The (Fine) Line Between Arrogance and Confidence

So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:31, AMPC

Like it or not, you and I are living in a combat zone. And, like it or not, we don’t come out on top by being passive, apathetic, or unintentional as we go about our lives. Winners win, and you and I can be winners in every area of our lives. That may sound arrogant, but I want to show you from the Bible today that this is exactly the kind of attitude God wants us to have! He designed us to win, to conquer, to overcome, and to be on top of every circumstance and situation in our lives. What I’m about to share with you will bolster your faith, stoke the fire of your spirit, and help you (and me!) to run with confidence the race that is set before us.

Before we get started, I encourage you to take a few moments to invite the Holy Spirit to work in your heart as you read this. Here’s a prayer you can use right now:

Holy Spirit, I ask you to fill me with revelation from the Word of God today. I ask for spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear what You are saying to your Church today. I open up my heart to Your Word, and I confess that I can hear Your voice and feel Your impressions on my heart. Thank you for opening up the Word today and bringing truth to me!

Arrogance vs. Confidence

The first pastor I served under led me by example and showed me the way of faith that produces results. Pastor Mike didn’t just teach and preach the Word, he lived it. He had stories to tell and I watched him exercise his faith that produced the results God promised in the Word. This man was the first to exemplify a real lifestyle of faith, believing God in everything from physical healing and demonic deliverance to trusting God for transportation and finances.

However, there are some who viewed our pastor’s bold faith as arrogance. His unwavering confidence in the Word made some squirm, and his stories of God’s provision and supernatural power seemed almost too good to be true. It was these people who held a poor view of our pastor that seemed to be stuck living defeated, difficult lives. Some are quick to judge, condemning others’ faith while making excuses for their own powerlessness (I know you are not one of those, but I’m sure you know someone who is). Our pastor seemed to be living on a “faith highway”, and to the naysayers, his confidence in the Word of God came across as arrogance. But having worked and “done life” with my pastor for many years, I am convinced he was on track with the Bible and that his integrity and commitment to the Word of God proved to be steadfast.

It was this pastor who one day said to me, “Here’s the difference between arrogance and confidence: Arrogance says, ‘Look at what I’m doing!’ Confidence says, ‘Look at what God is doing through me!'” I’ll never forget that. We should be sharing stories of God’s faithfulness and provision in our lives. We ought to be confident in our relationship with God. People are looking for someone with a strong stance; people who know who they are and what they believe. It’s not arrogance to be boasting in the Lord, but it does need to be done with tact.

Use discretion when sharing your faith stories! Do tell them, but be wise in how you share these things. Certainly, if you have enough stories, some will inevitably label you as arrogant or presumptuous. But that’s okay. It’s your job to make Jesus look good, and we learn as we go. The more you share your “God stories” with others, the better you will become at sharing your life with others in order to actually help them and not sound off about your own successes. This is the main point!

The Connection Between Rejoicing, Boasting, and Knowing God

In 1 Corinthians 1:31, Paul makes an amazing statement. He says,

So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.

Paul is quoting Jeremiah 9:24, which sheds light on this intriguing idea of “boasting in the Lord”. First, I want you to notice that the Greek word translated “boast” carries the idea of rejoicing (which is why I like the Amplified translation of this verse; it brings this truth out). Boasting in the Lord isn’t brashly proclaiming God’s blessings in your life, but it is an act of rejoicing from the heart and is deeply connected to true worship.

Let’s go deeper and see the text that Paul was quoting from.

But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:24, AMPC

Did you catch that? The context of Paul’s statement finds its roots in the art of knowing God closely and intimately. God is pronouncing judgment on His people for serving idols and putting away the Law of God (the Law of Moses) and lamenting their fornication with the evil inhabitants of the land. In a timeless statement, the Lord opens the windows of His own heart to His special people. Here is verse 23 and the first part of 24.

Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches; But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me…

Jeremiah 9:23-24a

It has always been God’s heart that we find our truest identity; our value and worth, and all our satisfaction in the person of God the Father through Jesus Christ. True confidence in God that manifests through rejoicing and “glorying in the Lord” is founded on the deepest intimacy with God.

I don’t know about you, but that absolutely refreshes my spirit and fans the flame of my soul to know God more and more. In rejoicing in and with God in our quiet, personal times, we then have the context with which to rejoice and glory in Him publicly.

Don’t Confuse Personality with Product

Don’t be put off by a spiritual leader who appears, at first, to be arrogant. Check them out closely and take note of the fruit of their lives, for “you will know them [false teachers and those who twist the Word to their own advantage] by their fruits.” Before we are so quick to judge a brother or sister in Christ for their bold statements of faith, it’s wise to first see if what they are doing lines up with the Word of God and produces the results that are consistent with God’s promises. You may be surprised to find out that, if you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you in this area, your pastor or spiritual leader is divinely anointed to minister to you in a powerful way, regardless of his or her shortcomings or your personality conflicts! It’s more important to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit and use spiritual discernment when choosing who to listen to, rather than going by your feeling. This is hard, but it is imperative that we learn this lesson in order to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church in these last days.

Built To Win

Lastly, I want to point out from Scripture that winning is in our DNA. Yes, we are built to conquer, to succeed, to prosper, to be the “head and not the tail“, and a great many other wonderful things. If this rubs you the wrong way, I challenge you and encourage you to study out for yourself what God Himself says about prosperity and blessing. Take a look at Deuteronomy 28 for a clear picture of God’s perfect will for his people, and what God deems appropriate and inappropriate in the realm of prosperity.

In the Garden, God gave Adam a command to have authority, to be fruitful, to multiply, to fill the earth, to subdue the earth, and to have dominion over all of God’s creation.

God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

Genesis 1:26-28, AMPC

I could go on here, but I’ll leave the deeper study to you. Let me know if you would like a deeper study on the subject in a future post! By the fact that God Himself spoke these words over mankind in the beginning of this creation, it is clear enough to me that it is in fact God’s will that we are “more than conquerors” and to “reign as kings in life“.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash