing that I've been made right with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. It's so wonderful to not feel "Wrong" all the time. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me"? Or to feel that God's not pleased with you. God loved you and accepted you before you ever got here on planet earth, and did anything right or wrong, because he has accepted all those that are in Christ. If you believe in Jesus, and you've truly accepted him, as your Lord and Savior, then you're right with God. Not because you do everything right, but because you believe right. And the more you believe right, the more you will do right.

And by the way, let me just make this statement: "You don't have to feel confident, to be confident". You start by believing, that you can do things. I wrote a book called, "Power Thoughts", and in it, we give people a thought, that will add power to their life. And we suggest that they meditate on that for 30 days. And I don't mean like, all day long, for 30 days. But that you think about it over and over. And one of the first things is: "I can do, whatever I need to do, in life, through Christ, who is my strength". Well, you know, some mornings that I wake up and maybe, I don't feel so great. And if it's a morning, when I need to go do something, like this, let me tell ya, I'm trusting God. I'm putting my confidence in God that he will grant me the strength to do, whatever I need to do, that day, through him.

Meditate on, and think on, the things that agree with God's word, that you want to see happen in your life. We need to know who we are, in Christ, because knowing that will give us confidence. Who we are, in Christ, is quite different, than who we are, without him. For example, the Bible says that, "If we are in Christ, we are made right with God". "He that knew no sin, became sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God, in him". I'm so eternally grateful that I don't have to constantly be thinking about what's wrong with me anymore. I received the righteousness of God, through my relationship with Christ, not because I do everything right, but because it's a gift that God gives me. And when you've received that and believe it: the more you believe that you're right, the more right behavior, you will produce in your life.

Isaiah 32:17 says, "And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever". I love that! Without confidence, we're like, say, this big, jumbo, jet airplane, sittin' on the runway, ready to take off, but we don't have any fuel. Confidence is like our fuel, and you can have all kinds of ideas about things, but you need to have the confidence, to actually, step out into those things, and find out if they're what God has for you. Don't be afraid to step out, and find out. Confidence is really the same thing as being fearless. We do not have to live with fear. Well, God's word teaches us to put no confidence in the flesh. God doesn't want us trusting in ourselves, he wants us trusting in him.

Philippians 3:3: "For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and we exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and we put no confidence or dependence, [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances".

So, let me just give you a few ideas. You don't want your confidence to be in the way you look, because the way you look will change. No matter how young you are, you will grow old. You will eventually, get some wrinkles. You can't always multitask, like you can right now. I've noticed, as I've gotten older, that I need to do one thing at a time, where I used to be able to do four, or five things at once. Gotta be careful about braggin' about all those things that you can do, and maybe, having a judgmental attitude toward other people, because things do change as you age. That doesn't mean you have to get old and give up on life, but things will change, a little bit. So, you don't want your confidence to be in all those things.

Eventually, people always find somebody else to applaud for. No matter what kind of record you broke, somebody else will come along, and set a new record. Ya know, I've thought, for a number of years, on and off, I don't want my confidence to be in who I am, in this ministry. When I'm not Joyce meyer, the tv lady, anymore, I'm still gonna be Joyce meyer, a child of God, that he loves. And I think about that sometimes, I set my mind, because I don't wanna feel like I'm nothing anymore, or nobody anymore, if I can't do this. And a lot of people, when they can no longer do, what they do, they kind of lose their identity, and they feel like that they don't have any value anymore. But you will always have value to God, just because you're his child, and he loves you.

So, we don't want to put our confidence in the way we look, our gifts and talents, how much applause we get in life, what we own, who our friends are, what brand of clothes were able to buy, what neighborhood we live in, what kind of car we drive. What are some of the symptoms when confidence is lacking? Well, if a person is not confident, they're generally double-minded, and they have a very difficult time making decisions, because no matter what decision they make, they're afraid it's not the right one. And before very long, they'll be changing their mind, and then, a little bit later, they'll change their mind back, and then, they change their mind again. And, there's nothing wrong with getting advice from people. But if you have to ask 20 people, every time you're gonna do something, if they think, you're doin' the right thing, then I don't think you're getting your confidence from the right source. You're hesitating and not sure of things.

