Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Stay Positive, Part 3: 3 Truths to Build Your Confidence

Episode Date: May 24, 2020

REOPENINGSome Life.Church locations have resumed services. To ensure safety at our locations, our weekend services have been redesigned to create a sanitary, touchless environment that allows for physical distancing. To see if your location is open and see updated service times, please visit https://www.life.church/updatesI’M CONFIDENTSo many of us teeter between insecurity and false confidence. This four-day Bible Plan will lay your new foundation in God confidence. Continue the six-part Stay Positive Bible Plan series: https://www.go2.lc/staypositiveSUPPORT COVID-19 RESPONSE AND DIGITAL MISSIONSYou can designate a gift to Life.Church to go to coronavirus relief or to Digital Missions like the Church Online Platform! Your gift above the tithe helps meet immediate needs in your community and around the world and helps other churches to spread the Good News of Christ to people everywhere: https://www.life.church/givingABOUT STAY POSITIVEThere’s no limit on hope. You can discover a whole lot to smile about if you know where to look. And we can help you find it! Don’t let life get you down. Stay joyful. Stay hopeful. And Stay Positive! For more about this series, visit https://www.life.church/staypositiveSTAY CONNECTEDStay updated with the latest news from Life.Church at https://www.life.church/stayconnected. You can also visit https://www.life.church/updates for the latest, or download the Life.Church app (https://www.life.church/app) and enable push notifications.NEXT STEPSHave you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what’s next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to your next steps in your walk with Christ: https://www.life.church/nextABOUT LIFE.CHURCHWherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://www.live.life.church. Find locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/app. FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/life.churchInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/life.churchTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/lifechurchCONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIGYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIIdiIO-Y20hRW9niR0CA8AFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/craiggroeschelInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschelTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/craiggroeschel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It is beyond great to be with you today. Those of you joining us on YouTube, on the Life Church website, the Life Church app. Thank you so much for being with us today. If we have not met, my name is Chris. I'm the pastor here at Life Church, Oklahoma City. And gosh, it's good to be together. This is good for my soul. And for yours as well, and for yours as well.

A couple weeks ago, Craig and A. me and Cindy and I got together and had dinner. We've been quarantined and apart. We're really, we love spending time together. We got to have dinner. We were sharing a meal. And we were reminiscing about when our relationship began 19 years ago. And Craig kept going on and on about Pastor, man, I just remember when I hired you as my second worship pastor and you were just so gifted. And Cindy looks at him and said, really? And I'm like, yeah, really? And I'm like, yeah, really? And Like, I know that's how we met, but I wasn't, I was okay. I wasn't super great.

But in Craig's mind, I think he thinks I was much better than I really was. And that really has defined the nature of our relationship. Pastor Craig, if you're watching, I want to say thank you for always seeing more in me than I saw in myself. That's really a gift, you know. When you see something in someone else that they don't entirely see in themselves, and that's kind of what today's message is all about because we all deal with some form of lack of confidence, a lack of inadequacy, a lack of insecurity, but there are other people somewhere, and for sure God, who sees in your life something that you do not see in yourself. For me, it doesn't

take much. It could be a weird look that I'm like, oh my gosh, do I have something in my nose, or it could be an awkward moment. And let's be honest, in the last couple months, there there's been nothing but awkward moments socially. You don't know how to interact with human beings anymore. It could be a weird comment that someone said. Case in point. Two, three weeks ago, I'm at Costco, wearing a mask like many of you are wearing,

and I'm just kind of like steering my card away from as many people as possible. And this guy locks eyes with me and starts coming for me like this, just like this. And I'm like, this is too aggressive during a pandemic. That's what I'm thinking. And he comes up to me, and he's a close talker, no mask. And so he's leaning in, and he's like, Pastor, you preached a message a year or two ago that absolutely changed my life.

And I'm like, why didn't you wear a mask in Costco, man? Like, I'm pretty sure it's required. But he's giving me a compliment. So I just lean in. I'm like, tell me more. Just keep going. And he's like, I just can't tell me. you like the trajectory of my entire life is different because of that message you preached.

