Tag Archives: Confidence

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I’m Happy!

I started my day “happy” this morning; did you?

Some people wake up and are not very happy to face the new day.  For them, each day is another struggle.  All their problems from yesterday are still there.  And, most of the time they have nothing to look forward to.

But I rolled out of bed “happy” this morning.  Why?  Because I have no problems, no challenges and no opportunities; my life is perfect and everything always goes according to plan!

I Am Being Facetious

Everyone has challenges; it’s part of life; we don’t live in a perfect world, at least not yet.  But I am happy first of all to be alive!  Life is a gift, a precious gift.  There are no guarantees.  I have been given another day to live.

I am also happy because I am expecting and anticipating a great day today.  Why not?  I am looking for and expecting His blessings throughout the day.  I am looking for and expecting open doors to help someone else too!

And Here’s The Best Part!

I am happy because I know that our God is a God of solutions.  He is an ever present help in time of need.  He is the One Who said to cast all our cares on Him!  He wants to help us.  Knowing that, I am not only happy, but I am really full of joy, having confidence in a loving God Who promised He would never leave or forsake.

Life was meant to be lived to the fullest!  Yes, there will set backs and obstacles at times, but no matter what happens, nothing is too big for our God, and His promises are still true!

Choose to have a great day!

Mike

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Is He Willing?

Most of us recognize God’s power and ability. We believe that He is able to do all that He has promised to do and more! We would readily agree and believe that there is nothing too hard or too big for God.

But many times, we have a difficult time believing that He is willing to do it for us, personally. Have you ever been there before?  I sure have.  And if you are not convinced and certain that God is willing to do it for you, then do you really believe and trust Him?

Why Do We Have Doubt?

Why is it that we sometimes think that God is not willing to do it for us personally? What is it that causes us to doubt His willingness? Why would we not accept that He is willing?

I learned the answer many years ago.  The answer is feelings of being unworthy or undeserving. I used to wonder, “What I have done to deserve it? What have I done to earn it?”  Much of this kind of thinking is due to sin consciousness and condemnation.

But, when you really think about it, what is it that we could do, or refrain from doing, that would earn His willingness to provide for us what He has promised? That is a big part of the answer, because far too many Christians base their self worth on how much they do or do not do!

Your Actions Have Nothing To Do With How Much He Loves You!

How many Christians do you know who subtly believe that their righteousness and worthiness in God’s eyes is dependent upon their actions?  I used to be like that.

But if that is really true then we wouldn’t have needed a savior!  The Bible says that it was the completed work of Christ that makes us right and worthy in the sight of God.  What a day it was for me when I learned that!

The Scriptures are clear in saying that as a Christian, nothing can separate you from God’s love. That is why His love for you is unconditional.  He put no conditions on it! Your actions do not have anything to do with how much He loves you. Nothing can ever separate you from His love.

Nothing!

He doesn’t love you any less today than He did yesterday. He doesn’t love you more when you are praying. He doesn’t love you any less when you are messing up. His love for you is unconditional! Nothing can separate you from His love.

Part of the problem in not accepting His willingness to perform His Word for us personally, is in not accepting what He has done for us in the completed work of Christ.

Have you ever had a couple of days go by where you prayed a lot, and did things for others, and really felt that you were “walking for Him?” At those times, how confident were you to go to God and ask for the things you needed? You were probably pretty confident, right? But, why was that?

I’ve been there before!  My actions made me feel worthy and right before God. That is an indication that I believed my self worth, my being right in God’s eyes, was dependent upon my actions.

And if that’s what you believe then when you have a period of time where you are falling short or messing up, you have very little confidence to go to God and expect His help.

You Are Already Righteous!

The Bible says that the Christian is righteous. For a long time that was just some nice sounding spiritual word. But understanding what righteousness means will help you greatly in accepting God’s willingness to bring His promises to pass in your life.

Simply put, “righteousness” means that you are just, or, right! It is a state of being right or just according to an established legal standard. In this case, the legal standard is the justice of God.