When we lack confidence, it's difficult for other people to put their confidence in us. I love to be around confident people, and I love to work with people, that are confident. I had an assistant one time that, just was, so lacking in confidence, and, it made me feel like I couldn't put my confidence in her. So many times, I wouldn't ask her to do things because, if I would ask her to do something new, she would always hesitate, and I could tell that she was afraid. We need to believe, that God will help us do anything that we need to do, in life. But, at the same time, we don't wanna have a high-minded, haughty, prideful, attitude. We need to keep the balance, and if we're not able to, God will be happy to help us, which we'll talk about that in a minute.

You say, "Well, Joyce, I'm just not confident, I don't know what to do"? Well, the first thing to do, is stop saying you're not confident. On a regular basis, in your time with God, I like to declare the Word of God, over my life. And so, I say, "I am confident, and I can do whatever I need to do through Christ, who is my strength". If you say that, in the privacy of your own life, you'll find, before long, you'll be feeling what you're believing. You know, you believe more of what you say, than you do what anybody else says. So, let the right thing come out of your mouth, let your mouth agree with God's word, and pretty soon, your feelings will catch up with your decisions. When asked to do something, present yourself in a confident manner.

Remember I said earlier, "You don't have to feel confident, to be confident". You know, when I'm doing conferences, and I go, up to the platform to speak, and I'm looking at thousands of people, sometimes, I feel more confident than other times. But I can still be confident, either way, because I've seen God come through for me, time and time, and time and time, again. You know, feelings are funny, they're kinda fickle. They're not always there when you need 'em. You can feel one way, when you go to bed at night, and a totally different way, when you get up the next morning. And I admit, I don't understand it. But all I know is, thank God, I don't have to live according to how I feel, I can manage my emotions, and I can live on the other side of them. So, whether, I feel confident or not, I am confident, because I believe that God will always come through for me.

And if you do lack confidence, don't just keep putting up with it. Pray, and get God's help, and get to the root of your problem. Where did the lack of confidence get started, in your life? Was it perhaps, in your childhood? Did something happen to you that caused you to lose your confidence? I was abused sexually by my father, and I lost my confidence. Matter of fact, I don't even know if I ever had any until I really started receiving my worth and value, from God. I didn't feel worth anything. I felt all wrong. And what my father was doing to me, wasn't my fault, but I felt that it was. Or maybe, your parents, didn't give you the love that they should have, or maybe, they talked down to you, or maybe, they compared you with a sibling. Or maybe, you had a sibling that was everything you were not. You were a little overweight, they were thin. You had to really study and struggle to get good grades. They could get straight a's without even studying. They were popular, you didn't seem to be so popular.

You know, it's devastating when we start out comparing ourselves to somebody else. I know so many people like that, they have a sibling, who seems to do everything right. Or maybe your parents compared you, to a sibling, "Well, you need to be more like your brother"? "Why, can't you do, like your sister does"? Parents don't realize sometimes, how devastating that is. We're all unique individuals, and God has a unique purpose, and plan for each one of us. And one of the things I want you to remember, from today's teaching, if you don't remember anything else, is: you do not have to be like anybody else, you learn to be yourself. And just be the very best version of you, that you can be.

You know, what about, maybe, as a child you had a learning difficulty? One of my children had a problem comprehending what she read. And I remember that it made her feel really bad about herself. You know, I think about, before we even knew what dyslexia was, how hard that must've been, on children who had it, and couldn't understand why they couldn't read. And I'm sure, many times, they were made to feel stupid. You may not be able to do everything the way somebody else can, but you have gifts, and skills, and talents, that other people don't have. And God has a purpose, and a plan for you, so, don't ever let the enemy tell you anything else.

And always remember, that it's not somebody else's job to keep you feeling good about yourself, all the time. I mean, if you're in relationship with somebody who really lacks confidence, it can absolutely wear you out. Because, first of all, you can't ever correct 'em about anything, you have to love everything they do. And you just get worn out after a while, because you feel like, that if you don't, compliment them, and tiptoe around 'em all the time, they're gonna get upset. You know, like God, spoke to my heart, years ago, and told me stop giving my husband, the responsibility for my joy. What I'm telling you today, is stop giving other people the responsibility for your confidence. You need to get that from God, and stop trying to get it from the way people make you feel, or don't make you feel. Uh-oh, I think I better say that again. You need to get your confidence from God, not from the way other people, do make you feel, or don't make you feel.

