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Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee on Ice. I am your host, Ali Yost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys today. Truly, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. It is always such a joy and an honor to hang out with you guys. It's an honor to do what I do. It's an honor to just talk about Jesus. So I'm excited to do that with you guys today. I hope that you guys are having a great day. I hope that you've had such a great week since the last time that we spoke. We do have our coffee on ice here. We've switched back to our little. Our plastic tumbler, which is just a little bit more travel friendly, which I love. So we have our coffee and we have our Christ. We have our word of God. And I'm really excited about today's episode, you guys. I don't know if this is even that noticeable right now, but I just had to get over the nastiest cold. I don't know what it was actually. Maybe I should have gotten a couple tests to done. Was it Covid? Was it the flu? I don't actually really know, but it was brutal, like brutal. And I got it a little over a week ago and I definitely don't feel sick anymore, but my face is still like draining out all this mucus. So I don't know if you can hear it. If you can't, then great. But I feel like I still sound a little nasally. So. Yeah, I'm really sorry if that's distracting. Hopefully it's not. Hopefully we can just get past that. Yeah. Still kind of recovering from that, but we are. Well, thank you Jesus for just health and recovery and our immunity. Thank you God for our immune system. So, yeah, so we're doing better now other than that. I mean, I don't know if I have any other updates regarding. I don't know myself in my life. But I really would love before we jump into this episode, to take communion together. It's been a minute since we've done this and I personally just need this. Ally needs that. I need this right now. So I would love to welcome you guys into this with me. If you feel led to do it, let's do it together. If you have any bread or any juice nearby or if you have your own little communion cups, that would be perfect. I got mine off of Amazon. I've mentioned it before, but I got like this massive pack of communion cups off of Amazon. Like a 60 pack or something. Outrageous like that. And Ashley and I have like a cookie jar in our kitchen. Essentially it's like a cookie jar, but it's just filled with Jesus. It's just filled with communion cups. And it's really fun. So I'll take a handful whenever I'm leaving the house. You never know. And I just always keep them in my purse. It's so funny because my relationship with communion has just become so much more like. I don't know, I used to look at communion like it was something I had to do on a special occasion or like when I really, really was down bad. But sometimes I actually just take it because I'm like, jesus, I love you. That's it. I'm just like, hey, Jesus, I need you and I love you. And I feel like honoring what you did for me. And I need a fresh washing of my mind. I need a fresh reminder of what you've done for me. I need a reminder of the freedom that you've given me through the body and through the blood. And so, yeah, I don't know, take communion whenever you want and so always have little cuppies on me. Cuz again, you never know. So let's do it together. We're first going to take the bread. I'm trying to open the blood right now, but it's actually a little tough sometimes. Okay. Jesus. Lord, I just thank you, Ah, I thank you for your presence, God, thank you that you are here. Thank you that you are not only in the studio with me, God, but you are with the listener on the other side. You are with my friend on the other side, wherever they are too. And so, God, I thank you that that is so such a luxury that we never earned. But it was something that is only possible because of the death that you died on the cross and how you resurrected from the death and you've left your Holy Spirit. And so, Jesus, I thank you that you are here. I thank you that we get to commune with you. I thank you that we get to just be your best friend and you get to be ours. And that's all because of what you did on the cross. None of that would even be accessible to us if it wasn't for what you did. And so, Lord, we just honor you. And God, we ask for a fresh, just awareness of what you did for us. Lord, we ask for fresh revelation. Lord, we ask for a fresh washing of our minds, God, that if there's any gunk that's in our minds, I know there is in mind. And so, Lord, we ask that as we take this communion that you just wash our minds from all the gunk and replace it with your truth. Replace it with your peace, God. Replace it with your Holy Spirit and the truth of your Holy Spirit, Jesus. So we take this bread together, Lord, in honor of the body that you sacrificed. Your body, Jesus, the way that you were beaten on the cross for our sins. God, I thank you that that was the sacrifice you made so that we could have a relationship with the Father, that through you we actually get to reach the Father daily, whenever we want, all the times that we want, every day, all the time. And so we just take this bread together in honor of you, Jesus. We thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Jesus, we take your blood. God, we thank you for the blood. We thank you for the protection of the blood. And Lord, I just plead this blood from the tops of our heads to the bottom of our feet. God, thank you for your peace that washes