And it is just mind-blowing to me that you almost died on vacation in Portland. There are 12 of you laughing who know the person I'm talking about isn't me. It's my boss, the person that preached last weekend, Sam Roberts. Can we show some love for Pastor Sam? Did an amazing job. Pastor Sam, there's a guy at Costco. that thought you did an amazing job. And just a little comment like that, I'm like, you know,

the insecurities just rise and rise and rise. Here's the thing. Like, I've got a long history with insecurity. I had terrible acne in high school. I had bad sense of style when I met Cindy. To her, I had what Cindy called summer teeth when we first met. What are summer teeth you ask? Some are here.

Some are there. Some are pointing this way. For those of you who are orthodontists, bless your ministry. Even seriously like today, I see on Instagram other dads doing grand adventures on the weekends with their sons, and I'm here on the weekends. And I feel like a failure sometimes as a dad. My wife is a better student of the Bible than I am. And I'm the pastor and supposed to be the spiritual leader of my home and the inadequacies start to rise. Let's be honest, church. single one of us lack confidence. It can take the form of the people pleasers, right? The people that just, I'm always sucking up to the boss, or I'm always saying the right thing, or I always want to

be in your good graces. Or it could be what I call the fishers, those people that are always fishing for a compliment. It could be the young lady that takes a makeup and, or no makeup, takes a selfie, posts on Instagram, all natural, just keeping it real, and she's flawless, and the ladies want to vomit because she's perfect, and she's just trying to get a, oh, girl, you are so hot. I promise you, today, I will leave this service and go home and say, Cindy, I just don't think my message connected with anybody. Like, I don't, I don't really think it just changed anybody's life, and what am I doing? I'm just fishing for, a compliment, a response, or the one-upers, the person that has the more important name to drop,

they got a better deal on this, you know, we're just trying to, whatever that is, those are just mechanisms to deal with a disease that every single one of us deals with on some level or another. And it doesn't just make us feel bad, guys. It absolutely robs us from the life, that God has created us to live. It's going to lead you to not interview. Like, what's the point? I'm not going to get the job anyway. I'm not going to enroll in school.

I'm in my 30s. Everybody else is in their 20s. I'm not going to get sober today because most likely I'm going to pour a glass tomorrow. That's not a way to live. But these inadequacies keep us from doing the things that God knows our best for our lives. So here's the thing.

if you get anything today, I want you to get this. We do not need more self-confidence. Here's what we need. We need to cultivate. And that word is intentional. We have to slowly cultivate God confidence. I don't need self-confidence. I need to find a way to live my life with a sense of holy boldness.

Because why? if I placed confidence in me, Jeremiah 17 says, my heart's deceitful. Why do I place confidence in a deceitful heart that is lying to me all the time? Right? Jesus said it in the gospel of Matthew that my flesh is weak. I'm not going to put confidence in a weak flesh. Or Paul wrote to church in Rome, Romans 7, that my behavior is inconsistent. But look what King David wrote in Psalm 57. He says, heart is confident in you. My cart is confident in you. No wonder I can sing your praises. Our lives have to flow out of a deep sense of identity of who God is and who he says you are. And so today, I want to give you three thoughts, just three truths to help you cultivate a sense of God confidence. And I say truths intentionally. The reason we need truths to cultivate God confidence is because our sense of inadequacy is often rooted in what? Lies. Somewhere along the line, we have believed a lie, a deception about ourselves. And the only way to replace and battle

those lies is with the truth of God's word. Amen? at what Paul writes in Romans chapter 12. He says, and so look, don't be conformed to the pattern and the culture of this world, but instead be transformed. How are we transformed? Church, by the renewing of our mind. How do we renew our mind? It's because we replace the lies with the truth of who God says we are. That which is good and acceptable and his perfect will. truth number one, to cultivate a sense of God confidence. If you're taking notes, jot this down, my God is always for me. He is always for me. Some of you were like me and you grew up with this sense that God was constantly out to get me. He was always trying to catch me doing something wrong

and smite me with his wrath. But that's not really the nature of God. For those of you who are parents, do you feel that way about your kids? Are you just sitting at the edge of your seat waiting for them to do something wrong so you can yell at them because that's the purpose of being a parent? No. We delight over our kids. We engage in the hard stuff because we want what's best for our kids. We want our kids to grow up to be people of freedom and people who know who God is and have a sense of, of, steadiness, like their life is still water.

And I'm just going to tell you, the most attractive person in the world is someone who knows who they are in Jesus. Have you ever noticed that? The people that we're just drawn to are the people that aren't really trying. They just know who God is. And they know who they are in Jesus.

