Developing Godly Self-Confidence預覽

When You Say “I Am.”

The first thing we say when we introduce ourselves is “I am.” We say our names, our occupations, our age, or whatever else helps us communicate who we are to the people around us. We give them information to name us, and to place us. As time goes on and circumstances get tough, those “I am” statements can become more raw and honest. We might say things like, “I am a failure”, or “I am not worthy of love”, or “I am forgotten.” We may not say these things out loud and we certainly don’t introduce ourselves that way, but we often use these “I am” statements to identify who we are and indicate where our place is. The problem is, we tend to misidentify and make statements about who we are that aren’t actually true. Who we are is not determined by what we do, or by what happens to us; who we are is determined by who we belong to.

Scripture tells us that we belong to God. We are made in His image. He stitched us together in our mothers’ wombs. He sent Jesus to atone for our sins and make us righteous through Him. And He has put His Spirit within us as a deposit or guarantee. We are marked as His. When we remember who God is, it’s easier to remember who we are too.

In Exodus 3, when God sends Moses to deliver His people from the hand of the Egyptians, Moses asks God what he should say if the Israelites want to know who sent him. Basically, he asks God what His name is. God says, in verse 14, “I am who I am.” In other words, God is “I am.” Therefore, when we make “I am” statements to describe who we are, what we say is actually a reflection of who God is.

We can make statements like: "I am beautiful", "I am strong", or "I am patient" even when they don't feel true at that moment. That is not because of who we are, but because of who God is, and because of who He says we are. When we say things like: "I am never going to make it", "I am ugly", of "I am unforgivable", we know they are not true because they are not true of God. Whenever we speak the characteristics of God who lives within us, we step into our true identity and can walk in a godly self-confidence.

How have you been speaking about yourself recently? Are your statements true? Practice picking characteristics of God and claiming them as your own. When you do so, you’re not being overly self-confident; you’re being God confident.