Is Self Confidence Biblical?

As believers in the Most High Creator God’s holy word, living in a society that no longer places value on biblical concepts, I was recently surprised when researching self confidence. Merriam Webster defines self confidence as, “someone's confidence in himself or herself and in his or her own abilities”. When reviewing the Holy Bible I found an eerie correlation between self confidence and pride. If an individual has full trust in them-self, how can they, trust in the the Most High with all of their heart, mind, body and soul? The prophet Jeremiah writes, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man” which one could argue means that those who trust in them-self are cursed, those who have confidence in them-self are cursed. He then goes on to write, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

and whose hope is the Lord”. Highlighting the fact that trust in man including one’s self, and trust in the Most High Creator God can have completely different outcomes in the believers life. Many, including myself may be confused by this concept because we are inundated with messages from self-help books and fluffy sermons that elevate the importance of knowing your heart and trusting your intuition. But all you have to do is open up the Bible, and you will find clear contradictions to this popular message, littered throughout it’s pages. Jeremiah 17: 9 states that, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately wicked; Who can know it”? So why would one want to have trust and/or confidence in something that is deceitful and wicked? There are many biblical examples of individuals who trusted in themselves only to end up utterly destroying their relationship with the Most High, and, at times the lives of others. The ultimate self-confident, prideful being, haSatan, satan, the devil, our enemy and adversary, is a clear illustration of the destruction, decimation and devastation that transpires when these characteristics are elevated, honoured and nurtured, look around the earth. The apostle Paul, highlights the importance of dying to self, (1 Corinthians 15:31) and Christ told us “apart from me, you can do nothing”, (John 15:5).

I challenge you to ask the Most High for His wisdom the next time you hear a message honouring self-confidence.

Beauty Comes from Within

It always breaks my heart when I have conversations with women who have been turned off by christians because they have been judged for their appearance. Looked down upon because they wear makeup and/or jewelry. Although we, as believers are not to allow the opinion of others to take our focus off of the Most High and his love for us, when feeling weak, judgements from our, “brothers and sisters” can cut to the bone. The Holy Bible is filled with scriptures which amplify the fact that beauty comes from within. Many believers use scriptures such as 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3 to criticize those of us who like to wear pretty sparkly things. In my research I have found that these two scriptures along with many others have historically been misrepresented, misunderstood and gravely misquoted. 1 Timothy 2 is emphasizing the importance of a woman’s actions in contrast to how she looks on the outside. A woman should feel beautiful because she is beautiful, loving, caring, gentle and kind on the inside. This does not mean one is not “allowed” to look fantastic on the outside. 1 Peter 3 also highlights this point, indicating that our beauty as women is not supposed to come from the braiding of hair, the wearing of ornaments and/or the wearing of dresses. Beauty comes from the inner disposition of the heart, the character that someone develops as they grow closer to Christ. I find it very amusing that many believers will recite 1 Peter 3, as a scripture against the wearing of jewelry, while literally wearing a dress. The Holy Hebrew Bible states that, “…the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart,” (1 Samuel 16: 7). So while I appreciate shiny sparkly things, fancy dresses and sweet smelling fragrances, my focus is on the Most Highs word, because it doesn't matter what man sees, beauty comes from within.

The Amazing Spirit(s), Of The Most High Creator God.

There is so much debate today surrounding the nature of the Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit, in religious circles. I have had many discussions with acquaintances who have embraced their Hebrew heritage and decided to join Hebrew Roots and/or Messianic movements. It was during these discussions that I found out the gender of the Ruach Hakodesh was believed to be a major source of “christian deception” along with many other biblical assertions. Many individuals from groups such as these feel that the Holy Spirit is the female/feminine part of the Most High Creator God, which he “pulled out of himself”, in a similar way to Adams rib being used to create Eve, (Genesis 2:22). Many who adhere to this belief often use books from the Apocrypha such as the Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus as sources to validate their assertion that the Ruach Hakodesh is not only “Wisdom” but also female/feminine. In my research I have found that this debate is vitally important because it is rooted in understanding the nature of the Most High Creator God. The spirit behind this deception is a very powerful one which is rooted in gnosticism, luciferianism and kabbalism. Many biblical scholars agree that this false teaching that the Ruach Hakodesh is female/feminine is not only a misinterpretation of scripture but also a very dangerous heretic teaching. The Holy Bible does not have one single scripture in it that refers to the Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit, as female and/or feminine.

So what does the Bible say about the Spirit of God? The book of Revelation, (Rev 1:4), states that there are seven Spirits before the throne of “him which is, and which was, and which is to come”. I really had to research this scripture because I was raised to believe and understand the Ruach Hakodesh as being a Spirit, singular; so what is this reference to a seven fold Spirit? The book of Revelation, (Revelation 4:5), further goes on to state that, “…there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God”. So there it is in the Bible, the Most High Creator God has seven Spirits, there is no debating that. When engaging in further study to determine the nature of the Ruach Hakodesh, I was lead to another scripture in the book of Revelation, (Rev 5:6), “…in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth”. Still no mention of gender and/or wisdom which is often depicted as female/feminine. But wisdom is mentioned in the book of Isaiah, (Isaiah 11:2), as being one of the Spirits that’ “comes out of the stem of Jesse”. I was fascinated when reviewing this text because it literally lists seven attributes/components;

1 - The Spirit of the Lord

2 - The Spirit of Wisdom

3 - The Spirit of Understanding

4 -The Spirit of Counsel

5 - The Spirit of Might

6 - The Spirit of Knowledge

7 -The Fear of the Lord

Could these be the seven fold Spirits of the Most High Creator God? I absolutely will be praying about this and engaging in more research. I encourage you to do the same.