7 Ways to be Bold, Confident, and Courageous

Ever found yourself swirling in a sea of self-doubt? After teaching for more than 40 years, I can safely say that countless women struggle with feelings of worthlessness and a lack of confidence. This was certainly true for me. But over time, God showed me how to put my confidence in Him.

Let’s examine together some ways you can begin to grow in your confidence. I believe that as you seek the Lord and apply these seven keys to your life, you too will begin experiencing the boldness and confidence God put inside you.

Secret #1 - A Confident Woman Knows That She Is Loved

The first and most important secret to being a confident woman is to know that you are loved by God unconditionally (Romans 5:8). Even if you weren’t loved properly as a child, you can get all the love and acceptance you need from God. You see, I grew up in an abusive home and I didn’t have a clue what real love was. But then I learned about God’s unconditional love for me, and it changed my life!

God gives His love as a free gift that we can continually receive as it is needed. I urge you to take a step of faith and say out loud, “God loves me unconditionally, and I receive His love!” Like me, you may have to say it a hundred times a day before it finally sinks in, but when it does, it will be the happiest day of your life.

Secret #2 - A Confident Woman Refuses to Live in Fear

When we attempt to walk in faith, the enemy uses fear to stop us. It could be the fear of failure, judgment, criticism or many other things. But unless we make a firm decision to “fear not,” we won’t be able to move forward. Hebrews 10:38 says that we are to live by faith. So, why not trade the pain and paralysis of fear for the power and excitement of walking by faith?

Secret #3 - A Confident Woman Is Positive

Being negative and confident do not go together. Like oil and water, they just don’t mix. Being negative opens the door to a lot of problems and disappointments, which fuels the fire for more negativity. For example, many people expect bad things to happen, and call it being “realistic.” But Romans 8:28 says that God causes everything to work together for our good. The truth is, believing God’s Word and keeping a positive attitude will change your life for the better. So why not believe something good is going to happen to you?

Secret #4 - A Confident Woman Recovers from Setbacks

In this life we will experience setbacks. The important thing is that we never stop trying. As Philippians 3:13 says, let go of what lies behind and press toward the things ahead. Your past has no power over you if you don’t give it power. When you make a mistake, give the pain and disappointment to God and go on.

Secret #5 - A Confident Woman Avoids Comparisons

No matter how talented, smart and successful we are, there is always someone who seems to be better. But God doesn’t want us to compete or compare ourselves with others (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). He wants us to be confident of His love for us—and grateful for the gifts, talents and skills He gave us. With His help, you and I can practice self-acceptance daily. As a result, we will learn to genuinely appreciate the talents and abilities of others while fully enjoying who God made us to be.

Secret #6 - A Confident Woman Does Not Live in “If Only” and “What If”

One of the worst things you and I can do is live from a place of lack. Does this sound familiar: “If only I had more education...more money...more opportunity...” and the list goes on. Feelings of dread can be just as devastating. If we are constantly thinking “what if,” anticipating something negative to happen to us, we give Satan an open door to wreak havoc in our lives. The truth is, God chose you to be His child, and He’s promised to provide for your needs (Ephesians 1:4-5; Matthew 10;31). Are you willing to give God that opportunity?

Secret #7 - A Confident Woman Takes Action

If you have a dream from God that’s been burning inside of you and it won’t seem to go away…. Don’t sit on the sidelines of life wishing your dreams into existence; step out and find out what God has for you! If on the other hand, you don’t know what to do, search your heart and ask yourself what you believe God wants you to do—and then do it. As I said earlier, if we make a mistake, it is not the end of the world (Romans 8:28). Remember that because Christ lives inside you, you’ve got what it takes to succeed!