Have you ever lost your confidence? You thought you had something right, and then for various reasons, you ended up feeling like you totally blew it.

Maybe you begin comparing yourself to someone else. Maybe you keep failing to live up to the expectations you have for yourself. Somehow, you begin suffering from insecurity and a lack of confidence.

But even more than just suffering internally, there is a greater danger when confidence is lost. We can end up becoming one of these three people:

• People-pleasers, who only want to make others happy
• Fishers, who put something negative out there in hopes of getting something positive in return, or
• One-uppers, who always have something better, worse, or earlier than you do.

While those people can be annoying to everyone around them, the tragedy is that when we lose our confidence and turn into those people, we end up missing out on so many different experiences that can enrich our lives. Even worse, we sometimes miss out on living the life that God created us to live.

“You will never honor your calling, without confidence.” – Rev. Paul Rasmussen

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews seems to address this issue directly. Hebrews 10:35 says, “Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward.”

The author is writing to a group of Christians who are facing persecution and is encouraging them not to give up on who they are. More importantly, not to give up on who God is. We, too, are encouraged to remember the times when we have been in dark places, and God was faithful. We are reminded that there are faithful people who have gone before us and kept their confidence in God in the face of overwhelming discouragement. It was this confidence that ultimately allowed them to continue working to bring the kingdom of God on earth.

When we face darkness, evil, or persecution today, we should not lose our confidence – God is with us now, too!

The next time you’re feeling anxious, or like you don’t measure up, it may be time to give your confidence a boost. Try these three steps to reclaim your self-confidence.

Deal with your conscience

When we have a burdened conscience, it’s hard to have confidence. But sometimes when we have a bad conscience, we don’t go to the one place where it can be made right: church. We must remember that Christ’s sacrifice opened the way for us, and we can walk into the presence of God with confidence that God’s grace is good enough for us.

Seek community

We all need community around us, but it should be a community that encourages us and boosts our confidence, not one that drags us down. Some people won’t like what we’re trying to do, and some people will be offended or turned off. But we need other people around us who will remind us that as long as we are following God’s purpose for us, we should keep going.

Work on consistency

Just a workout schedule, you can’t do it once and expect it to make a huge difference. We must consistently recognize those things that God has called us to do. Know that if God called us, God will also empower us with the confidence to do it. Read scripture, pray, attend worship, forgive others, be in community consistently, and you will retain your confidence.

Reclaim your confidence

We have all been given confidence. You have been gifted with confidence in who you are, and who God is calling you to be. It’s time to reclaim the confidence you already have.