Confident Humility by Natalie Fortunato
April 18, 2012
Matthew 8:9 (Amplified Version) “For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it.”
Many years ago, I heard Joyce Meyer recommend that anyone who wants to grow in their relationship with Christ should read or listen to at least one teaching on humility every month. Since then, I have been collecting articles, CD’s, and book excerpts on the subject of humility and pride. (If you know of any good ones, send me a quick reply to this email! ) Then like she said, I also set a reminder on my PC to review one of these teachings every month, which has been very, very helpful.
So when I saw the subtitle, Confident Humility, in the book Sun Stand Still, by Steven Furtick, which I highly recommend, it grabbed my attention. I used to struggle to understand the balance between confidence and true humility. It was almost like I had to pick one. Not so. As you will see in the excerpt below, “they are both essential for a life of true faith”. Enjoy!
Obviously, praying audacious prayers and walking in bold faith takes confidence. But healthy confidence is born out of genuine humility. The two must work in tandem. Confidence without humility is arrogance. Humility without confidence is weakness. Confidence and humility are both biblical. And they’re equally essential for a life of true faith.
One day a leading military official approached Jesus. One of his most valuable servants was sick, and the outcome looked bleak. Jesus offered to abort his scheduled ministry activities and make a house call to heal the servant, but the commander offered an alternative. Study his response in Matthew 8:8. It’s a textbook lesson in audacious faith bolstered by confident humility:
- “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.” Humility
- But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Confidence
Complete confidence in the competency of Christ matched with sincere humility. This is the only formula for authentic audacious faith.
Apathy refuses to take the chance. Arrogance sweeps you away to a place outside God’s protective parameters. Either way, you’ll miss out on the action if you aren’t willing to get in over your head [referring to wave jumping with his young son]. Grab on to God with all you’ve got. Have faith that He can lift you high above your circumstances and fears.
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