Know-Love-Obey God

There was something about the word “confidence” that I didn’t like. It sounded too, well, confident—too much like “arrogant” or “self-sufficient” or “independent.” Shouldn’t I, as a Christian, be humble, recognizing I am completely dependent on Christ who is my sufficiency?

I was in college when our friend Walter helped me understand this. My husband and I were talking with Walter outside by the bookstore and Winnett Lounge when Walter turned my view of confidence inside-out.

Walter had studied Latin and explained that the English word, confidence, comes from the Latin, con fide. This is not pronounced with two syllables and a long-I sound but with three syllables—”con – FEE – deh”—and in Latin it means: with faith.

Confidence does not mean self-confidence. Confidence means God-confidence. It is operating not in my own strength but with full faith in God’s strength.

Bonnie asked, “How is God calling you to be more confident or bold?” God called me to confidence by showing me what the word really means!

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.

- Zechariah 4:6

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God…

2 Corinthians 3:5