Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. — 1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV)
The devil would love to steal your focus, kill your single-mindedness, and destroy your impact. Jesus said, “If your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light”.
Singleness of heart comes from God. Paul spoke about his determined purpose; the one thing he focused on — to press toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ. But life is full of distractions and when it comes to serving God, if we lose a sense of singleness, the enemy will bring about duplicity, or double mindedness, which James warns will make us “unstable in all our ways”. So, let me ask you: Where is your focus?
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. – Hb 10:35 (NKJV)
Confidence has rewards. If the devil can steal your confidence, he can also kill your effectiveness and destroy your reward. Our sense of confidence can be vulnerable to the seasons of life — a period of momentum and success may give way to a season of struggle and decline, eating away at your confidence. But confidence in your own abilities is not the foundation for confidence – it is confidence in God.
When your confidence is founded in God, it brings stability to your life, but insecurity will undermine your confidence. If you lack godly confidence, there will be evidence of self-doubt, failure, jealousy, or other negative behaviours that are rooted in insecurity.
What does godly confidence look like? It is a sense of knowing who you are in Christ, what you’re about and where you’re going – it is not pride or arrogance. Godly confidence isn’t easily threatened or apprehensive because it is rooted and grounded in faith.
If you find yourself struggling with confidence, examine where your trust is. Is it in God or your circumstances, the opinions of others or some other temporal thing? When you place your trust in God and His character, you will have a firm sense of confidence in who you are and where you’re going. Stay hungry for life and refuse to co-operate with the devil’s devices. Instead, live with an eternal perspective and an unshakeable confidence that God hears you and is with you as you face the future in Jesus’ name. Selah.
You can fight with confidence where you are sure of victory. With Christ, victory is certain.
— Bernard of Clairvaux
2022年 04月 11日
