Jump to content
  • Welcome Guest

    For an ad free experience on Online Baptist, Please login or register for free

Confidence or Humility?


Confidence vs. Humility  

2 members have voted

  1. 1. Which opportunity do you pursue?

    • Confidence
      0
    • Humility
      2


Recommended Posts

  • Members

All other things being equal and God's hand appears to be in both...

You have two ministry opportunities in front of you. In one, you feel supreme confidence that you can handle the new responsibilities and feel empowered to do so. In other other, you feel completely humbled by everything surrounding the opportunity and truly wonder if you're up to the task.

Which path do you take? Confidence or Humility?

Edited by TheSword
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Ok, sure. That sounds nice and spiritual, but let's assume you haven't gotten any clear direction and perhaps He will bless either option because He has genuinely set both before you. Even if that's not the case, how would you discern which way He is telling you to take?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I don’t see how this question can be answered by anyone other than the actual person faced with the two opportunities.

  1.       We do not specifically know your capabilities and limitations
  2.       We do not know what each opportunity is or how you do or do not qualify for each.

The most obvious thing that should be done is to earnestly pray about the situation. Ask to be provided godly counsel through God’s word and God’s people.

Following and along with prayer, get in the word. It’s amazing how God can grant an answer through scripture we’ve read countless times before.

Seek counsel through your pastor(s), and true Christian friends and family.

Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.

Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellers they are established.

I don't think any of these three things should be left out. I have reaped there benefits many times.

As for the "still small voice", I don’t put much stock in listening for that. As you said, that all sounds nice and spiritual, but I believe that Satan is just as capable of using a still small voice. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)

People fail to remember that before Elijah heard that still small voice he fully experienced “a great and strong wind”, “an earthquake”, and “a fire”. I suppose if you were to experience all three of those things and a “still small voice” were to follow, you may then be able to attribute that to God.

Edited by 282Mikado
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

All good inputs. In response to your #1 & #2, let's say qualifications are not an issue for either and both opportunities are ultimately similar in the function. Truly, the only difference between the two are the immediate scope; potential is relatively equal. I will tell you that I was confronted with this choice a couple of days ago, pastors and counselors of several sorts have been consulted, prayer and fasting has been done, and a decision has been made. I don't really want to make the thread about my particular situation, but rather see how others approach such a choice.

I know details would seem to help, but I hesitate to give any because the crux of the question is which path (confidence or humility) would you lean toward and why? What drives you one direction over the other? Do you go with "confidence" because it might be divine empowerment to do the work God has set before you? Do you go with "humility" because it will force you to rely on God all the more?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The previous responses sum it up pretty well. If there are two options set before you look to determine which one, i some way, is the best. Sometimes there are two directions we can go. Typically, one is good but the other is best. Which leads us back to where you began: how to determine which is which.

I've been there before and I still can't prescribe a sure formula or even fully recall or grasp the process that finally resulted in an answer. The things mentioned above, much prayer (possibly also with fasting), seeking godly counsel, listening for the leading of the Lord whether through that "still small voice", that sense of peace for one option more than the other.

The Lord does speak to us, we can't just dismiss listening for His response, otherwise why bother praying. Sometimes His answer may come in an "inner voice", sense of overwhelming peace, the clear counsel of a godly man, a sudden realization that one option stands out as the one now, etc.

Most often, and this is just from observation, reading and personal experience, it seems the Lord leads us into something which we can't do in our own strength. That way, when we accomplish what He's called us to we know it was through Him and not of ourselves the task was accomplished.

It seems it's usually more dangerous to enter something thinking, "I go this", than it is to enter something that we wonder how we can manage to "get this". Again, just observational, not something set in stone as it were.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

As a woman, of course, I would need to get input from my hubby on any decision of a ministry participation. But I know he would also take my thoughts into account. I have always been the type of person that likes to learn things. Were I to face a choice of 2 ministries, one of which I felt confident about and one not so much, I think I might lean toward the one that would make me wonder if I'm up to the task. I would be fearful somewhat, for sure. But at the same time, as I said, I would look forward to learning new things about serving the Lord.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Well, based on only the information given in the question, I'd probably choose the first option. If I have to choose between doing two things, one which I know I can do and one which I am not certain I have the skills to do, I'd go for the one I could do. Mostly cause I wouldn't want to mess things up. That is what I would choose in secular areas (such as my job), and I have a tendency to view ministries as more jobs to get done (which is not quite right, I know). Course, it might depend what the ministries are, too.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Ok, sure. That sounds nice and spiritual, but let's assume you haven't gotten any clear direction and perhaps He will bless either option because He has genuinely set both before you. Even if that's not the case, how would you discern which way He is telling you to take?

You discern through much prayer and fasting, and through acknowledging him in all your ways. As to him genuinely setting both before you, that rarely ever happens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

You discern through much prayer and fasting, and through acknowledging him in all your ways. As to him genuinely setting both before you, that rarely ever happens.

Agreed on both counts, but that discernment doesn't usually come through a written letter, divine phone call, or booming voice and rarely does not mean never. Additionally, discernment can, and often does, come through the way the Spirit presses you and how He makes you feel about one direction or another. If you don't want to answer the question directly, that's perfectly ok; but we don't need to over-analyze this one. This simple question is about how you approach discerning God's direction is such cases.

Edited by TheSword
grammar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Agreed on both counts, but that discernment doesn't usually come through a written letter, divine phone call, or booming voice and rarely does not mean never. Additionally, discernment can, and often does, come through the way the Spirit presses you and how He makes you feel about one direction or another. If you don't want to answer the question directly, that's perfectly ok; but we don't need to over-analyze this one. This simple question is how about you approach discerning God's direction is such cases.

I like what you said about the way the Spirit makes you feel about one direction or another. That's kind of how I choose summer ministries now. I've found that, when thinking about what to do with my off time in the summer, there will be one ministry that I will get a real desire to help with. I've come to believe that, when choosing between two 'good' things like that, God just gives us the desire of what we want to do. We don't need to hem or haw over whether or not we should. I do think that special outreaches by my local church deserve my help and attendance first, but once that is done, I'll just choose by what God has given me an interest in or burden for. It might be a particular ministry year after year (like our church's youth camp), or change every year (there are 3 kids camps and a couple of revival meeting circuits I'll switch between attending). There might even be a sub-benefit of a place or person I want to visit (last year I helped at a couple camps up north - with the side benefit of finally being able to visit Yellowknife!). This year I've been saving time to help with a new church plant I'm terribly interested in - I don't know if they need help, and they haven't finalized a schedule yet, but I want to be there! 

I think that seeing God work things out - making the travel arrangements work, or providing needed funds - are also good confirmations that you're heading in the right direction. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...