Zechariah 4:6 – … Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

Ephesians 6:10 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Nothing betrays so much weakness of understanding as not to perceive the misery of man without God. Nothing is a surer token of extreme baseness of spirit than not to wish for the reality of eternal promises. No man is so truly a coward as he that acts the brave against heaven. – Pascal 1623-1661

The world is full of self-help, self-esteem and self-confidence.  There are countless books, courses or other things out there to help boost your “inner-self.”  That is not Bible.  Our power is not supposed to come from self.  It is supposed to come from the Lord.  There is no doubt you need character and perseverance to push through this Christian life.  The problem is where you draw your power from to get through. If it is totally trusting in your abilities and gifts, that is bound to fail.  That is not God’s way.  We are to not pull ourselves up by our own boot straps but rather get our strength and power from the Lord.

As Pascal said, we are not brave when we act in our own confidence.  We are really cowards.  When you rely on self-esteem and self-confidence you are going against heaven, you are going against God.  Rather we should fear God and put our confidence in God’s power and might.  

A lot of eastern religion and meditation involves building up self.  Eastern meditation involves concentrating on the present and ignoring the past and future.  It involves clearing the mind and thinking about nothing.  God wants us when we meditate or think about the word of God and to take account of our lives, our sin, and our spiritual growth each and everyday.  That is Bible meditation.  The worlds ways are almost always the opposite of God’s ways.

All the world has to live for is the present and self.  One day we will need to give account for our works done in the past and we are to live in light of a future judgment.  True, the Bible commands us to forget those things which are behind and to press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  That is not ignoring the past but rather putting it under the blood and moving on.  Trusting in the blood to cover our sin is putting confidence in God.  The blood covers our faults and failures.  

God wants our confidence to be drawn from the promises in the Word of God and not the arm of the flesh.  The flesh is going to fail you sooner or later.  If you rely on “self” to get to heaven, you are in deep trouble.  Confidence in self is sin because you are usurping God’s rightful place as sovereign in your life.  Pride is what really puts self on the throne of your life.  Don’t let Satan deceive you.  He tried to usurp God’s rightful place and ended up getting kicked out of heaven.