Facing Struggles With ConfidenceSample

One of the many challenges I faced playing football was the temptation to play for the approval of others instead of playing for God. 

There were times when I found myself playing for my coaches. I was trying to impress them. And the thing is, there are just some people you can’t impress. Some people won’t acknowledge you or give you their approval no matter what you do. You just can’t please them. 

This verse reminds me that God always accepts us. He’s always there. He’s always got our back, no matter what. If you have faith and take courage, He will be with you along the way. And if you remember you’re playing for Him, you’ll be able to overcome the spirit of fear. 

This verse helped me put the game back into perspective. 

After getting over my fear of failure (see yesterday’s devotion), I became supremely confident in my abilities. Once I had begun to dig into Scripture and really trust God, the natural talent that He had given me began to come out. 

There were times when I was with the Chicago Bears that I caught balls and I have no idea how I caught them. I can only attribute it to God. 

The only times I had trouble were when I tried to impress someone else and started playing for someone else – someone other than God. I had trouble when I started getting too cocky, and not focusing on why I was really playing and who I was representing when I was out on the field. 

My prayer for you today is that you will keep the right perspective. Keep God at the center. I pray you will have the wisdom to keep Him the main thing. I pray that you will work as though working for Him – not caught up working for things or for money or for man. All of those things matter. But God matters more. If you trust Him, He will always take care of you.