In II Corinthians 2:16, the Apostle Paul, speaking of his ministry to the Corinthians and others, exclaimed: “And who is adequate for these things?”  The answer, of course, is that none of us are. We must depend upon God to do for and through us what we cannot do for ourselves. (See devotion on that verse here).

But we CAN find in The Lord an adequacy for all that He entrusts to us.  In fact, in the very next chapter Paul addresses that:

He writes in II Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves … our adequacy is from God.”  Paul knew, as he indicated in 2:16, that he was not able, in his own human resources, to accomplish what God had commissioned him to do.  But he was also confident that He would also give the power and ability to perform it: “Our adequacy is from God.”

And God will do the same thing for us.  Has God given you a task  today that you feel inadequate for? You are in good company: the Apostle Paul, and countless other Christians, have felt the exact same way.  Despite this, they had a confidence that they would be able to do everything that God entrusted them to do.  But it is important to realize that their confidence was not in themselves, but in Him.

It is a huge difference.  The Bible doesn’t command us to be “self-confident.”  Its Author knows our heart, all our weaknesses, and so many ways that we can fail.  We do not have much reason for “SELF-confidence.”  But scripture does repeatedly teach us that we can be GOD-confident:  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)  “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:6) — and so on.

But we need to realize that this is not just a “semantic difference.” It makes all the  difference whether we place our confidence in our own innate abilities, or in God. We can think of countless reasons why we should not be self-confident; they assail us continualy!  But when we look to the Lord and His purpose and power, we find that we have every reason to be “GOD-confident”!