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Confidence vs. Comparison: Finding Your Worth in Christ · Fostering Faith

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  Welcome back to Fostering Faith. My name is Tracie
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  and I'll be your host today. And we are so excited
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  that you came in for episode three of March.
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  And we hope that the weather is beautiful where
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  you're at and spring is coming and potentially
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  you may have snow and you may have 80 degree
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  weather and I am maybe. Looking forward to vacation
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  come August and so it can be nice and warm where
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  we're at As I look at snow as I record this and
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  so in that same season if you are new to fostering
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  faith We welcome you and we are here fostering
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  our faith together in community if you were a
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  return listener Thank you so much for tuning
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  in and this message that we've done a similar
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  episode before about comparison And so we are
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  going to dive into confidence versus comparison.
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  And so confidence and comparison are two forces
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  that battle in every heart of every believer.
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  One lifts you and the other one drains you. One
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  calls you forward and the other one pulls you
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  back. One aligns you with heaven and the other
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  entangles you to earthly thinking. One empowers
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  you and the other suffocates you. And the truth
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  is, you cannot walk confidently in God who says
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  you are while you're constantly comparing yourselves
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  to who everyone else is. Comparison is one of
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  the fastest ways that enemy steals identity,
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  not through obvious spiritual attack, but through
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  subtle emotional erosion. He whispers, look at
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  her. Look at them. Look at what they're doing.
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  Look how far ahead they are. You should be more
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  like that. You should be further by now. You
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  should look like that. You should parent like
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  that. You should speak like that. You should
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  be where she is. And little by little, those
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  whispers dig deeper than we realize. Comparison
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  doesn't come to you with a sword. Comparison
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  comes with a measuring stick. And you know what's
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  crazy? The measuring stick is invisible, but
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  it controls so many of us and so many people.
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  Comparison? has become normal, almost expected
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  in our culture, especially around social media,
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  where everyone cultivates their highlight reel,
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  their filters, filters their face, brightens
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  their living room, polishes their captions and
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  presents a version of themselves that isn't the
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  full picture. And then we compare our lives to
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  their curated make -believe life. And we wonder
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  why we feel behind. Comparison is a spiritual
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  manipulation. It is identity distorted. It's
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  emotional sabotage It is a thief and Jesus said
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  that he is a thief that comes to kill still and
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  destroy Comparison will steal your joy comparison
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  will kill your confidence comparison will destroy
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  your identity and That thief that's why it's
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  just so important to know what Jesus said Jesus
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  said the thief will come to kill still and destroy
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  But confidence is godly confidence that comes
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  from knowing who you are and who God is and why
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  he put you here and what he's doing on the inside
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  of you. Confidence is not arrogant. Confidence
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  is not pride. Confidence is not self elevation.
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  Confidence is not look at me. Confidence is simple
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  alignment with heaven. Confidence says this is
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  who God made me. This is what God put in me.
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  This is what God called me to do. This is where
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  God placed me. This is how God wired me. And
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  I'm gonna walk through that. Fully. Boldly. Unapologetically.
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  Because He didn't make a mistake. Confidence
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  is not that you think that you're better than
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  anyone else. Confidence is knowing you're not
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  meant to be anyone else. Let me say that again.
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  Confidence is knowing you're not meant to be
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  anyone else The root of comparison that usually
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  hides deeper than identity issue and so Comparison
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  usually hides a deeper identity issue insecurity
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  They fear of inadequacy perfectionism Rejection
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  wounds not feeling enough shame jealousy Lack
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  of clarity and calling old labels that are still
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  attached lack of spiritual focus believe that
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  God blesses others more pressure to perform and
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  Misunderstanding of God's timing because we know
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  that he's never been late and he's never been
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  wrong And then that we usually get it wrong and
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  we try to run ahead of him And maybe that's a
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  personal story, but not yours, but mine emotional
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  exhaustion waiting for approval But here's the
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  truth comparison is always rooted in forgiveness
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  Forgive for forgetfulness is of who God says
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  you are Forgetfulness of your worth forget forgetfulness
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  of your uniqueness and forgetfulness of your
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  purpose Because whenever you forget who you are
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  You will start watching who everyone else is
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  And that's why March is so important. We are
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  rebuilding the foundations of identity so deeply,
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  so biblically, so aligned with God's Word that
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  comparison can no longer survive in your heart.
