Bravado or Confidence?

I heard a grown man admit a fault the other day that many would never dare to confess. When challenged about his resistance to pain he unashamedly said, "You know what, that's all I got."  Most men would of quickly offered up some excuse, blaming their lack of tolerance on some outside influence.  This man was confident in who he was and didn't need to fake through some pain to prove himself.  He understood the difference between confidence and bravado. 
Confidence is the ability to believe in your own talents, abilities, and resources. Bravado is foolishly believing you have more than what is really within you.  I see this all the time in ministry. In fact, I see it all too often.  Inexperienced ministry leaders carelessly throw about ideas and plans without a care to what is realistically attainable. They do so because of their bravado, or assumption that they have what it takes to get the job done. They also place an unfounded faith in God. By that I mean, they haven't prayed, fasted, or sought counsel before they embarked on their personal crusade. Their bravado often causes them to believe God is in it when He really is not. 
A confident minister relies on his education, training, relationship with God, and past experiences. It is the accumulation of a these factors that gives him confidence in himself and God. 
Bravado often leads ministers down a destructive path. It can cause you to ignore wise counsel, good information, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It drives you to fake your way through failure. 
Forget Bravado, get some good confidence!


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