Confidence is everything. If you want the job, the girl, the spot on that team, etc., everything hinges on how much confidence you have in yourself. This is the understanding of how the world operates. On the surface, I fully agree with this concept. Job interviews full of the words "um" or "I dunno" will not end favorably. So, in order to operate in the worldly realm, confidence in yourself is key.
However, because the way the world functions often influences the way Christ follower function, I think this sentiment has bled over into the spiritual realm; a place in which it is nothing but detrimental. "Confidence" is nowhere to be found on the list of fruits of the Spirit outlined in Galatians 5:22-23;
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law." (HCSB)
We could talk for days about the different ways in which the Spirit presents itself in believers, but the one I find most relevant to this topic of discussion is "faith." Faith is similar to confidence, but the subtle difference between the two concepts is vital for the man after God's own heart. Confidence is the trust that, through your own abilities, you will succeed. Faith is the trust that, through God's power, the Kingdom will succeed. Confidence in the work place is good; confidence in regards to your spiritual life will lead to your downfall.
Samson is one person from whom we can learn about the danger of confidence. Through God's gifting, Samson was the Chuck Norris of the Israelite people. Besides killing a lion, he once destroyed an entire army with a donkey's jawbone. I'm sure there is some sort of incredible spiritual insight about his weapon of choice, but I'll have to ponder that a little longer. Samson was a guy who was strong, and he knew it. For whatever reason, he falls in love with a Philistine woman who, after accepting a bribe to find out the secret to his strength, eventually discovers that cutting his hair will lead to his downfall. The woman asks for the secret several times, to which Samson responds each time with a lie. Each time he deceives her, a group of men come and try to capture him by utilizing the false information he gave to her. Eventually, he gives in and finally tells her the truth. This is something that always really confused me; if he knew the secret to his strength, and the woman proved several times that she was going to use the information to have him captured, why did he finally share the truth? My guess is that his confidence in himself led to his downfall. For most of his life, Samson lived under the belief that his strength was the supernatural gift of God, which he would keep as long as his hair was never cut. But really, how could all of your strength leave with a simple cut of a knife? This thought surely crossed the mind of Samson once or twice, and it may have been what led to him sharing the information with the woman. He had defeated entire armies; with or without his hair, he probably felt he could defend himself from anyone.
Unfortunately for Samson, God's power was proven when Samson's strength immediately left him when the woman cut his hair. And, in the end, Samson went out with a blaze of glory by tearing down a building with one final show of God-given strength, killing himself and the Philistines inside. Samson's confidence in himself led to his downfall, and the same can happen to you.
It is one thing to be confident in yourself, and an entirely different thing to have faith in God. Confidence is all about leaning on your own ability, intelligence, and strength to be successful. It is a pillar of masculinity in the eyes of the world. However, masculinity in the eyes of God is based on your trust in God to accomplish His will through you.
I can't say that I have a great deal of faith, but I did recently move 1500 miles away from the state in which I spent the first quarter century of my life. At no point was I confident in my own ability to land on my feet. I know that the success of this move depends entirely on God's ability to accomplish His plan through me. The world would tell me to be confident and I will be successful. The problem with this is, success is selfish. It means money, happiness, comfort, etc. Confidence leads to worldly success, which I don't need. Faith leads to eternal success, which is the expansion of the Kingdom.
According to the world's standards, moving across the country with little confidence in myself was the opposite of manly. Based on scripture, and what I've learned from my relationship with God, moving across the country based entirely on the faith that God will use my obedience to accomplish His will, is the definition of masculinity. Confidence in yourself has no eternal payoff; faith in God to do His will through you leads to Kingdom impact.
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