over us, Lord. The peace that surpasses all understanding. I actually pray that that peace is washing over every single one of us right now as we pray. Thank you, Holy Spirit. God, thank you, Jesus. Lord, we thank you for your blood. We honor you, Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen. Wow, I really feel his peace. Thank you, God. I needed that. Oh, I needed that. Okay, so today you guys, sorry, the peace of God is like, still kind of. You ever go from a state of, like, feeling so, like all over the place, chicken with your head chopped off type of energy, and then you just be still and you allow the Lord to come and it's like going from like a hundred to zero. And I just felt that right now, like, just getting into the studio and everything today I was just kind of like, ah. And so that's what I just felt. Sorry I'm here. It's the best feeling ever. It's better than any drug, actually. I just need Jesus. We all just need Jesus. He grounds us, he anchors us, and I feel just really anchored all of us. Thank you, God. So today we're going to talk about confidence, guys. And the irony of me talking about confidence is like, I'm not talking about this because I'm the most confident person on planet Earth. I'm talking about this because I have confidence in God and not myself. And I would love to even share just some observations I guess I've had in myself since being confident in the world and now actually knowing what true confidence is. But I actually had to practice confidence going into this episode because in a lot of ways, so sometimes when I come to the Pod. And I'm talking about these things. I'm like, geez, God, I feel so inadequate. Like, I feel so unqualified to talk about these things. And so it's just funny because a lot of times, the very thing that we're talking about today, God is challenging me to actively practice. And so that was something I was practicing this morning. Even bringing this topic is like, being confident in who God is and that he is my provider. And so just shifting our. Our mind of what confidence really is. What is our confidence rooted in? Because I think a lot of times as Christians and even as people, it's like, we all want to be confident. And I think that's like, a big question for a lot of people is like, how do I become confident? How do I walk confidently in my purpose? And how do I, you know, feel secure in who I am? How do I become, like, not an insecure person? And so I think that's a very real thing. And I think that confidence can be a foundation of a lot of other things. And just like a lot of other fruit in our life is like, it comes down to where does our confidence lie? And so I think the first question is when. When you think about your day to day, like, confidence for you, right? Your relationship with confidence, how that is for you. The question that we need to ask ourselves is what is our confidence in? If you're kind of struggling in a moment and you're being like, okay, I feel really insecure. I feel really inadequate. I really feel this, that, and the next kind of like what I was facing on my way here today. And it's a simple question of what is your confidence in right now? Are you looking to have confidence in just yourself, or do you really feel like your confidence is in God? You know, we're human, and so sometimes we may fall short of that and we may find ourselves slipping up and being like, wait, why am I being so almost like, independent and trying to have confidence in just myself rather than losing sight of having confidence in only God, which is a muscle we have to exercise every day, right? So I think a major difference between, like, worldly confidence and then confidence in the church is that is like confidence in ourselves versus I actually only have confidence in God. And so when I think back to, like, who I was when I was in the world, like, what was my confidence in? You know, when I ask that question and I think back to who I was before I knew Jesus, my confidence was in other people. My confidence was in what other people said I needed to Be confident in or what other people said would make me feel confident. Because people's opinions change by the minute. It feels, you know, by the day, by the hours. And so if my confidence was being put into what other people were saying, that is the most unsteady, unstable foundation you could put your confidence on. And you're not going to feel confident for more than a few minutes. For me, I was. It would be like, I would feel confident for like an hour, and then all of a sudden I'm like, wait a minute. No, it was never sturdy, reliable, infinite, all of those things. When I think about the person I was when I had confidence, it also was a performance. Like, I don't think that if we have confidence in anything outside of Jesus, it's not actual security. I was not truly secure. It was almost that fake it till you make it type of energy. But if I was being truly honest with myself, I don't think I was ever really confident. Like, even the fact that I felt I had to pretend I was confident just showed how much I wasn't secure in who I was, in my purpose, in who I was created to be. The qualities of myself, I wasn't confident in even my weaknesses. There is a version of ourselves that can still be confident, but, like, embracing our strengths and our weaknesses. And I think that the confidence that I was operating in, in the world, there's so much of, like, don't embrace your weaknesses. Like, only be strong and only focus on your strengths. And so that confidence was fleeting