God-Confidence & the Cloak of Many Colors - Denise Pass

by | Feb 10, 2015 | Believers, Chosen, Christian, Christian Encouragement, Education, Ethics, God, Israelites, Jesus, Jewish, Joyful living, Mental Health, Ministry, Moral, Perspective, Philosophy, Plans, Positive Thinking, Principles, Purity, Recovery, Resolutions, Teaching, Victorious Christian Living |

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  

Psalm 27:3

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

My stomach betrayed the personna of confidence I wanted to convey.  Why did I doubt myself so much?  Then suddenly the LORD gave me a visual: a cloak of confidence.  I did not recognize that I was wearing so many cloaks that needed to be cast off, one by one.  The cloak of insecurity, the cloak of fear, the cloak of unworthiness, the cloak of guilt, the cloak of self-doubt and my biggest one: the cloak of rejection.

We all are wounded in this life and do not realize that while we have forgiven and moved on from places of pain, we still carry the wounds . . . subtly . . . without recognizing it.  While I do not believe truly in self-confidence as much as I do in God-confidence, there is a role for self in the confidence cloak we need to put on.  We must choose to wear the cloak of truth in who we are in Christ and His promises.  Sure, we are aware of our weaknesses, but that does not need to hold us back.

This cloak of confidence reminds me of an atonement cover – blotting out those aspects of my personality that are still like a frightened little girl, and covering them with Christ’s acceptance, Christ’s strength, and Christ’s enablement.  It means no longer contemplating all of the reasons we are not qualified and putting on all of the reasons Christ says we are qualified.  It means looking at ourselves with truth and grace.

Fear of failure can make us run and hide underneath counterfeit cloaks, but they never give the peace of Christ like abiding in Him and trusting in His word does.  Healthy confidence is confidence placed in God and a willingness to step out in faith in the calling He has on our lives.  It does not depend on or is not obtained by man’s opinion or even perceived success.  It is found in obedience and quiet trust, silencing the deafening accusations swirling around in our own mind or in the minds of others.  May we wear this cloak with gratitude and offer Christ praise for what He will do in us.