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Hey there beautiful people!!!!! The sunshine is out! It is an incredible day (as always) to serve the Lord!
I hear a lot of people say, "Be confident in who you are!" And believe me, I've said that a time or two myself. However, I would like you, and I to realize the danger of that short empowering sentence.
Do you notice how it says confidence in you? As far as I know, the Bible never talks about having confidence in ourselves. So how can we have confidence?
Jeremiah 17:7-10 says,
"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat commeth, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."
Okay.... wow! So so much to unpack! Let's break it down.
(Tip: Read Psalm 1 to learn what a blessed man is)
#1. This man is considered blessed BECAUSE his confidence and hope is in the LORD. Pay close attention to how it does not say, confidence in himself. His confidence is in God.
#2. The analogy of the tree is outstanding! I just love it! This tree is flourishing. She is bringing forth fruit, even in the hard times because her roots are spread deep into the depths of rushing water.
Psalm 1:1-3 states the same principle,
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
Clearly, this is such an important concept if it was mentioned two or more times in the Bible. In order for our lives to flourish and our fruit to grow, we must be grounded in the river. The constant river of life, which is Jesus Christ our King.
In Him, we do not have to be misled by the opinions of others. We don't have to worry about how many pounds we weigh, if we have clear skin, if we have a lot of friends, or if we have followers on social media, etc. Our source of LIFE is in Christ! It is NOT in the opinions, trends, standards, or expectations of perfection, our world portrays. If I solely based my confidence in myself, I will be sad one day, and happy the next. Because, humans are not constant. Just as the verse says, our hearts are deceitful above all things. So, we cannot base our confidence in ourselves or the hearts of others who have the same sin issue as we do.
#3. Just as I exclaimed above, our hearts are deceitful. One day we think we're confident and rocking life, and the next, we're a puddle of tears on the floor because we failed. If our hearts don't even know things for themselves, then why are we choosing to trust them? Instead, we should choose to trust in the God who does not have a heart that's turbulent. Our God who does not grow weary at 12am. Our God who created us intricately in our mother's womb. Our God who knows our purpose. Our God who has only good plans for us. He is worthy of our trust.
#4. God knows our hearts. He knows our every thought and action. He knows the tests you've failed. He knows the tears you've cried. So why do we not lift our hands in surrender to the God who cares so greatly for us? We must realize that He, He is solely the author of true confidence.
This life is not about you. This life is not about me. It is about the God, who created us to be. That is why the Bible is focused on our King.
This week, my challenge for you is to let this truth sink deep into your heart. You should be able to look someone in the eye and say, "God is my confidence." It is not in the sunshiny days, or the compliments, it is in the Lord.
Please reach out to us at our email (thejoysblog@gmail.com), Instagram (thejoysblog), or the comment section below. We would love to know how we can best pray for you! Let us know if you learned anything from this post and how God is working in your life.
Remember whose you are! <B