I’ve always viewed life as a long string of adventures. Some have been big ones, like moving away from home when I was 18, starting a new job at a bank, getting married, having children and more recently, landing a regular place in a comedy show. Others have been smaller, but no less exciting, like going to the park on a sunny day or simply indulging my love of ice cream.
But sometimes things are out of our control, and we can't help but be a little sad when things don't go the way we thought they would. The fact is, God knows what is best for us and when we put our full trust in Him, we can give up the fear that inevitably comes with life’s uncertainties. It’s when I’m able to do this, that I experience true freedom. So let's get started!
The Need for Confidence
Learning how to build confidence in God is important because it helps you grow stronger spiritually and become closer to God. Without building your faith, you'll end up clinging onto worldly things, like money or material possessions. As a result, you won’t know where to turn when you need someone most.
You might be wondering if I, as a woman, could write this post about building confidence in God. But, while I am a Christian, I am also a female. And, while we all have unique experiences, many of our struggles are similar: How do we navigate through life when everything around us feels uncertain? How do we build confidence in God and find peace even when it seems impossible? To that I say: If anyone needs help in these areas more than anyone else, it's women! That's why I want to share three principles that can help you keep living boldly for Christ—especially when life doesn't make sense and you feel alone.
Four Steps For Building Confidence
There are four things you can do to build your confidence in God:
- Stop relying on yourself - You’re not the source of your happiness. God is. Stop relying on yourself to make things happen. Instead, believe that He will do them for you (John 15:5).
- Recognize His omnipotence - Trust in Him because He is omnipotent; he controls all things. Focusing on what He has done can help you see how capable He is of doing more than ever before!
- Maintain an attitude of humility - Being humble isn’t about putting down others but instead seeing ourselves as imperfect creatures who need grace every day, just like everyone else (John 1:17). It also means recognizing that one day soon (if not already now), we will meet Him face-to-face...and then there won't be anything left to humble ourselves over!
- Acknowledge His grace - This is huge! He has given us so much through Jesus that we can’t comprehend without Him opening our eyes to it. Remembering His grace will help us keep perspective when our circumstances seem difficult or even hopeless because He loves us enough that He came down to Earth and died for us, knowing it would save us from death. Think about that! There was nothing else He could do except give us His son so He could save us from eternal destruction. That is love like nothing else.
He Doesn’t Waste Your Experiences
It’s been said that the only way to learn is by doing (and failing). That’s true, and that’s exactly why you should not allow fear to stop you from experiencing life. Fear keeps us from trying new things, meeting new people, and making change. It’s also very real. But here’s the truth: The Lord doesn't waste your life. The Bible says He plans a future filled with hope for those who seek Him wholeheartedly (Jeremiah 29:11) ...and that includes times of trial and testing! In fact, it's often during these times we learn some of life’s greatest lessons.
Maybe you know someone whose story starts with a loss. Maybe their loved one died young, leaving them with regrets, guilt, or questions about whether it was worth it all. Or perhaps it was a divorce that shattered them into pieces. But here's what I know: They wouldn't trade that loss for anything on earth, because they see how God was faithful in the midst of their pain.
Perhaps you’ve experienced an unfamiliar pain or sorrow, one that brought tears to your eyes. Maybe it was when you faced personal tragedy —a death in your family, an injury from playing sports, the betrayal of close friends. Through these trials, you realized that God is greater than all of them combined.
Maybe you’ve felt hopeless because you saw no way out of a difficult situation: finances stretched too thin, broken relationships and bad health conditions that threatened your life. But still, you knew where your hope lay—in God's promises. And though you were unsure of what would happen next, you believed He would never leave nor forsake His own.
These stories all point back to the same thing: God takes our hardest times and uses them for good! This is His great mystery, our faith-filled response. We know that He is intimately involved in each one of our lives, no matter how difficult or easy it is right now. Because He cares so much about our lives, we can rest assured He is working all things together for good (Romans 8:28).
The thing about experience is that when you experience something, you gain an understanding of how that thing works. This kind of knowledge is invaluable since it leads to wisdom and insight. It even changes our perspective by helping us see situations more clearly. The saying “experience is the best teacher” is true – we learn from our mistakes (and successes), which allows us to make better decisions going forward.
We all need encouragement when we’re struggling with doubt. That’s why I wrote this post on 4 Keys to building Confidence in God! So go ahead—pick up your pen and paper and jot down some notes—there’s some great advice in here for you.