for me. And, yeah, it was actually rooted out of, like, deep insecurity. And so what I've seen in myself just in the difference of, like, the way that I was operating in that kind of confidence versus the confidence that I'm in now, which is in the Lord, is that I am no longer, like, putting all of this pressure on myself, looking at myself all the time to say, you have to get this done. You got to make this work for yourself. Well, you got to get this within yourself. Because if you're not confident in God and you're confident in yourself, I feel like it's like that suck it up kind of mentality where you're like, suck it up. Make it work. Push. You are enough. You have everything you need. And then when you really think about it and you ask the question, you're like, okay, but, like, I have everything I have within myself. But where is that actually really coming from? When you're telling people to, like, you know, you are all you need, love yourself, be there for yourself. Be confident in yourself. Where am I getting that from, though? Other than, like, pretending, I guess, or, like, putting on an act of. Yeah, no, I am enough. And I have everything that I need, and I can provide everything I need in my life. And I am the sole provider of all things, including my own strength and my own confidence. A big question I. I would love, like, if I sat down with that Ali, who I love so much and I have so much love and compassion for. I feel like that's, like, a whole nother thing. It's another topic of something the Lord's been walking me through is like, loving that version of Ally. But something I would love to ask her is like, okay. So when you say those things, like, when you're like, okay, I'm enough. I'm all I need. I'm gonna love myself. I'm gonna invest in myself. I'm gonna give myself all the things I need because I have all the things that I need anyway. I don't need anyone else. I don't need to rely on anyone else. And that's, like, rooted out of such hurt, you know? But I would love to sit down with that girl and be like, so when you say all of those things, like, where is that truly coming from? It's coming from within me. Like, I have it, but where are you getting it from? What do you mean you have it? Like, from within yourself, where? And I just think that that is just like. That, like, does come to an end, you know? And I don't know if I would have ever had the answer to that. Obviously, I didn't, actually, because I had to eventually lean on something which was God. I couldn't get the strength. I couldn't get the confidence. Like, those things aren't anything I carried naturally within myself. That is only something I had to get from something supernatural, something bigger than myself. And that was Jesus. Confidence in only ourselves can sound like, I got this, I'll figure it out, or anything I need is within myself. And I'm fully capable of being the sole provider of all the things that I need. Confidence in self is a form of independence and pride, which was never the way we were designed to be. We were made to have a shepherd, and we were created to have a companion. And that companion is God. This, like, upside down, backwards, which a lot of times the ways that God is feels like it's upside down and backwards. I mean, everything that we've been taught in the world is actually the opposite of the truth. The truth is, is that we were never made to be independent. We were never made to be self confident in. Just like being our own everything, our own God, our own provider, our own strength, our own confidence. That was just never something we were designed to be. God had always created us to be in communion and relationship with him and for us to be his children and for him to be our dad. And so whenever we need things, we were designed to go to God for that. And confidence is one of them. Yeah, we were made to have a shepherd. We were made to have a companion, a supernatural companion that is all knowing and knows even the deepest parts of us that we don't even know. Now, the difference of how I operate today versus how I used to operate is obviously now I have confidence in God. And that is something that I practice on every day, where I have to constantly fix my eyes on the Lord to stay confident. It's a daily practice of just continuing to fix our eyes on Jesus. So confidence in God sounds more like, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Right? That's Philippians 4:13. It's recognizing that he has the power and faithfulness to provide all things we need. Just as Philippians 4. 13 states, right, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So it's shifting our eyes from just ourselves, of being like, I got this. I'm confident, I am strong, I can provide. I can do all the things I can show up for myself. And it's not dismissing that we aren't capable because we are fully capable of doing all these things, but it's shifting our eyes from solely ourselves to being like, this is a partnership with Jesus. And the only reason I can do these things is because of the strength that he provides. It's through him that I am capable of doing these things. So it's also not writing yourself off and being like, I'm a loser, like, I. I can't do anything. I'm incapable. That's like a false humility. That isn't what God is ever encouraging us to operate in is being like, I can't do anything. I'm helpless. I'm this, I'm that. It's acknowledging that we can do all things, but it's only through Christ who strengthens us. It's a partnership of him and I. But it's not like I am doing it