What the Bible Says About Self-Confidence

We are always told today to be self-confident. There are programs designed to teach teens to have high self-esteem. Walk into a bookstore, and there are rows of books all written with the idea to give us a higher sense of self. Yet, as Christians, we are always told to avoid focusing too much on the self and to focus on God. So, what does the Bible actually say about self-confidence?

God Has Confidence in Us

When we look up Bible verses on self-confidence, we read mostly verses that explain how our confidence comes from God. It starts in the beginning with God creating the Earth and designating humanity to watch over it. God shows over and over that He has confidence in us. He called on Noah to build an ark. He had Moses lead ​his people out of Egypt. Esther kept her people from being slaughtered. Jesus asked his disciples to spread the gospel. The same theme is demonstrated over and over - God has confidence in each and every one of us to do what He calls us to do. He created each of us for a reason. So why, then, do we not have confidence in ourselves. When we put God first, when we focus on His path for us, He will make anything possible. That should make us all self-confident.

Hebrews 10:35-36 - "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." (NASB)

What Confidence to Avoid

Now, we know God has confidence in us and will be our strength and light and all the things we need. However, that doesn't mean we just walk around all cocky and self-involved. We cannot just be focused on what we need all the time. We should never think we are better than others because we are stronger, smarter, grew up with money, are a certain race, etc. In God's eyes, we all have a purpose and direction. We are loved by God no matter who we are. We should also not rely on others to be self-confident. When we put our trust in another person, when we put our self-worth in someone else's hands, we are setting ourselves up to be crushed. God's love is unconditional. He never stops loving us, no matter what we do. While the love of other people is nice, it can often be flawed and cause us to lose confidence in ourselves.

Philippians 3:3 - "For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh — though I myself have reasons for such confidence." (NIV)

Living Confidently

When we trust God with our self-confidence, we put the power in His hands. That can be scary and beautiful all at the same time. We've all been hurt and crushed by others, but God doesn't do that. He knows we aren't perfect, but loves us anyway. We can feel confident in ourselves because God is confident in us. We may seem ordinary, but God never sees us that way. We can find our self-confidence safe in His hands.

1 Corinthians 2:3-5 - "I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.  And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.  I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God." (NLT)