The Pursuit of Confidence

LISTEN TO EPISODE 19 HERE.

Today, we are excited to offer some practical strategies on how to step toward greater personal confidence. We define confidence, not an elevation of self, but rather learning how to more fully or courageously embrace what God is doing in and through their lives.

First, it's so important that we are settled on this matter spiritually. We want to first encourage you to make this a matter of prayer. Specifically ask God what He wants your sense of personal confidence to look like.

What are some common causes of underconfidence?

7 Deterrents of Underconfidence

• Shame (I’m somehow not enough)
• Insecurity
• Fear of Man/Fear of Rejection
• Anxiety
• Bullying (or hurtful experiences from the past)
• Being marginalized (not included or involved or valued)
• Poor body image

In Psalm 139, the psalmist writes: “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; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”    

What we see here is not an arrogant Psalmist. On the contrary, this was a man who knew his value as a child of God. Yet many of us don’t know what it is to understand, let alone embrace, our intended value because we are encumbered by a lingering and stifling sense of self-doubt that is directly linked to the effects of sin on the world (and our lives).

4 Confidence Questions to Consider

• Are you settled in who you are or do you still fear the rejection of or seek the approval of others?
• Are you living & acting as though you have been fearfully and wonderfully made by an omnipotent God or do you feel inferior, insignificant or unworthy much of the time?
• Are you living out your call with Joshua-like strength and courage or are you timid and afraid of the opinions or actions of others?
• Do you compare yourself to others and use that as the gauge of your worth or capacity?

If you resonate with any of these questions, you are not alone.

The first step is inviting God to guide this journey towards confidence.

A second step might be to confess where you have accepted or adopted insecure beliefs about yourself.

In addition to prayer, confession, and becoming very intentional to speak truth and life over ourselves, there are some very practical ways that we can increase our personal confidence.

To download a free resource that lists 60-confidence building that Claudia identified in her research, click the link below: 

Another practical way to engage in this process is to consider a exercise called the 1.0-2.0 exercise. This is where someone lists our 10-15 characteristics about who they are now(good & bad) - that’s their 1.0 list. Then make a list of the attributes that would be evident if you were walking in a healthy sense of confidence. What would those 2.0 attributes be? 

Once you have the those two lists, pick one or two and start to consider how you can move in that direction.  What do you need to correct issues in the 1.0 version while simultaneously working toward those characteristics that would reflect a strong, confident presentation?

To download a more comprehensive bibliography of other confidence resources, download click HERE.

We hope these resources are helpful to you!