on my own. It's fixing our eyes on Jesus and saying, I decide to run with you, and I decide to partner with you. I know I can do all things through you, so I need you. I'M dependent on you. Another fun way of, like, looking at confidence is I feel like anytime where you're like, I need confidence, like, I'm lacking this. You could also substitute confidence with the word trust, because I feel like they could be very integrated. Confidence and trust, like, when I'm saying, you know, what is your confidence in? What is your trust in? Do you have trust in yourself or do you have trust in God? Confidence can also translate into just simply trusting God. So trusting His Word when He says who he says he is, who he says you are and what he promised you in His Word. He's made us many promises, right? He's promised you hope in a Future. It's Jeremiah 29:11. He's told you that you already have everything you need through him. Again, Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all things. That's everything. That's limitless, by the way. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So he's told you that he has hope in a future for you. He's told you that you already have everything you need through him, because you can do all things through Christ. And he says that he's working for your good and that he is all knowing, right? So these are just examples of, like, what God has shown us and told us through His Word. These are promises. They're alive and breathing, everlasting. None of it is a lie. It's all truth. He's told you these things. And so also confidence can translate into just simply trusting in God. What are you going to put your trust in? Are you going to put your trust in you who is mere human? Who doesn't Isn't all knowing? You don't know the future. And sometimes we think we know things and then it's not true. Sometimes we believe things, even about ourselves, that isn't true. Again, it goes back to like God knowing every fiber of your being. He knows everything in you. Who are we going to put our trust in? Who are we going to put our confidence in? Are we going to put confidence in ourselves? That doesn't feel very promising. I don't trust myself. I don't trust myself without Jesus. I don't trust myself without the power of the Holy Spirit. I don't trust myself without discernment. I don't trust that girl. I will only trust anything within myself that's just given by Christ. So again, if that's discernment, if, if that's conviction, if that's just straight up like his voice, I only trust myself if it means that ally is, like, going like this with Jesus, but other than that, I don't trust her. So I'm putting my trust in Jesus. If I'm not even willing to trust myself without Jesus, it really boils down to, I'm putting my trust. I'm putting my confidence in Jesus. Why don't we talk about why confidence is so important? Why is having confidence, like, so important? Because I really think that when we think about confidence, I don't know if we realize how much it actually affects and touches every part of our lives. Confidence actually allows you to embrace your strengths and weaknesses, to accept yourself for who you are and who God is. Recognizing our strengths that God has given us and saying, yes, I am good at this. Yes, God has given me a gift of this, or, I'm strong in this, but also recognizing our weaknesses by saying, yes, I'm weak in this area, but I have God who is made strong in my weakness. And y', all, I don't know about you guys, but what I've actually learned with Jesus, in my opinion, is that I think we should celebrate our weaknesses more than our strengths. I think we should definitely be celebrating our strengths. Again, we don't want false humility. We should celebrate our strengths because those are gifts from God, which translates to just celebrating the Lord, like, honoring him by celebrating the gifts he's given us. So it is okay to celebrate your strengths, but it is also okay to celebrate your weaknesses. And I think that that can actually be a lot more powerful. Because as uncomfortable as it is and sometimes even tempting to feel shame about, like, celebration, sometimes when it comes to us looking at our weaknesses, it's just not tempting. We don't really want to do it. It's uncomfortable. And, yeah, it sometimes can feel a bit like shame when we look at ourselves and we're like, wow, I'm really, really, really not strong in this area. You know, I could be better at communicating. I could be less of a hothead. I could definitely be better at discipline, you know, like, whatever that is for you in your life. It's like, we could look at that and be like, I feel a lot of shame about that. I suck at that very thing. Or we could look at it and celebrate it and say, actually, this is an opportunity for me to grow deeper with the Lord. This is an opportunity for me to become more dependent on him, which is a gift, actually. And the only way that that's possible is because of the death of Jesus, because of the death that he died on the cross, resurrecting from the dead, leaving his Holy Spirit, connecting us with the Father for all of eternity. Like, overcoming sin and evil and shame. And so it's like we only have the opportunity to look to Jesus in our weaknesses because of what he did. And it's an opportunity to grow, and it is an opportunity to root even deeper with Jesus. Like, the times where I've felt the weakest in my life is the times that I have been the most desperate for Jesus. Like, gripping onto him for dear life. And as scary as those times can feel, I have