Where Does Your Confidence Come From? 🤔

Let’s be honest—most of us are trying to prove something.

To a boss.

To a parent.

To a coach.

To ourselves.

Sometimes… even to God.

We put together spiritual résumés. We stack up accomplishments. We stay busy. We try to look the part. And if we’re being honest, sometimes we even feel pretty confident—like we’re doing okay spiritually.

But in quiet moments, a question sneaks in:

“What if it’s not enough?” 😬

Paul Faced That Same Question

That’s what makes Philippians 3:1–11 so powerful. Paul doesn’t just tell us what not to do—he shows us what it looks like to throw away false confidence and anchor our hearts in something eternal.

Here’s what’s wild: Paul wrote this passage while sitting in a prison cell. Yet he sounds more joyful, more secure, and more free than most people do in their best seasons of life.

He isn’t scolding. He’s protecting. In verse 1, he says he doesn’t mind repeating these truths again—because they’ll keep his friends safe from the danger of building confidence on the wrong foundation. 🙏

Paul’s message is simple but radical:

👉 True confidence is found in Christ alone.

It unfolds in four clear ways:

1️⃣ Proper Confidence Rejects All Fleshly Credentials

Paul starts off strong in verse 2—“Watch out!” Three times. Why? Because there were false teachers pushing the idea that outward religious rituals (like circumcision) could make someone righteous.

Paul doesn’t mince words. He calls them dogs—not cute puppies, but filthy, diseased street animals. He’s not trying to be edgy. He’s showing just how spiritually dangerous this kind of thinking is.

Then Paul turns the mirror on himself.

If anyone could boast in spiritual credentials, it was him:

• Right ritual (circumcised on the eighth day)
• Right background (Israelite, tribe of Benjamin)
• Right status (Pharisee)
• Right behavior (blameless under the law)

His résumé was impressive—and he knew it.

But Paul had come to realize: None of it mattered. 😳

⚠️ Spiritual performance and religious background don’t earn favor with God. Only faith does.

📝 Try This:

Write your own “spiritual résumé.” Be honest. What are you tempted to lean on? Ministry experience? Family heritage? Good behavior?

Then cross out each line and write over it: “Loss for Christ.”

2️⃣ Proper Confidence Revalues Life Through the Lens of Knowing Christ

In verses 7–8, Paul pulls out the accounting terms: gain and loss.

All the stuff that used to be in his “profit” column? It’s now in the red.

Why? Because compared to knowing Jesus, everything else is worthless. In fact, Paul doesn’t just call it worthless—he says it was doing damage to what really matters. 🧾❌

That’s what happens when you revalue your life around Jesus. The things you once chased—position, praise, control, image—lose their shine. And the treasure of knowing Christ becomes your greatest pursuit. 🏆

💡 True gain isn’t what you achieve. It’s who you know.

🥾 Try This:

Pick one “gain” in your life—a goal, habit, or possession. This week, fast from it or reevaluate how it might be drawing your confidence away from Christ.

Ask, “Is this helping me treasure Jesus… or replacing Him?”

3️⃣ Proper Confidence Rests in Christ’s Righteousness, Not Our Own

In verse 9, Paul goes straight to the gospel:

“…not having a righteousness of my own… but that which comes through faith in Christ.”

You can’t be “good enough” to earn your way into right standing with God. That’s the bad news.

But the good news is even better: Jesus already lived the life you couldn’t live and offers His righteousness to you by faith. 🙌

It’s like when a kid wears their dad’s coat—it doesn’t fit, it’s not theirs, but it covers them completely.

That’s what Christ’s righteousness does for us. It covers us—not because we earned it, but because He gave it.

✝️ We lose our sins and gain His righteousness. That’s the gospel.

📜 Try This:

Write down Philippians 3:9 and read it every day this week. Let it remind you:

“My standing before God doesn’t depend on me. It depends on Christ.”

4️⃣ Proper Confidence Pursues Christ with Total Abandon and Future Hope

Paul’s confidence in Christ doesn’t make him complacent—it makes him hungry to know Jesus more.

“That I may know Him…” (v.10)

But knowing Christ isn’t just mountaintop moments. It’s fellowship in suffering. It’s dying to self. It’s giving up comfort so others can know Jesus. 😓

Paul embraced suffering because it meant knowing Jesus more deeply.

And he looked forward to the day when he would rise with Christ, fully transformed, fully redeemed.

🌄 Proper confidence is fueled by resurrection hope.

🔥 Try This:

What’s one area where you’ve been avoiding gospel-driven sacrifice?

This week, take one step toward obedience—whether it’s sharing your faith, giving up comfort, or embracing inconvenience for the sake of Christ.

👀 Picture This…

Imagine waking up tomorrow without the pressure to prove anything.

Not to your family.

Not to your church.

Not even to God.

You’re not striving. You’re not hiding. You’re resting. 🙏

Your identity is secure. Your confidence is unshakable.

Not because of you—but because of Jesus.

You open your Bible not to check a box but to enjoy your Savior.

You face suffering not with fear, but with fellowship.

And when the world asks what holds you together, you can say:

“It’s not me. It’s Christ. He is my gain. He is my confidence.” 💖

So… Where’s Your Confidence?

If you’ve never placed your faith in Jesus, you can start today.

You don’t have to clean yourself up or earn your way in. Just come. Surrender your sin and receive the righteousness of Christ by faith.

And if you already know Jesus—don’t stop short.

✅ Stop striving.

✅ Let go of false confidence.

✅ Reevaluate what really matters.

✅ Pursue Christ like He’s the treasure that He is.

Lay it all down—and take hold of the One who is worth everything. 💎

‍