WHEN YOU NEED CONFIDENCE

WHEN YOU NEED CONFIDENCE

It is quite human to have doubts about your abilities, about situations in life, about even surviving things you have to go through, like surgeries, for example. As Christians, we should always draw on what we know of God, and how He is toward us. We need to remember how He loves us, as a model Father loves His children; after all, that's who we are, His children! Look at how Gideon needed confidence so much, he needed God to prove Himself - TWICE! "And Gideon said unto God, 'If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that Thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as Thou hast said.' And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, 'Let not Thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray Thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.' And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground." (Judges 6:36-40) So let's see where it is also written of that we should have confidence, because the Lord is our support...

David sustained his faith in the power of our God..."The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD." (Psa. 27:1 - 6) We should take in example how David expresses his confidence in the Lord that He will protect him and shelter him from adversaries. I have prayed to the Lord for protection from adversaries, myself, and some not the human kind, because situations are our adversaries, too! Being Christians, we must always remember our greatest adversary is the devil, and he and his demons will use the most unusual methods to attempt to undo us!

"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." (Prov. 3:25 - 26) The Christian needs to recall that God has secured us in times of sudden situations that would strike fear in most. He knows we are human; after all, He made us. As Christians we need to remind ourselves that our trust is always supposed to be in God. Even if we undergo trials similar to those of Job, yet we must trust He has our good in His heart. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before Him." (Job 13:15 - 16) Yes, even if it should come that God allows it to pass that we are to be executed, still we need to trust it is for our good that we exit this world. Did not Stephen in Acts offer no resistance to his being slain? And Paul, he also resigned himself to the fate he knew was before him in Rome. Their confidence was in their eternal security! They knew they were going home to God!

Believers in the Lord demonstrate they believe by placing their confidence in Him no matter the circumstance; who worries except one who doubts? Believers fear the Lord, yea, they give Him reverence, while doubters and unbelievers misplace their confidence in other than Him, much to their error! "In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." (Prov. 14:26 - 27) And why is the fear of the Lord a fountain of life? "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:" (2 Pet. 2:9) We as Christians set ourselves apart to Him and die to self and selfishness. God knows our hearts, and we can be confident He will protect us!

"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Gal. 6:8 - 9) The carnal and unbelieving are they who should be lacking in confidence, for if they believed the word of God, they would convert. But for those of us who do believe, let us not get tired of serving our family in Christ, nor even strangers, but rather let us recall to mind when we get tired that God is He who rewards, and be confident and have faith, and focus on our reward in Christ!

Paul wrote more of the confidence we should have in God, for our faith in Him shall reap its reward in diligently performing good works on the return of Jesus our Messiah! "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Phil. 1:6) Each day, from when we rise until we lay down for rest, let us focus on our faith and the confidence it lends us to go forth each day and not faint at every trial and tribulation that is set before us, and let us go to Him for strength when our humanity makes us weak.

As God's children, we can also count on God to be our strength and refuge and fight our otherwise most overwhelming battles! "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." (2 Chron. 16:9) Look at all the wars the Israelites had, and how they destroyed their enemies against otherwise impossible numbers, except that the Lord was on their side!
 "For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." (Heb. 10:34 - 36) Here we have a sample of what I was saying in one of the previous paragraphs. We will have trials, such as someone confiscating our possessions, as Paul is noting having happened to the Hebrews, and he is encouraging them to focus on their promised reward rather than allowing their confidence to be dashed. We must separate our constraints from the things of the world, that we may better focus on our promised rewards. This requires patience, for we know nothing of what hour God will call us home from the cares of this existence, and our human nature therefore tempts us to be concerned for what possessions we have to give us comfort while we are here for some duration of unknown length.

Let us gather confidence then in our faith, whenever we feel melancholy or low, when we are weary of the every day load and burdens of life, let us recharge our confidence in Him who set us free from the burdens of our sins in this world, and let us remember this: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light:" (1 Pet. 2:9)