realized, like, how good actually how fruitful those seasons were. The most fruitful out of times where I was just coasting and chilling, you know, thriving in my strengths, whatever. Like, those times where I was the weakest and I really needed to lean on Jesus were the times that were the most fruitful for me. I grew the most and I felt the closest to Jesus. So there's actually a lot to celebrate in our weaknesses, and we can celebrate them, too, because anything we're weak in, Jesus just has the strength, for he does. He has the answer. He has the very thing that you need in those weaknesses. And we celebrate that. We celebrate that we have a God who has everything we need. He has all the answers and he has all the tools, and he wants to carry our burdens. This is going to feel kind of like a little side story, but I wanted to share this because this intertwines into, like, what a gift Jesus is. Like, this just makes sense that we took communion now, but truly, what a gift of his sacrifice on the cross. Because even us having access to God the way that we do and when we need things and we need to ask him for strength when we're weak and the way that it's so accessible to us in a moment, How a revelation and a renewing of our mind can just happen in a moment is a crazy gift that was never always accessible to us. Like, that was only accessible to us. The veil was torn because of Jesus. That was not a thing. Before Jesus, I kind of had, like, a mini revelation. I was laying in bed one night, and I just really needed strength. In a moment, I actually was struggling with confidence. This is so funny. I was really, actually struggling in confidence in an area. And so I was. I just felt burdened to, like, lay it at his feet and confess all of the, like, icky stuff that I was believing about myself and about the situation. And I was laying in my bed and I was like, Jesus, and I'm just kind of like, I'm venting to him. I'm like, I'm feeling these things. I know it's not the truth, but like, I'm believing these things. I feel so inadequate. I feel so confidence, da da da da da. And I just like feel him kneeling next to my bed and I'm like, you know, Jesus, that's crazy. I'm like, I kind of had like a zoom out moment where I was like, I'm sorry, wait a minute. I'm venting to the creator of the universe, Jesus Christ, perfect man, God, I'm just venting to him and I'm talking to him and I, I feel, I like literally felt as if I saw him kneeling next to my bed and he like had his hands on my bed. And I'm like, you're sitting here, you, you perfect man, creator of all things, are sitting here to listen to me vent about this. Like, I just, I had such an out of body like realization and revelation in that moment of like, this is how, how do you care? How do you want to just sit here and listen to me speak? Like, you came to me, you came and knelt at my bed, which by the way me, like, I'm so imperfect. I sin and I'm, I'm human. But like Jesus came, knelt at my bed and so, I don't know, I just think like also knowing that that is his love for us, it doesn't make sense, it's so upside down. But that truly is his love for us that anytime we call into his name and we need something, he's there. Doesn't make sense, but he does it and he'll, he'll do it every time, every time. And so like feeling his presence in that moment, I was like, wow, Jesus, okay, you like really, you're here and it doesn't make sense and I don't deserve it and I did nothing to deserve it, but I accept it and I want to embrace it. And I need you and I need you to speak your truth into me, you know? So Jesus wants to kneel next to you and give you everything that you need, including confidence or strength or anything. He has it and he's so eager to do it. The way he ran up to my bed, I was like, why? He just does. Okay, that was just a little story time. Next point of why, why is confidence important? When you are confident, it actually inspires others to believe in themselves as well. When you guys think about like a really confident person, you're interacting with somebody who's very confident. I'm not talking like self confidence. Where they're like, really arrogant and really full of themselves, kind of giving, know it all energy. That isn't the type of confidence I'm talking about. That's, again, that's a false confidence. And it's deeply rooted out of insecurity. When people operate in that kind of confidence, I'm talking like legit confidence. Like, confidence in God. Like, this person is giving. They are fully themselves. It's almost giving. Like, they're just super free. Like, freedom is just radiating on them and peace, which I would love to touch on in a second of, like, how confidence can actually be connected to freedom and peace. But we can all admit that there is a natural attraction to a confident person. You know, you see that confident person in a room and. And all of a sudden we're all intrigued. Like, you're naturally attracted to that. And when somebody is carrying a confidence that's anchored in the Lord, like a real confidence, people will naturally just want to be around that person, right? They would want to be around you. They're actually probably even going to look up to you. And your confidence is going to encourage others and inspire them. And I can say that out of experience. Like, I know I've been around people where I'm like, okay, what? Like, that person is so obviously comfortable in their own skin. And my brain, when I see, see, that just automatically goes to like, wow, I want to be that free. Wait, I want