Confident in God

Confident in God

Confidence in God comes when we understand that in Christ we are already accepted.

We will not be truly confident though till we understand that it's not what we do, how we behave, or how we live or what others think of us that causes us to be accepted. We already are.

To be confident we need to understand the truth of Significance. We are significant already.

Significance comes from knowing the truth about who we really are

- Our righteousness is from God
- We are accepted by him
- Our significance is in who we are in God and not what others say or think

Significance comes from addressing the lies we've been told.

Learning to live in the truth is important if we are to live confidently

We self sabotage when we believe the lies. Freedom comes from truth.

John 8:31-32
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

In his work Search for Significance Robert McGee* addresses this issue and the lies we tend to believe at least in part.

For instance:
Have you ever felt this way?

"When I fail at something, I feel lousy about myself…When others don’t approve of me, I can’t seem to get over it…Sometimes it feels like I’ll never measure up."

I think many of us can relate to these words, but our value is not based on others approval of us.

There is a formula we often believe. It says:
Self-worth = Performance + Other’s Opinions

Bit this is not true. Believing this lie stops us from living in freedom and at some stage, maybe some of us even now, believe this, at least partially.

In his book 'The Search for Significance' McGee highlights four lies that can keep us bound but he also shows us the truth and the truth, if we embrace it, will set us free.

According to McGee these are the lies  (summarised here by Paul Sohn)**. He explains them and follows up with God's truth about them.

1. The Performance Trap – “I must meet certain standards to feel good about myself.”

Those who struggle with “The Performance Trap” have a fear of failure, perfectionism, manipulating others to achieve success; they can also cowardly withdraw from healthy risks. God’s answer to “The Performance Trap” is His justification. This means God has not only forgiven me of my sins but also has granted me the righteousness of Christ, therefore I am pleasing to the Father. At my very essence, as a son of God, I am good enough. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. The Approval Addict – “I must be approved by certain others to feel good about myself.”

The person who is “The Approval Addict” fears rejection and is oversensitive to criticism; they will withdraw from others to avoid disapproval. God’s answer to this false belief is reconciliation. This means that although I was one time hostile toward God and alienated from Him, I am now forgiven and have been brought into an intimate relationship with Him. Consequently, I am totally accepted by God (Col 1:21-22)

3. The Blame Game –  “Those who fail (including myself) are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished.”

Those who suffer from the “Blame Game” fear punishment. They also try to punish others, and their drive is to avoid failure. God’s answer to this problem is propitiation which means that that by His death on the cross Christ satisfied God’s wrath; therefore, I am deeply loved by God (John 4:9-11)

4. Shame – “I am what I am. I cannot change. I am hopeless.”

Those who suffer from “Shame” is marked by feelings of hopelessness. Shame is also marked by inferiority, passivity, and loss of creativity, isolation, and withdrawal from others. . God’s answer for shame is regeneration, which means that when we place our faith in Christ we become a new creation.

John 3:3-6 says, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Questions:

What false beliefs have you lived with that prevent you from living a life of significance?

What truth does the Word of God give us about who we are?

How will I apply the truth of God's word to my life to live in the significance his Word says I already have?

*The Search for Significance - Robert McGee
**http://paulsohn.org/the-search-for-significance-seeing-your-true-worth-through-gods-eyes/