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  In biblical proof, God does not duplicate. One
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  thing that God has never done is to make the
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  same person twice. And we look through scripture.
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  David is nothing like Moses. Esther is nothing
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  like Ruth. Paul is nothing like John. Peter is
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  nothing like Daniel. Deborah was nothing like
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  Mary Joseph is nothing like Job Elijah is nothing
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  like Nehemiah and Lydia is nothing like Naomi
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  None of them compare Because none of them were
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  created to live each other's story God writes
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  unique assignments. God gives unique personalities.
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  God places you in specific families locations
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  situations talents strengths and season for divine
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  purpose. Comparison insults creativity. Comparison
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  tells God, your design wasn't good enough. I'd
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  rather have hers. And Gia could just probably
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  just puke as many times as she, I don't like
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  this about me. I don't like that about me. I
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  said, okay, then fine. Stop where you're at.
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  And then I want you to look up and I want you
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  to tell God that he made a mistake. Go ahead.
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  Tell him that you are the first person that he
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  ever created wrong. No, I can't do that. Then
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  you know, it ain't true what you feel is a flaw
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  that he made that way And so whenever whatever
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  you are bashing about yourself or whatever you
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  don't like about yourself You need to call it
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  out to God Let him know that he made his first
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  mistake with you That he needs to rewrite the
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  history rewrite scripture that he has never been
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  wrong and he's never been late But you can't
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  because he created you perfectly he created you
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  in his image And confidence says, thank you God
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  for who you made me. Thank you for what you put
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  in me. Thank you for where you're taking me.
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  I don't need to fight for someone else's lane
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  because you handcrafted mine. And the danger
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  with comparison and how it spreads. Comparison
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  spreads like wild olive. Comparison spreads like
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  spiritual poison. It distorts your perspective.
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  You see yourself incorrectly and others incorrectly.
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  It strings your obedience. You feel unqualified
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  before you even begin. It steals your gratitude.
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  You overlook what God is doing. Your life and
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  this morning I was actually in the Psalms and
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  it was in Psalms 78 and so if you make time to
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  go read song 78 and it's just about God's guidance
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  for his people in spite of their unfaithfulness
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  and it was just like Never let us overlook what
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  God has done in our life and don't let us ever
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  forget what he's done It fuels insecurity you
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  question everything even what God has already
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  affirmed. It causes resentment. You feel frustrated
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  at the blessing others have. It breeds discontentment.
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  Nothing feels like it's enough. It blocks calling.
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  You can't walk forward if you're staring sideways.
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  You can, but you're gonna fall. And listen, comparison
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  is not natural. It's destructive. You cannot
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  run your race with your eyes on someone else's
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  lane. And we've done a podcast on that before.
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  You're in the gym, you're looking at people running
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  on the treadmill, and you're running at a six,
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  they're running at a 6 .3, you go up to 6 .3,
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  they go up to 6 .7. And before you know it, you're
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  gonna trip, you're gonna fall. So don't do it.
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  And so Hebrews 12 .1 says, let us run with endurance
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  the race set before us. Your race, not hers,
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  not his, not theirs, but yours. God didn't create
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  a generic calling. He created a specific one
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  for you. And confidence is rooted in God, not
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  you. Confidence is not based on how awesome you
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  are. Confidence is based on how awesome God is.
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  And Godly confidence says, I can do this because
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  God put it in me. I can walk this path because
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  God designed it for me. I can speak boldly because
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  God gave me my voice. I can lead because God
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  called me to lead. I don't have to be her. He
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  called me to be me. I don't have to compete because
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  I'm already chosen. And I don't have to compare.
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  God doesn't bless copies. And confidence is not
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  about personality. It's about revelation. And
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  once you realize who you are, confidence flows.
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  And confidence says, I'm not better than anyone
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  else, but I'm not less than anyone else either.
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  I'm exactly who God made me. And so think of
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  this. Imagine a massive field of flowers. And
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  so think about over in Holland like a field full
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  of tulips or a sunflower or a sunflower field
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  or just a huge massive amount of flowers. Some
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  are tall. Some are short. Some are pink. Some
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  are white. Some bloom early and some bloom late.