that. That's intriguing. I'm like, gravitated to that. It actually will encourage and inspire people around you. So it's kind of cool. Because confidence also isn't just about us. It's not about just like, how we can operate better in life for ourselves or like, it's also about the way that that kind of confidence can impact other people and inspire them, and they'll also want to walk out in that same confidence. It may even intrigue people to ask you questions of being like, how are you so confident? Like, what. What gives you the right? Like, where are you getting that from? You know, and if your confidence is centered in Jesus, then that's a perfect opportunity to be like, I actually was never this confident. The only reason I'm this confident is because I found the Lord. I also think that because of that natural attraction that people could have to that kind of confidence, it could also intrigue people to ask you the simple question of, like, how are you so confident? You know, if we. And if we want to look at this from like an evangelistic pov, that would be such a great opportunity to be like, hey, I actually was never this confident. So much of my life. I used to, if this is your story, you know what I mean? But like so much of my life, I was operating out of a confidence that was. I was just putting on a mask. Like, I was just pretending. But deep down, I was truly so insecure. I was not confident in my purpose or just who I was as an individual. Like, I was not that person. But the thing that's given me freedom to be confident is Jesus, because I'm just confident in who he is. I'm confident who he says I am. And it's the most freedom I've ever received in my life. Yeah, it can be an inspiration for other people to operate in that kind of confidence if you are somebody who genuinely is like, I want to be a confident person. Okay. I really do. I think at the end of all of this, even after all the things I could say on this podcast, the best role model, it's not even the vessel that's being used today. It's not me, that's for sure. It's not me. The role model that we can take from and we can walk like we can take wisdom from is Jesus himself. Him coming down to earth and being fully man and fully God was for a huge purpose of demonstrating and showing us how we can live our lives that are like him. And one thing that he demonstrated really, really well was confidence. If we think about it, we're like, Jesus was a confident man. Jesus walked in confidence and boldness. He knew who he was and he knew who his father was. So it's like that. At the end of the day, it's like, I know who I am and I know who my father is. I know who my father says I am. I know my purpose. I know what I was put here on earth to do. And that doesn't always mean, when I say that, it doesn't always mean that you, like, have your 10 year plan, your 15 year plan, and you're like, I know this is how my life is going to look, but it's like, I know I was put on earth to what, glorify God? I know I was put on earth to what, spread the word of the gospel. I know I was put on earth to what, love God and to love others as I love myself. Right? So that's what I mean when it's giving identity. It's like, I know that I was created to do the very things of blank, love God and love others, to tell people of the good news, to Represent Jesus to the best of my abilities. Jesus demonstrated confidence so well. Jesus consistently demonstrated confidence in his identity, mission, and relationship with God, even in the face of opposition and adversity. This confidence wasn't arrogance, but rather a deep seated assurance stemming from his knowledge of his divine nature and purpose. He spoke with authority, forgave sins, performed miracles, and ultimately faced death with unwavering faith, all showcasing his confidence. While confident, Jesus also displayed humility and compassion, demonstrating love and care for all. So I love that what was mentioned here is that this confidence was an arrogance, that we can still be confident and have humility and love for others. And I think that also can be a major difference of like, worldly confidence. And then confidence that's centered in Christ is like, we are not arrogant, we're not prideful. We have humility. We are forgiving. We love others with all of those things. We are confident in who we are, confident in our identity, our mission, and our relationship with God, even in the face of just challenges in opposition and adversity. When confidence in the world, again is like, it's so much pride and looking at ourselves, maybe some arrogance. And I think that a way for us to stay rooted in these things when we're talking about, okay, yeah, like, Jesus demonstrated confidence in his identity, mission, relationship with God, all of that. But how, how do we keep coming back to that? How do we keep staying rooted in that? And something that Jesus did well and we saw him do a lot is he often retreated to prayer, demonstrating his dependence on God's will and guidance, which further fueled his confidence. So confidence also has to be fueled in a dependence on God, not self. Going back to prayer, reading the Word of God, like going back to God in whatever form that looks like. It absolutely should be prayer. It absolutely should be reading the Word of God. It absolutely should be in worship, like music, whatever, journaling, like going back to being dependent on God and fixing our eyes on God, because that's what Jesus did. If Jesus. Jesus did it, we have to do it too, right? So it's interesting that it's actually