I would even, I would even assert, that being centered in your identity in Christ is the most powerful evangelistic tool you could have. Because you don't have to seek them out. They're coming to seek you out. They're going to wonder, what is it that's different about that person, that he is so steady when the world is going crazy. He is constant. I know who I am in Jesus and I know who my God is. This is what a Christian life is supposed to look like. God is always for me. Paul wrote to the church in Rome. If God is for us, you've heard this verse before.

If God is for us, it's not just a question, but a statement, by God is for me, therefore, who on earth could be against me? If my God is for me cheering me on thinking that I'm actually pretty special, who on earth? It's like, who cares, really? Who's against you? and I'm not even talking about them, I'm talking about you. If your God is for you, how could you not be for you?

One of the greatest joys for Cindy and me as parents is watching Seth Beale play basketball. 16 years old, 6'4, brilliant basketball player. Cindy played ball in high school, and we would go to his game. travel all over the place to watch him play. And I'm just going to tell you something about Cindy Beale. She's loud. She's, she's that mom. I'm just going to tell you, she's that mom. She would yell and cheer. In fact, the last season that Seth played, she actually had to make a covenant with herself to not address the referees. Am I lying? You actually did. I'm going to say something ungodly, so I'm just going to keep my mouth shut. And when Seth got onto the floor,

Cindy would get noisy. And Seth would tell you he was embarrassed, but his play changed. His play changed. The ball handling changed. The aggression changed. Why? Because someone was sitting on the edge of the bleachers saying, I am with you. I am for you. You are not alone. I see more in you than you see in yourself. Drive the basket. Come on. Post up. You got this. And your God is sitting on the edge of heaven doing that over you right now. Right now. That is who he is. We do not live our lives. Pastor Craig says this all the time. We do not live our lives chasing the approval of God. we live our lives as an overflow from what we already have. Not seeking something, but recognizing we already have the approval of God,

my life will flow out of his approval. So do not throw away, the author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 10, do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you. you're hoping to climb out of a mountain of debt church god is for you you try to reconcile a relationship maybe a marriage god is for you you want to start or feel led to start a new business your god is for you you have to believe that he is not trying to catch you he is trying to compel you just live out of the approval of god he is always for you secondly church my god always helps me

My God always helps me. Again, the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 13 says, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we say with what? We say with confidence, the Lord is my helper. And I will not be afraid. So here's the question. Where do you feel unsure?

Where do you feel like you just don't have the tools to do blind? or to be blank. In what area do you feel like I really need some help here? Our God will help you. One of the most amazing things about this last season, as many challenges it has brought, it has brought relationship to the forefront. And the amount of intimate conversations that I've had with so many of you in our church is mind-blowing. and to hear stories of people meeting Christ when we haven't even had the building open for two months means the church is actually out there being the church. Neighbors having needs met elderly people that are having cities bringing food to people in their 80s

and speaking a prayer over them from a distance. Our God will help you in whatever way you struggle. And I'm telling you, the reason I mentioned the stories is that, what he's done before, he will do again. And so all of the marriage that has already been restored doesn't mean that's where God's power has ended. That can actually happen in you. The mountain of debt that has been paid off already in someone else's life could actually be the story that God plays out in yours. The family member that still does not know Christ, but somebody said yes to the Lord a week ago, well, that could happen to your family member as well. Our God is a God that stands ready to help.

It is in our weakness, is it not? That his strength is made perfect. And let's be honest, some of you are having really challenging times right now. Tough. You will look back a year from now, two years from now, and you will see he was with you the whole time. And he was working in you in ways you kind of thought he might. but you can see in high definition later what he was doing all along.

Ten years ago, January, my father passed away. And my father was one of the individuals that I spent my entire life trying to get his approval. And in the early days of us working out those teenage teenager dad relationships, it was not great. Toward the end of his life, he was at his best. There was a softness in his heart. There was a repentance in his spirit for some of the stuff that he had done. And he ended his life closer to Jesus than he had ever lived it before. But I was asked to preach at his funeral.

