Misplaced Confidence.

Misplaced confidence can result in us praising our own efforts and failing to recognize what God is doing in our lives. Mark explains.

How Do We Perceive Ourselves?

Paul wrote the following to the church at Philippi,

…though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:4-9 the New Living Translation.

Many of us struggle with confidence, and how we perceive ourselves has a profound impact on nearly every aspect of life.

Low self-confidence can affect our interpersonal relationships. When we feel secure in ourselves, we’re more likely to build healthy, positive connections. On the other hand, self-doubt can lead to hesitancy, making it harder to open up and communicate effectively.

The fear of making mistakes can discourage us from taking on new challenges—whether in our careers, church life, or personal growth. A lack of trust in our own judgment often leads to indecision and increased stress.

Confidence matters in playing a vital role in shaping our overall well-being and outlook on life.

The Apostle Paul Seems Remarkably Confident

The Apostle Paul appears to be a remarkably confident individual. Yet in this passage of Scripture, we see two contrasting forms of confidence at two drastically different points in his life: a self-assured confidence before his conversion, and a profound ‘God-confidence’ afterward. Before the Lord transformed his life, Paul was known by his Hebrew birth name, Saul.

Verses 5 and 6 offer a glimpse into Saul’s impressive résumé—his claims and credentials, which he once took great pride in. He had every reason to boast. He openly highlighted his upbringing, his rich heritage, and deep religious foundation. Saul had ascended the ranks of Jewish society, living out his beliefs with full conviction. His passion and vigor led him to become what we call a “zealot”—so deeply devoted that he became a staunch defender and advocate of the Judaistic religious system.

Paul Had Grounds to Feel Confident

If anyone had grounds to boast or feel confident about their achievements, it was Saul. His credentials and accomplishments reflected a man deeply rooted in tradition, status, and religious fervor.

He was religiously proud of who he was and what he had achieved… But religious pride has no place in God’s economy; it may have appeared on the outside that Saul was working his way toward goals that were pleasing to his god, but in reality, he was moving further and further away from the truth.

Vestibular Illusions

There’s a medical condition called ‘vestibular illusions,’ a phenomenon caused by sensory misperceptions within the inner ear. It can make you feel like you’re going up even when you’re actually going down.

Our human nature suffers from spiritual vestibular illusions, as it is hard wired in us to feel that working our way to heaven, doing good deeds, and pleasing God is the solution to our salvation, that if the good in our lives outweighs the bad, we will be divinely received… This is the complete opposite to what the bible teaches, and this is a lesson that Saul also had to learn.

We find the written account of Saul’s conversion experience in Acts 9; the line that God drew in his life, where all he knew and believed would be completely flipped upside down. God had to knock Saul off his high horse, literally and spiritually, to help him understand that his religious zeal was counterproductive.

Paul offers the saints in Philippi insight into the 180-degree shift in his perception of “what really matters” after Christ took hold of Saul, who eventually adopted the Roman name Paul—meaning “small” or “humble”—a fitting reflection of his new identity in Christ.

A Dramatic Change

What a dramatic change!

Everything Paul had previously valued, as Saul, became worthless. All he deemed as so important became nothing compared to the glory of knowing Christ Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.

He was willing to trade-in all the world had to offer him so he could gain Christ.

Can you relate to this? Can you look back on your life and see all those things that you loved and were so confident in turn into nothing when you turned to Jesus? Now you recognize that your confidence is no longer in yourself, but in Him.

Is our identity in Christ magnified, as we become small and humble in ourselves?

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

There is a wonderful old hymn that goes like this,

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.              – Helen Howarth Lemmel

Dear listener; do the words of this hymn resonate with you?

Perhaps you are hearing this and you are living your life based upon the thinking that doing good things, living by the golden rule and being a good person is what is going to earn your way into God’s heaven… You are trapped in the human phenomena of thinking you are working your way up when in fact you are working your way down and more distant from God.

Listen to These Verses

Please listen carefully to the following bible verses I will share with you and notice the common theme among them:

“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” Titus 3:5

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:8,9

“And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.” Romans 11:6

“Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” Galatians 2: 16

Did you notice that in all these verses, Paul tells us that it is not by works, deeds, righteous things or by obeying laws, that anyone is saved, but only by the grace of God, thorough faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot justify ourselves and make ourselves right with God. We are all sinners, and that disqualifies us of being heaven worthy. We are only made right by believing in the perfect work of Jesus, who died to save us. Faith in what he did for us; dying on the cross, it is the only way we can be saved.

It is by grace alone – a free gift from God, that we do not deserve.

Acknowledge your sin and need to be saved and receive the gift of eternal life!

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