because of how often Jesus would retreat to prayer, which fully demonstrated his dependence on God's guidance. Like he needed the Father's shepherding and his guidance. That is the very thing that will fuel your confidence is actually dependence. Again, having your trust. What do we have our trust in? Dependence and trust and confidence in God and going back to him, not leaning on our own understanding, not leaning on our own strength. But his. Jesus's confidence was rooted in his relationship with God. His understanding of his mission and his unwavering commitment to truth and love. His example inspires believers to find confidence in their own identity and purpose through faith in Jesus. Something cool that I've come to the realization of too, just recently. And this could be about confidence. It could actually be about anything. But since we're talking about confidence today, we'll keep it on that. I started to have a revelation. I don't know if it's just done yet. I think it's still actually processing in my brain. Like I'm. My brain is still working on this revelation. But the revelation of, like, when Jesus died on the cross for us and he overcame everything, that means that he has given us full freedom. From the minute we proclaim him as our Lord and Savior. From the minute the second that we dedicate and give our lives to him and proclaim him as Lord of our lives is the minute that we actually receive full freedom. And so sometimes there are, like, areas in my life where I'm like, ah, confidence. I don't have full freedom in that yet, though. You know, like, I'm not super free in this area. Still got a lot of oppression here, or I got a lot of baggage here, or I have a lot of things I need to work on. I got a lot of heart stuff that needs to come up and out of me, you know, And I've believed that. And I feel like the visual that the Lord has shown me with having that mentality, which is wrong, by the way, that thought process is wrong, is not from the Lord. It's not right. He showed me that something I've been kind of believing and operating in is like, the longer that I walk with Jesus, the more I kind of like, unlock things. Almost as if I was playing a video game or something where it's like, you've reached the next level, but it's. You have to like, earn it. Like, you have to earn that next level of freedom. You know, if we're talking about freedom from things in your life, to me, I feel like I was looking at it like, once I hit a certain amount of time, once I hit a certain amount of years with just Jesus, once I hit a certain amount of biblical knowledge or wisdom or reading of the Word is when I will unlock this thing over here and then this thing will unlock. And granted there are fresh revelations for us to have all throughout our lives. And there will be things that will just continue to, like, click for us where we're like, oh my gosh, I've always had freedom in this area, though, and that's the realization is it's not like I've now unlocked this and I've earned this through my works. That's religion. But it's that there have been scales that have been removed from my eyes, and now I actually see it for what it is. And I've actually always had freedom in this place that was always mine, you know, because of what Jesus did and overcoming all of it on the cross. Like, he gave us full freedom. We received full freedom. Full. Not like we get a little freedom now, and then you get a little bit more, and then you get a little bit more. It's like he had given us full freedom once and for all in the very thing that he did with dying on the cross and defeating death and sin. And it's. It's more so of like a. Oh, my gosh, that was always mine. Like, that was always my territory because of Jesus. Because it all started with Jesus. That is something we've inherited because we've been adopted into the kingdom of God. Healing isn't something we earn as we continue to walk with Christ. Like, there's a new badge of wisdom of a certain amount of time spent with him or whatever. Like, I think I've also been like, I've gotten my badge of confidence now. I've gotten my badge of discernment now. I've gotten my badge of this. Now. I've gotten my badge of finally healing over this. And total healing is already yours. Like, you being delivered from feeling like you're an insecure person. You're like, no, I don't have confidence. I'm insecure, whatever. Like, that territory of your mind has already been overcome by Jesus. It's yours, actually. And so it's a mind shift of, like, realizing that the enemy has you in a place of believing that this is territory that you have to earn back. But Jesus paid the bill. He paid the bill for that territory. That land is already paid for and is already. Was already made yours the minute you accepted him and said, yeah, you. You died on the cross for me the minute that you repented. And you were like, jesus, you are my Lord. He paid that debt. So something that the enemies had me in and a lot of us can be guilty of this is believing that that territory is something we have to, like, earn or get back, when in reality it was always yours. And it's more about kicking him out and being like, I'm sorry you're trying to invade this territory and take it from me. It's not Yours confidence is fully accessible to me. I am a confident person. That is who God has always created me to be. That's what I have full access to. I have freedom in that. I have freedom to embrace my strengths and my weaknesses, my quirks, who I am. Like, I am confident in who God's created me to be. I'm confident