Confidence Booster
Sometimes a confidence booster is helpful to turn our thinking around. Not usually being one for cute sayings, I was recently reminded of this one: “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.”
Many Christians seem sure of a call from God; lead a ministry, adopt a child, talk to someone, forgive a sin, etc. However, when it comes time to execute the plan they have no courage to see it through. Or, they do it reluctantly rather than with conviction.
After explaining that God has not destined them for wrath, but for salvation, Paul encourages the Thessalonian believers to encourage one another and not to repay evil with evil (! Thessalonians 5:7-15).
Then he tells them to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, to give thanks in all circumstances, and not to quench the Spirit but to abstain from evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22)
He says to them, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it (1Thessalonians 5:23-2 ESV).
When our confidence in not on the Lord’s power and wisdom, in other words, when we are relying on our strength and power to get a work done, we are going to face a crisis of confidence.
“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it,” should speak volumes to our insecure moments when we are questioning our ability to do something we are sure God has called us to do. This may be anything from washing the dishes or changing diapers as part of homemaking (Titus 2:3-5) to moving to a foreign country to begin witnessing to a people group that has little knowledge of the Lord and His mighty works.
Earlier in the chapter Paul had said to “Pray without ceasing.” A crisis of confidence is a moment to pray for the confidence in Christ, and the power of the Spirit in us to take over and help us complete the work. We can pray before we get there. We can pray “arrow prayers” straight to Him in the moment, and we can ask others to be praying for us as we’re working.
Prayer is a tool we can use to remind ourselves that we are not working alone. It is a tool we can use to boost our confidence that indeed, “God has called me to it and He will bring me through it!”
“He is faithful and He will surely do it” (1Thessalonians 5:24).
Where is our confidence today? If it is in our own strength, will we do a U-turn and place it on the Lord who will surely do it?
Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught. Proverbs 3:25-26