Living Without Self Confidence.
Having self-confidence is a good thing. No one likes to be around someone who is not confident. In fact, people will say you must believe in yourself, if you don’t you will never achieve anything. But I believe that there is a fine line between having self-confidence and depending only on your own abilities.
This morning I want to look and the lives of two people we see in Scripture. Both we hold up to being heroes of the faith. We hear their names and instantly recognize them as two truly great people of the Bible. In fact, they are both mentioned by the writer of Hebrews Chapter 11 as heroes of the faith; those who have gone before that we look to them and understand the way that they allowed God to use them in their time.
The two men we are talking about were both Israelites. God used them for the same purpose. To protect and deliver his chosen people, but during different times. Their lives were separated by almost 300 years.
Who are they? Moses and Gideon.
You know them. We see the life of Moses throughout the book of Exodus. And we see the life of Gideon in the book of Judges. Both in the Old Testament.
Now they may have both been Israelites, they may have both been used by God for the purpose of protecting his chosen people, but they both had something else in common. They were not confident in themselves or their own abilities.
Now let us understand that as a Christian, our strength and confidence should not come from our own abilities. Just as the Lord told Joshua, who then told the Israelites. "Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6)." The strength and courage was not because of their own ability, it was because of a reliance on the God that had called then to take possession of the Promised Land.
But with both Moses and Gideon, as the Lord met with them on separate occasions to give them instruction on what to do, they looked inside of themselves and said, I can't do that.
Let's look at Moses and his lack of confidence.
In Exodus chapter 2, we see the birth of Moses, and because his Mother was fearful that he would be found and killed by Pharaoh, she hid him. But he was found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised as an Egyptian. So here is Moses, an Israelite, being raised in Egypt in the best house, the house of the Pharaoh.
In verse 11 of Chapter 2, Moses has grown up and one day he sees he sees his own people being beaten. He sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite, and it's angers him, so he kills the Egyptian. He was fearful and he ran. He knew that he needed to go far away where no one would know him, the city of Median. He found favor in the eyes of Jethro the priest in Median and married his daughter and had a son. But back in Egypt, the Israelites were crying out to God for deliverance, they were being mistreated and slaves of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
So, Moses had his new life, living in Median, married and working for his father-in-law in the fields among the sheep. His life seemed to be rolling along, it had been 40 years since he ran from Egypt, but God's plan to care for his chosen people was still alive, and he was about to put Moses back into service. In Exodus Chapter 3 God meets with Moses to give him instruction. Moses was out caring for the flock and he looks up and sees a burning bush. But the interesting thing was, it just kept burning, it never stopped. So, Moses, goes over to check it out, and a voice speaks from the bush, and it is the Lord.
The Lord begins to tell Moses of the problems that the Israelites are facing and to make a long story short he tells Moses; you are going to be the lead man to bring them out of this persecution. You are going to go back face-to-face and tell Pharaoh that the Lord says, you need to let me people go.
What was Moses's response? Exodus 3:11
But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?
and again in Exodus 4:1
...But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, THE LORD did not appear to you.
and then two more times in Exodus 4:10-13
But Moses said to the LORD, OH, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue. Then the LORD said to him, Who has made mans mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. But he said, OH, my Lord, please send someone else.
The Lord was calling Moses to lead and be a part of one of the biggest miracles in the Bible. Over 1 million people marching out of Egypt, crossing the Red Sea on dry land, and making their way to the Promise Land. He wanted Moses to be their leader, but Moses was only thinking of his own strength and ability, not of the strength and ability of the one who called him.
What about Gideon?
The people of Israel at this time had turned away from God, and there were many armies that were coming against them. In Chapter 6 of Judges the Bible tells us that the armies would come and take all of their crops and cattle and leave them with nothing. All of this because they were not obeying the Word of the Lord.
So, Gideon, making sure that no one takes his food, is hidden in a winepress beating out the wheat when the Lord comes to him and tells him that he should go up against the enemies that were oppressing them, and they will be defeated.
What was Gideon's response?
Judges 6:1
And he said to him, Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
Just like Moses, Gideon looked at his own ability. He thought, how can I take an army against these people and win. They are too strong!
The truth is that when we look at both of these situations, Moses and Gideon, we would probably agree that these people were no leaders. Moses, runs away for 40 years and is in a small town, working out in the fields for his father in law. He is not a warrior, he is not someone who you would think that could stand before the biggest government leader at that time and them Pharaoh, you need to let all of these people go. The same was true of Gideon, hiding away, trying to make sure that no one took his food. Is this the main that would lead a battle against the strongest armies?
It is very easy to see things with our human eyes. We see a pile of bills stacked up with money that does not equal it. We see a job that demands more that we can give. We see our relationships with our family as being more that we can bear, and we simply want to sit out on a rock in the fields of Midian or sit underneath a terebinth tree trying to make sure no one takes our food. But God has called you for a purpose, and everyone’s purpose is different.
You may be called to be a teacher, a mechanic, a salesperson, an executive in business, or to be a stay at home Mom. But even in that God still calls you for more. He calls you to make HIM known. He calls you to do what someone else has done for you, tell people about him. When Moses stood before Pharaoh he was telling him about the one and only true Lord God. When Gideon fought those armies, they screamed out "For the Lord, and for Gideon."
The first time I read of these comments from Moses and Gideon I thought to myself, what a bunch of low esteem losers. God wants to use them, and it seems they are cowards. But then I realized, that is how we should be. We should understand that the things he is calling us to do, we cannot do in our own power. It is simply by his power working through us, that we could accomplish anything for the kingdom of God.
I wonder how many of us begin our days by saying in our hearts, God, today is for you. God, today, I speak for you. Today I think for you. Today, I walk for you. Today, I live for you.
The writer of Proverbs says it this way:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
We all have questions, even I have questions. God, how can this happen? How can this be? How can I overcome this? Here's the good news, you can't. You can't do it, only the God that has called you unto him can do it.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Thessalonians 5:24
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
Did he do it for Moses? Yes. Millions of Israelites walked out of Egypt, in fact, Pharaoh begged them to go. What God promised to Moses that he would do, he fulfilled. When Moses said I can’t do it, God said because of me, yes you can.
What about Gideon? Did Gideon's army defeat the others? Yes. In fact, most of the men that died from the army that came against Gideon were killed by their own people. They were confused and God delivered the Israelites once again. When Gideon said how can I save Israel, God said, listen to me, and depend on me.
Whatever circumstance that you see that stands before you, it's not too big for our Big God. He is calling you to do something great for him, what is your answer going to be? I am not strong enough? I am not wise enough? Or is your answer going to be, God I know you are faithful, and I will do as you ask.
But also, we need to be careful not to think that we can do it without God’s help. The psalmist also writes,
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
You have the power, but it is not your own. As a Christian, you have the power of God living inside of you. That same power that lives in you, raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Will you use it? Will you decide to live a life of power that has been given to you through your relationship with Jesus Christ, or will you simply, stand back and let life pass you by.
Having drive, self-confidence, and assurance in your ability is good, but don't let it come in the way your dependence on the God that saved you through his Son Jesus Christ.