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  Some grow fast. Some grow slow and some need
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  sun and some need shade Sun some thrive in rain
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  and some thrive in dry soil But none of them
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  look sideways None of them compete None of them
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  compare and none of them wish they were another
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  flower They simply grow in the spot that God
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  planted them and they grow in their fullest potential
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  not by comparison but by design. And if God wanted
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  you to bloom like someone else, He would have
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  planted you in their soil, their story, their
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  wiring, their purpose, their personality. But
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  guess what? He didn't. Why? Because your bloom
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  is needed. Your flower is needed. Your design
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  was intentional and your life is purposeful.
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  Confidence comes from understanding. My story
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  is different because my calling And the enemy
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  uses comparison to paralyze you. The enemy loves
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  comparison because it paralyzes you in three
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  ways. One, inaction. You won't start what God
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  told you to do. He loves it. He makes you stuck.
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  Two, exhaustion. You work tirelessly trying to
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  measure up. Three, distraction. You lose focus
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  on your assignment. Comparison is one of the
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  devil's easiest tools. He doesn't need to attack
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  your calling if he can distract you with comparison.
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  And when you know who you are, confidence grows
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  automatically. Think of it like this. A lion
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  doesn't try to be brave. It just is. A fish doesn't
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  try to swim. It just does. A bird... doesn't
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  try to fly, it was made for. Confidence flows
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  when you stop trying to imitate someone else
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  and start walking in what you are made for. And
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  so identity produces confidence. Comparison produces
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  insecurity. Confidence focuses on you. Comparison
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  shatters you. Confidence empowers your voice.
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  Comparison silences your voice. and confidence
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  honors God's work in you, and comparison dishonors
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  God's design. In the Peter moment, comparison
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  distracts your calling. In John 21, Peter asked
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  Jesus, what about him? referring to John. And
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  Jesus replies, what is it that to you? You follow
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  me. Translation. Stop watching someone else's
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  calling. Obey in your own lane. If Peter kept
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  looking at John, he never would have become Peter.
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  Confidence calls you forward. Comparison calls
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  you sideways. And so your reflection question
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  in your workbook, where do I struggle most with
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  comparison? Write it down. Looks, personality,
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  calling, motherhood, friendships, ministry, gifts,
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  timelines, progress, success, influence, story.
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  Sit with it. Sit with it in the Holy Spirit.
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  And he will show you the roots. He will show
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  you. And I learned that in my first semester.
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  And so we had to sit with Acts 1 -3 for three
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  weeks. And you only got scripture and you only
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  got the Holy Spirit. Those were the only two
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  things that you had. And so just sitting with
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  him and letting that Holy Spirit just work on
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  your heart. It is about a transformation and
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  just letting him just move you and shape you.
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  And it's just wonderful. And so your action step
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  this week. So write down three top areas of comparison
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  that you struggle with and Beside each one write
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  the true statement and for example comparison.
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  She's further along than me The truth is God
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  determines my pace and his timing is perfect
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  comparison He has more influence truth God opens
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  doors. No man can shut comparison I wish I looked
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  like her Truth. I am fearfully and wonderfully
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  made. This is spiritual warfare on paper with
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  truth. You have receipts. You have what God has
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  said. And so we hope that this message encouraged
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  you, if it did. If you know anybody in a comparison
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  trap, if it's your friend, if it's you, if it's
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  someone in your small group, send it to them.
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  Share it. Write a comment. Help our podcast grow.
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  Print these workbooks out. Take them to a small
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  group. We hope that this message inspired you,
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  encouraged you to look at Jesus and look what
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  he has made you for. And so we would love to
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  pray for you this week, Lord. Thank you that
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  you're breaking the spirit of comparison off
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  in us. Thank you that you're healing every insecurity
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  that fuels us. Thank you that you fill us with
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  God confidence. Thank you that you teach us to
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  walk boldly into what you've made us to be. Thank
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  you that our eyes are in our lane and that it's
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  on our calling and on our purpose in our identity.
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  Thank you for all that you do. In Jesus name
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  I pray. Amen. We hope this message encouraged
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  you and that we are moving on to our fourth week.
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  We hope to see you guys back next week. Love
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  you. Bye.