I have spent a lot of my life as an insecure person. I have been, and still am, insecure of my abilities, physical appearance, decisions, etc. Confidence is a trait I have lacked. The funny thing is, many things in my life require me to consistently be on a stage and in front of large groups of people. I’m currently on staff at the Grape Road Location which means that I’m on stage almost every weekend leading worship, giving a welcome, or sharing announcements.

I have spent countless hours worrying and feeling anxious about what people think of me and have struggled to think of myself in a positive light. Most people would never know or assume that I struggle with insecurities and confidence because how often I am in front of people.

The enemy loves to use our insecurities to tear us down and hold us back from our potential. When I realized that, it changed the way I viewed myself and the way I live my life. I’ve come to realize that God’s opinion is what truly matters, and He has a dream for my life. I can’t let my earthly insecurities hinder God’s vision for me to contribute to the Kingdom.

I am still learning and growing and always will be. I hope what I am learning will provide some insight into how we can find a godly  inner confidence. A godly inner confidence begins when we realize that God made us:

#1. God sees our value because He made us one of a kind.

Psalm 139:13-14 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”

Jeremiah 31:3, “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

I find hope in the fact that the God of the universe believes that I am valuable and that I can offer something to the world that no one else can. What an exciting truth! As cheesy as it may sound, God only made one YOU! You’re the only person in the history of the world with your skill set and genetic makeup. He knows the number of hairs on your head and has a purpose for every single trait and gift He  gave you. Thank goodness God didn’t create people in bulk with the exact same skill set and abilities.

Our God is creative and showed off with each of His masterpieces. God has equipped and enabled us for His specific purpose. He wants us to be confident in our abilities and talents so that they can be used to further His Kingdom.

#2. We are representing Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making His  appeal through us…”

The truth is we are representing Christ in who we are, how we present ourselves, and even how we view ourselves. He loved us enough to make us in His own perfect image. Each personality trait, talent, skill and imperfection was purposeful and is important to who we are.  Imagine how He must feel when we aren’t content with ourselves or even dislike who we are. God doesn’t make mistakes!

#3. Confidence is different than arrogance. We can be confident with humility.

A lie that I believed for a long time was that if I was confident in myself, I wasn’t being humble. I saw “confident” people that didn’t represent themselves well. I saw confidence as being self-absorbed and I didn’t want to be like that. I was so afraid of being prideful because the Bible teaches against being proud.

James 4:6, “…God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Proverbs 8:13, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance…”

When I would read scriptures like this, I wasn’t sure how I could be fully confident without being proud, so I was insecure instead. These verses are true and important, but the enemy skewed the meaning in my mind. I’ve learned that pride and arrogance come when you rely on yourself and your own power instead of aligning with God and trusting in His power. It comes when we selfishly take credit for something God has done. It’s easy to attribute our success to ourselves when we don’t recognize the God who actually put it all into motion!

Aligning with God’s heart and vision for our lives puts us in a position to be confident with humility. Jesus is always the perfect example and he modeled confidence with humility. Our ministry and life will be hindered if we believe the lie that confidence is the same as arrogance.

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

If I sit back and reflect on how I used to view myself, I was constantly comparing myself to others. I was discontent because I never measured up. The truth is, many of us do this and we will never measure up if we compare ourselves to others, because that’s not who we were made to be. The only measure we should be concerned with is whether we are in the center of God’s will and pursuing Jesus with all we have. When my godly  inner confidence was boosted, it affects my ministry and my impact. It enables me to step into my calling. I’m not always completely confident in myself, but I am confident that God is confident in me. I have faith that he is always with me and guiding me.

When we put ourselves aside and trust in the Lord, He will not fail us. He will show up in a big way, give us the confidence we need, and use us when we are willing. Step into God’s best for your life by having a godly  confidence rooted in truth and Scripture.. Say “yes” through your insecurities, stay humble, and embrace the traits and abilities you have been blessed with by God.

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Taylor is the Assistant Director of Weekend Celebrations, Worship and Newcomers and the Grape Road Campus.  Taylor and her husband, Seth live happily in Osceola, IN.

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