“Caleb had a different spirit. He was positivity personified, but that positivity wasn’t a function of personality. It was a function of theology. The locus of his confidence was the character of God and the promises of God. . . . That’s the difference between self-confidence and holy confidence.”- Mark Batterson
“The Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, . . . ‘We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’ “- Numbers 13:30-31, 33 (NIV)
As Mark Batterson moves on in Chapter 3 of A Million Little Miracles, he underscores our need to fix our eyes on Jesus. Because focus represents the difference between:
- possible and impossible.
- mundane and miraculous.
- taking things for granted and taking things for gratitude.
Certainly, Mark acknowledges, situations we can’t control and problems we can’t solve often overwhelm us. As do God-sized dreams beyond our ability and beyond our resources. But to focus on the size of the problem and the size of the dream fosters fear and stress. At such times Mark urges us to pray this prayer: It’s bigger than me Lord, but it’s not bigger than you!
Above all, Mark underscores, God bestows blessings in categories we can’t even conceive of. But the author knows this beyond a doubt: God’s vision for your life dwarfs your vision.
Therefore, Mark explains:
“Show me the size of your dream, and I’ll show you the size of your God. God makes big people by giving them big dreams. Why? It keeps us on our knees! If God doesn’t do it, it can’t be done. And that way, when the miracle happens, we can’t take the credit. God gets all the glory! My advice? Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses most help you shift from self-confidence to holy confidence? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Holy surprises – God winks”