In other words, in God’s sight, in His high court, you are right; you are just; you belong! You can now stand before God without any sense of guilt, shame, or condemnation. You have been made right. He made you right!

No wonder the Bible says that you are lovely and acceptable in His sight and holy and without blame before Him! It has nothing to do with your works. It has everything to do with the completed work of Christ.

This Has A Major Impact On Your Self Worth.

Can you see how accepting the righteousness Christ accomplished for you and believing it is true can have a dynamic impact on your self worth and your self esteem?

I don’t feel unworthy to open my refrigerator and get some food. Well of course not! I belong in my own house! It is right for me to be there!

The same is true with God. You and I belong in His presence; we are right being there because He made us right! You and I are both righteous.

Not understanding or believing that we are right in His eyes plays a major part in our accepting His willingness to bring His Word to pass for us personally.

But if we choose to accept His unconditional love for us, and, that we are right in his sight, we will begin to accept that He is willing to bring his Word to pass for us personally.

The promises of God come to pass for us when we believe God. We may very well believe that He is able, but if we don’t really believe that He is willing, then we will not believe that He will.

Why not believe what the Bible says about you and accept God’s unconditional love, and believe that you are already righteous in His eyes? It will have a dynamic impact on your confidence that He is not only able to do for you what He has promised, but that He is also willing to do it for you personally.

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This Economic Mess Just Isn’t Fair!

What happened? Who is responsible for this economic mess? This is not my fault and it just isn’t fair!

Sound Familiar?

As our children were growing up, I told them many times that life is not fair. No one ever said it would be; and, it really never will be. Things will happen that will affect you that are just not right. At times, you will be treated unfairly.

What is very important is not the “what” or “why,” but rather how you respond to those kinds of situations. Today, many people are angry, and who can blame them? Some have lost their retirement savings. Others have lost their jobs. And that just isn’t fair is it?

So, Now What?

So, how do we respond to an event of this magnitude? Politicians blame other politicians. Poor people blame the rich. Some people want the government to put a band-aid on everything and make it all better.

All of that is a waste of time. It doesn’t solve anything. And, it doesn’t help or change your personal circumstances.

Here’s a Big Surprise: Life Isn’t Fair!

I’m sure we could all look back on our past and remember incidents in our lives where we were injured or treated unfairly. Once, in second grade, I was accused of something I did not do, and on top of that I was called a liar when I denied it. That was very unfair.

Another time I tried out for football in high school. There was one spot left and the choice was between two of us. I wasn’t that good of a player, but I was a whole lot better than the other kid. But, I was not chosen. When I asked why not, I was told that it would have really hurt the other kid’s feelings if he wasn’t chosen, so they picked him.

Now the sad part is that I carried the hurt and resentment from both of those incidents for a long time. But carrying all that garbage around for all that time was not profitable for my life to say the least. And, honestly,  those incidents were not critical to my life or well-being.

Yes, There Are Some Very Serious Situations We Must Deal With.

But, on the other hand, today many people are facing serious situations that are not fair. They are not responsible for the stock market, the housing industry, or the credit market. These situations are very real. But it is extremely important how we respond.

I can relate.  When I lost my job of 16 and a half years with CBS Radio I had to make a conscious effort on how I was going to respond.  I had to decide if I was going to focus on the current circumstances and be full of resentment, or move forward on a new adventure.

Trying to figure out who is to blame will solve nothing. Being upset and angry is a waste of your precious time and energy. Allowing yourself to become full of fear will not help you to get to a personal solution. These are not responses; they are reactions.

First Things First

First, stop and take breath. You are still breathing! You are alive!

Don’t allow yourself to emotionally react without thinking. Next, stop dwelling on what you have lost or may loose. Instead, look at what you have and be thankful. Thank God every day for everything that you have!

Then, ask God to help you with your personal situations. Look to Him for guidance and direction. Could there ever be a time when the situation would be so bad that God could not help? If there is, then you need to get another God!

Finally, manage your life and your affairs with wisdom and discretion. (I did not say, “With fear.”) Acting out of fear will only bring negative results into your life. Think things through and make the best decisions that you can. If you need financial counsel, then get it.

And Here Is What Is Most Important!

Above all, put your trust and confidence in God as your Supplier! No, it doesn’t mean that you just put your head in the sand and act like nothing is going on. It doesn’t mean that we do nothing and think, “Well, God’s just gotta do something.” No. We trust God for His help, but we take action without fear, moving ahead one step at a time.

It is easy to sing praises unto God when everything is going just fine. It’s easy to say that we love God and that He is so wonderful when there is no pressure. But when you are up against the wall, you will find out if you really believe that He is really real!

I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that our God is both able and willing to help, regardless of the stock market, the housing industry, or, the global economy for that matter. Do whatever you need to do to get convinced of that!

Refuse to react. Refuse to be motivated by fear. Instead, respond with trust in our delivering and powerful God, Who loves you unconditionally! God is still on the throne!

Mike Verdicchio

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A Lack of Confidence!

There is a lot of uncertainty today.  With all that has transpired in the last seven or eight months, many people unsure of a lot of things.  There is a tremendous lack of confidence.

There is a lack of confidence in many things that people have previously trusted in. Financial institutions that have been around for over a hundred years are gone. Companies have gone bankrupt. The phrase, “job security” seems to be a misnomer.

Shady practices of lending institutions have been exposed. The approval and confidence of government leaders in both parties is at an all time low. In fact, government officials currently have the lowest approval ratings ever- single digits! A recent survey showed that many Americans think they should all be fired!

There Is An Enormous Lack Of Confidence These Days.

There are serious concerns about the future. Many are worried and afraid. Some are confused and wonder how all this could have happened. Still others look for and fully expect their government to help and bail everybody out.

Having been disappointed, and even in some cases, feeling abandoned, people are looking for something that they can put their trust and confidence in. And when you think about it, all of the issues we are facing today seem to be related to money in one way or another.

Now let’s remember that money in and of itself is not evil. People misquote the Bible all the time and say that money is evil. The Bible says that the “love of money is the root of all evil.” We are certainly seeing the consequences of that today!

I wrote an article recently, called, “Whom Can You Trust Now?” I mentioned the origins of putting, “In God We Trust” on our money. Thinking about that could be a very good starting point!

There Is A Great Reminder On All US Currency!

Whenever you see money, or use money, or even think of money related issues, why not stop and take a moment and just remind yourself what is on all of our currency? This is a good starting point because it can help to begin to build confidence and trust in God.

It really is critical to build and develop confidence and trust in God. Having confidence and trust in God allows you to receive all that He has promised you regardless of any and all circumstances or conditions. There are no facts, no situations, no numbers, and no conditions that ever negate the promises of God!

I received an email the other day from an airline company promoting a really low fare. But, the low fare expires in one week. Perhaps you’ve heard commercials with the tag line, “Sale ends tomorrow!” Or, another popular line is, “Void where prohibited!”

When reading the promises in the Bible, you won’t read any legal disclaimer, or expiration dates, or that, “certain rules and conditions may apply.” The promises you read in the Scriptures are all true for you to claim right now!

Where Can You Put Your Trust?

People today are really unsure of where and whom to put their trust in. They are scared of being let down again. It seems that there is a great lack of trust in a great many people.

But, you can choose to trust in the One who is the most trustworthy. You can absolutely rely on God’s reliability. You can be certain that His promises are true and that He will bring them to pass for you when you simply believe them no matter what the circumstances or situation.

That’s why it is so important to choose to build and develop a confidence and trust in Him! You will not be disappointed. You will not have to live with worry, doubt and fear! And, then you will be able to genuinely help someone else to build and develop confidence and trust in God too!

Mike Verdicchio