And I grew up Catholic. And so I was freaking out. I'm in this cathedral in central Texas. and I'm walking up onto the stage altar area. And I've got a lot of just interesting baggage from religion growing up. And so I was very, I was just, I was very scared that it was not going to go well. And then the back doors of the cathedral opened and Terry Storch and Sam Roberts walked into the church. And they didn't say anything, but they're.

presence changed everything. And I stood up with a sense of confidence and I preached my father's funeral. And there's something about presence that changes the atmosphere of your life. It changes the things you think you can face or things you can't face. And in fact, David wrote in Psalm 461 that God is our refuge in strength. Look at the an ever-present help. I believe his presence is the help. He is an ever-present help in times of trouble. If you're finding yourself in a situation where you don't know what to do, what tool to use in your life relationally with conflict, in your workplace, I got a tip for you. Invite the presence of God there. His presence is all the help you need.

He is called, in fact, Emmanuel God with us. Church, God is for you. He will always help you. And finally, I love this one, my God is still working in me. My God is still working in me. I remember when Noah Beale turned 16 years old, he was going through the country face of his life. And we've got lots of pictures. I'm not going to embarrass them with pictures.

But every day was a Wrangler day. Every day was a Red Wing Boot day. Every day was a Stetson straw hat day. We were just, we were full-blown country mode. Noah, what do you want to get for your first car? He'd been working his tail off and saving and saving and saving. I want a work truck. Dad, of course you do.

He wants a work truck. And so we start looking around for a work truck. Not only does he want a work truck, he wants a stick shift. Son, are you sure you want to spend your life savings on something you do not have any experience operating? Yep, Dad, I'm confident that that's what I want, like a 94 Ford or something like F-150. Anyway, so he bought a standard transmission work truck. And so it is obviously my job to teach this boy how to drive a stick. there's this, there's this give and take between the throttle and the clutch, right?

What's a clutch, Dad? Oh my gosh, we're in trouble. All right. Throttle in the clutch. So we go out into the country west of our house, way out there, nobody's around. Well, it turns out they're actually semis driving like gas and stuff around, which is kind of dangerous for somebody that doesn't have to drive a stick. So anyway, we're doing this. And I'm telling you, I'm a Christian.

I'm a Christian man who's a pastor. And in the course of that hour, I lost my salvation seven times. I cussed more in that truck. He still does not want to drive me to this day. He has been scarred and wounded. So we get that. He figured the finesse out, but I got home after that whole thing, and I'm like, what is wrong with me?

I'm a grown man who knows Jesus. I'm a pastor, and I act like a fool. Does anybody get a little bit frustrated that you are still struggling with the things that you're struggling with today? After all this time, after all that God's done, well, here's what I'm here to tell you. God is not done with you. He's not done. Turn to your neighbor and say, God is not done with you. Now turn back and say, that is a good thing.

God is not done with you. I love this. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, being confident. of this, that God who began a good work in you will be faithful and just to complete it to the day of Christ Jesus. He is not done with you. You are still a work in progress. I love that. Even when we blow it, God is still working. He's going to finish it. God does not quit. He does not get frustrated. He does not say, all right, I tried my best. I'm done. I'm going to wash my hands of all this. No, no, no. He's still working.

and it isn't until we're in the presence of God. That's why Paul writes, until the day of Christ Jesus, you're not done until you're in heaven. And until that day, you're still a work in progress. So be patient with yourself because God is patient with you. You still struggle with spiritual doubts. God's not done. Nagging habit you can't overcome.

God's not done with you. You've been neglecting his work. God's not done with you. He is not done with you. Here's the thing. And here's why this, this truth is so critical for us. Because if we continue to live our lives fueled by this sense of I'm not good enough, God made a mistake when he made me, it will render you completely useless. And yet the Bible says, God has a purpose for you. That. that's right. And your purpose is only as powerful as you living out of the truth of God's word. Some of you guys know my story. And this area of my life, I'm telling you, it is, this is probably

the area where God has done a mountain moving miracle in me. I'm just going to tell you. There are still days that I struggle with some low level inadequacy and insecurity, but God has transformed me in this. area because I lived the first part of my life until I was 28 years old, utterly paralyzed, needing your approval. I just need you to affirm me. I just need you to like me. I need you to celebrate me because I hate me. And some of you are right there. I spent two years out of ministry. I had like forfeited everything. My ministry was gone. My marriage was hanging on by a thread. all my fault. And I'm like, God, I just want to be free. I want to be free of these lies that I just am a mistake. Like everybody else got an aspect of your handiwork. But somehow I'm kind of

on the scrap pile. That's the way I felt. And I'm working at a job at a home improvement store. I'm a lumber salesman. Nothing super. exciting on the resume about selling two by fours. But there was the purity of that job that created an environment for revelation to happen in Chris Beale. And one day I'm working, and I just feel the overwhelming sense of God saying, Chris, I love you.

