REAL Confidence #2

I was a counselor at a christian camp one summer when friends from high school drove up to visit me on the Eastern Shore. They took me out to lunch in the amazing yellow MG convertible of a boy whose affection, I thought, would make High School Musical look like a B rated movie (wait a minute ...). Just kidding! :)

As we sat down to eat, my napkin glided down to my feet. Leaning over to pick it up, my elbow caught the tray corner, and my large rootbeer catapulted into the air, into the air, pouring out all over my head. Still bent over covered under dripping rootbeer, I wondered, "How would I ever come back from this one?" How would my all star, award winning, West Pointe appointee, convertible driving friend see me after that? It didn't matter. Putting my passions there would've led to an Empty Life, as we saw yesterday. That wasn't real confidence that was drenched in rootbeer, anyways.

Christian teens (and adults...) can fall into the "Paul trap" of basing confidence in their Christian resume. Pride. Paul claimed in verse 4 of Philippians 3 that he had more reason to do this than anyone. We may think we don't identify with Paul, but give it a 2nd thought. Something like...I'm a pastor's wife. I was a missionary. I wrote Bible curriculum. I taught VBS. I discipled someone. I was baptized. I made a box for Operation Christmas Child. I listen to Christian radio. I have a christian ringtone. :)

Same idea, just 2009 translation. If not from a heart of devotion, it's all just religious appearance, accessories of FAKE CONFIDENCE we sometimes add externally to make ourselves appear good. Pride. We do this to answer the question, "What am I worth?" The terrible truth is that confidence based on FAKE PURITY creates a dark cloud of insecurity, fear we won't do enough, or people may see our ugly heart.

Instead, for REAL PURITY, 1 John 3:3 tells us that if our hope is in Christ, we should want to be pure as He is pure. That's not FAKE PURITY, that's REAL PURITY, and that gives us FREEDOM. Living with freedom in life creates REAL CONFIDENCE. Teens are not alone in facing the challenges of being pure today; the temptations come right into our homes, right onto our phones, right into our ear pieces! Psalm 119:9-11 says we become pure by hiding God's Word in our hearts and walking according to His Word.

REAL PURITY creates REAL CONFIDENCE! Tomorrow, let's look at a question everyone wants answered today: Who keeps me safe?