If I bear witness of myself.... it is not true

This morning as I was praying I heard Jesus say to me, "You don't have to defend yourself ash. You have to believe in yourself." It makes sense with what He's currently touching in me right now. My insecurities. My lack of confidence and belief in myself and ability. My fears. As I continued to pray and read it suddenly dawned on me that self-belief begins in Him and my belief in Him. If I don't believe in Him or believe that He is truth and what He says is truth, I have nothing. No reason to be confident but only reason to defend. I was reading in John 6 and happened to look over at John 5:31 & 32. It says, "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me and I know that the witness which he witnesses of Me is true." And that's it. The difference between the need to defend or simply believe. If Jesus Himself was His only witness He would have had no legs to stand on. He even says it Himself.... "My witness would not be true or valid." But there is another who bears witness of Me.... and what He says is what's true. It connected in my brain and heart for the first time this morning.... My confidence and self-belief begins in His true witness of me. Jesus confidence and validity began in the Father's true witness of Him. He didn't need to defend Himself. He believed in His Father's truth. And many didn't believe even then. But His confidence wasn't dependent upon their witness of Him. Their choice was their choice and sadly it left them outside of relationship with Him. His confidence was dependent upon His Father's witness of Him. And because of it, He could present who He was in complete and absolute confidence to the world as their Savior.... and whether they chose to believe didn't cause Him to question who He was. It's amazing to me when something like that finally 'connects' in my heart. When I stop, listen and He speaks and it suddenly makes sense..... I love it.... and I hope it encourages some people through their own struggles with insecurities and fears. His witness of each of us is what's true.