Like I literally heard it in my spirit. I'm like, thanks. That's awesome. Appreciate that. And again, this moment came. No, Chris, I love you. And in that moment, what I have intellectually known my whole life, Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so, took an 18-inch journey to my soul.

And at that moment, I knew I'm enough. Like if I never did anything other than soul two-by-fours, God would not love me any more than he does right now. And you may be in the bottom of the bottom. but your circumstance does not define who you are. And what I want to happen is I want a moment for you where you realize here, but you experience it here, that you are enough. The Bible says that you're more than an overcomer, right?

By the word of the lamb and the words of our story, that you're blessed coming in and you're blessed going out, that the promises of God are yes and amen for those who are in Christ Jesus, that you are seated with Christ in heavenly places. You are a co-air of everything God created with Jesus. That is who you are here. But I need you to feel it here because it will change you. And it will render you dangerous spiritually when you live with that sense of stillwater.

I don't need you to like me. God's crazy about me. Would you stand up to your feet for a moment, church? Even those of you worshiping on the website, YouTube, you might even consider standing as we, we're going to worship. And here's why. Worship is warfare.

When you declare in the context of God's people, who he is and who he's, as we are, I believe that can be a mountain moving moment for you. I believe you can leave this place today different than when you walked in. And so we're going to declare again a song we sang a moment ago. And I just want to bring attention to some of the lyrics here because it's so powerful. Here I find your love is a firm foundation. So I'm holding on to the promise of your truth. And here's the promise. You make all things new.

So your messed up thoughts, God can make your mind new. Your past that has defined you, God can redeem that and make it new. God is a God that makes all things new. And so I want us to lift our voices and let this be kind of a war cry and a line in the sin that I am not going to live out of this inadequacy anymore, but I'm going to live my life out of who God is and who He says. I am. Let's worship him. Promise. That is a promise from God to you. In a moment, just a prayerful moment, how many of you who are followers of Jesus would say that this struggle with inadequacy,

even to the point maybe of self-hatred, has been something that's been a significant part of my life and I just want to be set free. If that you, would you just be honest to raise your hands so many of us? God, I pray over every person watching online, in this room who just struggles with the lies that don't seem to stop. And God, I pray that you would transform us. Transform us with truth. Set us free from our past, from the dialogue in our minds, from the hatred of ourselves and the things that we've done.

God, let your words speak louder in our life than anything else. As we continue to pray, I want to just read a passage of scripture over you, and I want to ask yourself, does this describe me? Paul wrote to the church in Colossians chapter 1. He says, we've heard of your faith in Christ Jesus. We've heard of your love for all of God's people, which comes, listen to this, from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you.

in heaven. For some of you today, you don't have a confident hope that heaven is your home. You have a desperate wish. Maybe my good will outweigh my bad. But there's nothing about your life that says, I am confident that I am God's kid and that I will spend eternity in heaven. And I'm telling you, you do not have to live with uncertainty because the gospel is certain. It is black and white. There is no room for questioning or gray. It is black and white. And here it is.

You've sinned, period. Your penalty of sin for all of us is eternal separation from God. That is bad news. And there's nothing you can do to change it. But the good news is that Jesus came, was sinned from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life, was tortured and died on a cross to pay a debt. He did not owe, but you did. Why did he do that?

So that you could be forgiven and have the confident hope that heaven is your home. If you do not have that confidence, what do you do? You call out on the name of Jesus. You confess your sin. And I'm telling you, your faith in the cross, you will be saved. If that's your prayer all over the world at church online on YouTube in this room, if you want to say yes to Jesus, just boldly at your hand right where you are. you eye to eye. Jesus, I'm saying yes to your grace and love. I'm saying yes,

praise God for you. Awesome. Others of you. Jesus, I need you. Be bold. Be confident. Praise God. Let's do this. Let's all pray together for those saying yes to the gift of God's grace. Pray this with me. Father, I need you. I've sinned. I'm asking you to save me. Jesus, I believe you died to pay for my sin. And you rose from the grave to bring me life, fill me now with your Holy Spirit, that I could serve you always. In Jesus' name, I pray. Can somebody tell God how grateful we are for his days? Come on! Come on!