in who I am because he made me that way. And also, above all else, I'm confident in who he is. That is already your portion. It's not a portion you have to earn or like, strive for or get to. It's already yours. I think in a lot of cases, understanding why you can and are confident, you can be confident and you are confident. That's your portion. That's who God's made you to be. That's the territory that's already been overcome by Christ. Right? We are confident in Christ. We're confident in who he says he is and who he says we are. It can be a simple mind shift of like, no, I'm just going to believe this. No, I'm going to have my trust in this now. I'm going to have my faith in this now. Now I'm not going to have my faith in any of this anymore. And it might still be a fight on some days. I'm not. I mean, when we think about the enemy and how he wants to come in and take certain territories of our life, especially when it comes to, like our identity. Confidence is rooted in our identity, which is like the biggest thing, right? He wants to come for our identity and try to steal that territory. Steal it because it's already ours. And so sometimes it might be a fight, like when you think about it like a battlefield, the enemy will try to come and take that territory of your identity and your mind. But this is why God tells us to have the proper tools to combat combat the enemy. This is why he tells us that this is not a war against flesh and blood. God uses the word war. Ephesians 6:12. It reads, for we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm, stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness for shoes. Put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully Prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. What I was about to say, the scripture explained it so much better than what Allie was going to say, is that, yes, sometimes it can feel like a fight. It can feel like a battle because there is a war that is going on in the unseen world against the mighty powers in this dark world. And so God tells us, like, literally tells us to put on armor and shows us the tools of what those would be. And so, just as Jesus did, we need to pray, we need to run back to God every time we need to be reading our scripture. These are the things that are going to help us combat the enemy. When he tries to come in and steal territory that is not his, your name is written all over that territory in Jesus blood. Like your name, I see it is written over that territory in the blood of Jesus. It's already yours. But the enemy will try to take it from you. He will try to come in and convince you that that territory was never yours. Confidence was never yours. Like your identity and security in Christ was never yours. He will try to convince you that these things were never yours from the beginning. And if he successfully convinces us of those things, then it is his territory. Yeah, just knowing how to combat the enemy when he tries to come for our identity and our confidence. So at the end of it all, y', all, what are we going to do? Who are we going to have? What is our confidence going to be rooted in? And if that is a question you need to ask yourself every morning, when you wake up in the morning and you're like, what is my confidence in today? You know, depending on however your day looks like that day, there's stressors. If there's things that are making you anxious, if there's things that you're like, oh, my gosh, like, I don't know how I'm going to do this today. Well, what. What is our confidence in today? Where are we getting our strength? Where is our trust? Trust in. And then just reminding ourselves to have our confidence and our trust in God, in what he says. And I will say, like, ever since I've decided to put my trust in God, to put my confidence in God, I've also just had so much more freedom to just be more of myself. Not having any fear of man and only having fear of God, of what he says about me and no one else. Where he says I should have my confidence in and no one else. And there is so much freedom that comes in that. There's so much freedom and peace that comes with that kind of confidence. And that's the Lord's love for us. That's what he wants us to be walking in every single day. I hope that this episode was helpful, you guys. I'd love to hear your feedback in the comment section below or if you guys even have any additional feedback or testimonies of ways that you feel like you've overcome things in your life with the Lord regarding confidence. You know, I think that that would be really cool. I. I personally love to read your guys testimonies and hear about them as well. So I love you guys. Thank you for joining us for another episode. Hey, can we do something really cool today though, before we head out? Can we show somebody, everybody, how cool Jesus is today? Let's do something cool by showing someone how cool Jesus is today. Let's walk more like him. Let's talk more like him. Let's be more confident as Jesus has always demonstrated confidence, and that is yours. Like, confidence is yours to have. I love you guys. I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of y', all and I will see you in the next episode. Bye. Are some of y' all still listening? Okay, if you're still here, that means you're a real one, which is why I'm about to share this with you. If you've already caught up on all the episodes so far and you don't want to wait until next Friday for a new one, I have really good news for you. 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