Fear or Confidence

 When trying to decide your degree of authenticity and your comfort with your true self scripture gives a simple test.  Do you live in fear of the opinions of others or do you have a sense of confidence about who you are and whose you are.  When you live with confidence and face relationships with that same confidence it is a sign that you are in that zone.  The kind of confidence that I am speaking of flows from your relationship with God the Father.  That union leads to a sense of faith and trust that God created you and knows what he is doing. 

When you live in fear of others it flows from a sense of inadequacy and low self-worth.  This is the opposite of God’s opinion of you.  It is living a life detached from Him and dependent on your effort for any sense of competency.  It is basing your value on the value that you perceive that others place on you.  It is a means of survival.  This flows from a deep pit of self-doubt and robs you of the confidence mentioned earlier.  It is an assessment based on comparison to others.  You will never experience a sense of competency because there is always someone better.  The opinions of others are accepted as all truth.  Your source of validation is completely external.  There is no way to experience any peace or any sense of intrinsic value with this method of valuation.

When you live with a confidence based on a secure, settled relationship with Abba Father you are free to base your value and worth on His opinion of you and can stand when called to compromise your true self.  You can recognize your value in His eyes.  When you realize that who you are is a deliberate choice of your loving Father who transcends the universe it will change your whole perspective.  You have a place in His universe that transcends the opinions of others and the voices of your self-doubt.  This is who you really are and when you know it, you can stand in confidence.  There is no authority of others to assign your value because you are His and he created you.  This is your true value. 

Finally, this is all based on your love relationship with Him.  It flows from the love affair that you have with your creator.  The whole basis of your confidence if the love you have experienced in union with Him.  The power of His valuation is in that relationship.  It is the defining basis of all that you are.  Your identity is defined by what He believes about you and not what you feel about yourself. 

You and I will spend a lifetime trying to fully realize that reality.  It is a process of filtering the lies that you have collected and replacing them with His truth.  The Holy Spirit is faithful to reveal the deception and to show you what is true.  With each correction you become more aware of who you really are.  This is the process that you will experience if you are open and remain in union with the source of truth.  Welcome to the journey.  Walk in faith and confidence knowing that you are His and that He has set your value and created you for a time like this.