Stop giving them the responsibility for your confidence. Find out who you are, in Christ, and you will grow in confidence. I'm gonna suggest that we be, what I call, "An everything nothing". In John 15:5, the Bible says, "I am the vine: you're the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit: but apart from me you can do nothing". So, without Christ, I am nothing. But then, if I put that together with Philippians 4:13: "I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I'm ready for anything and equal to anything through him who infuses inner strength into me]". That's the Amplified. I love that! That's the attitude, we should have. "I'm ready for anything, through him. Not in my own strength, but through him who infuses, inner strength, into me".

Every day, ask God to give you the strength that you need, to do whatever it is, that you're gonna do. Even if it's something you've done a thousand times, don't think that you can do it again right, just because you've had a lot of practice, lean on God. He loves it when you put your trust, in him. So, be, "An everything nothing". Nothing, in yourself, but everything, in Christ. In this Philippians 4:13, the Amplified Bible, it ends by saying, "[i am self-sufficient in Christ's, sufficiency]". I love that! Or we could say, "I am self confident, in my confidence, in Christ". You can buy books, all over the place, about self confidence. And I could teach you about self confidence, but the only way I'm gonna teach it, is you can only have self confidence, if your confidence is coming from your confidence, in Christ. Apart from him I can do nothing.

Now, the Bible tells us, not to be haughty, and high-minded, and think more highly of ourselves, than we ought to. High-minded, haughty people don't get help from God. The humble, get the help. "Humble yourself, under the mighty hand of God, and in due time, he may exalt you". That's why we don't ever want to have this, "Oh, piece of cake," mentality. No, nothing, is a piece of cake, unless God gives me his grace, his strength, and his power, and his ability to do it. We wanna always thank God, anytime we've had a success, because that success is not because of us, it's because of God.

I heard, one time, that it's yet, to be seen, what God could do through a man, or a woman, who would give him all the glory. You know, when you do something well, and people compliment you, receive the compliments, but then, take 'em home, and give 'em back to God. "I got a lot of compliments, today, Lord, and I appreciate 'em, but I know, it's only because of you". You understand how important that is? If you don't do that, pretty soon, you're gonna get full of yourself, and you're gonna believe what everybody says about you, "Oh, you're awesome, you're amazing, you're great, blah, blah".

Well, you know, if somebody goes too far with that, you need to stop 'em, and say, "Well, I can only do, what I can do, because of Christ". You don't have to say that in every other sentence, it's nice to just say, "Thank you, I appreciate the compliment". But always remember, to give it back to God. In Luke, 18:9-11, we see a good example. It says, "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 'two men went up to the temple to pray, one a pharisee and the other a tax collector'". Well, tax collectors were the most hated, of all people. They were considered to be crooks. And pharisees were the most religious.

So here, you have, what the pharisee woulda called, "The highest," and, "The lowest". "The pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you, that I'm not like other people, I'm not a robber, or an evildoer, or an adulterer, nor am I like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth, of all that I get'". He was so proud of himself. "But the tax collector stood at a distance. And he wouldn't even look up to heaven, but he beat his breast and said, 'God have mercy on me, for I am a sinner'. I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted". God knows how to keep us from being, self-confident. He trapped Moses and the Israelites, between the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army. They had nothing to do, except trust in God.

And I'll share this one last scripture with you. 1 Corinthians 1:8-10, "We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about the troubles that we experienced in the province of asia". This is Paul talkin'. "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, and so we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened so that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we set our hopes". That's so good. Ya know, I want God, to do whatever he needs to do, in my life to keep me in a position of humility, where I always know, that anything good that I do, is only because of his presence, in my life. I don't know what we would become, if it weren't for God. Jesus said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing". And I believe that. But through him I can do all things.

Today, we're offering you, "The Confident Woman Devotional". People love devotionals. Short little devotions, that you can read, any time. And today, we're offering this to you, for your gift to the ministry, of any amount. And we're gonna use whatever you send in, just to help pay for the television airtime, for the program that you're watching, and the ones that go on around the world. Be as generous as you can be. And remember, be confident, in God, and you will do, amazing things. Thank you, and God bless you.