Bravado

Hebrews 10: 35

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Today we see a series within a series. Yesterday we talked about holding on to our confession of hope which built on Monday’s word of our testimony, our testimony reflecting our confidence in Christ. You will have undoubtedly noticed that I have referred you back to previous Word of the Day devotions several times. The reason is that these verses build upon one another and intertwine. Together they form a matrix of revelation and a pattern of behavior.

We began with God’s promises. Then we saw how to use those promises to affect healing in our bodies and now we have come to maintaining our stance in those promises, knowing that the blood will not fail and that He who promised is faithful. Our faith in God’s word and in His promises bolsters us and gives power to our prayers for our confidence is in Him.

As we close this series, we arrive at this point, “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might . . . having done everything, to stand firm,” (Ephesians 6: 10, 13). This is where the rubber meets the road, as they say. Yesterday’s Word of the Day was titled Hang On! I wrote that we are in need of endurance, but when I think of the woman with the issue of blood (WOTD 4/14/22 Deliberate Faith) I think the better word is tenacity. That woman would not be denied. Or, how about the Canaanite woman who, wanting healing for her child, would not relent even when Jesus shunned her repeatedly and told her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” He called her a dog, for goodness’ sakes! Because she was a Canaanite, she had no promise upon which to rely. She had no right to the children’s bread. None the less, she replied to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; but please help, for even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” That was a bold statement to make to the Lord. Indeed that was bravado, but she would not be denied. She was resolute, being full of confidence, not in her right, but in Jesus’ ability. She was determined and though she had no covenant upon which to stand she moved Jesus. “Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed at once,” (See Matthew 15: 22 – 28).

Let that story minister to your heart because that woman did not have a promise to stand on, but you do. We have need of confidence so that we, too, will stand firm being unmoved by doctor’s reports, the evidence of our eyes or other people’s opinions. We’ve got to hang on even when it looks like we are denied even the crumbs from the master’s table. We do have the promises. We have the right to petition Christ. In fact, he promised, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it,” (John 14: 14). He expects us to call upon him and to receive what we desire.

We must hang on to our confession of faith, maintaining confidence in he who promised. Don’t let anything or anyone change your mind, heart or words from agreement with the Christ. He endured torture and the cross so that we can walk in divine health. Listen to the voice of the Lord guiding you in the way you should go. Pay close attention as he leads you in dietary choices and more. He is the Lord of wholeness, not brokenness. He is the Prince of Shalom, perfect peace in heart, soul and body. “Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits,” (Psalm 103: 2).

Confidence

Hebrews 10: 35

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

When your confidence is in God and in His promises, it yields its own great reward. Why? Confidence in God by another name is faith. When you are living in faith that He is well able to perform all of His promises, then you are actually exercising spiritual power. Your faith and trust in God’s ability will move mountains. One of the things that happens when you are living in your confidence is that you automatically get out of God’s way. When you do that, there is room for Him to work. He cannot work on something until you let go of it and give it to Him. Your trust and confidence in His word is the spiritual material God uses to fashion the miracle you need. And by the way, they are not miracles to God. What is a miracle to us is just everyday business to him. So put your confidence in Him and in His word because that confidence is the substance of your breakthrough and it will bring forth the answers you need. When you are tempted to worry, just remember this verse and get yourself back over into trust.

Confidence

Hebrews 10: 35

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Confidence is important. It often affects our performance. This is a kind of self-confidence; confidence in our training, knowledge and skills. There is another kind of confidence too. It is confidence in our salvation, our relationship with the Father and ultimately confidence in Him. This confidence really does have great rewards.

Your behaviors are significantly affected by your measure of confidence. I think of basketball players who shoot because they have confidence in their skills and they keep on shooting even if they miss their first five shots. Confidence causes you to act differently than you would if your confidence is low. You make that sales call, believing you will get the sale. Sometimes it is that confidence that gets you the sale.

Well, our confidence in God works the same way. We behave differently because we have great belief. Perhaps we pray for someone. Perhaps we have the boldness to take a step that the Father has spoken to us because we have confidence in Him and believe that He is backing us up. When we act in the confidence we have in the Father it is called faith. You do what you wouldn’t do otherwise because you believe in the one who is backing you up. And brother when you act out of the confidence that you have in the Lord, it pays huge dividends.

Is it easy? Not always, but it is rewarding. No one has ever done anything great without taking a risk. Think of some of the ministers you know and the awesome success they are enjoying. You know they went through times of fear and doubt but ultimately they let their self-doubt receded behind their faith in the Almighty. Their confidence in Him and His ability carried the day. I marvel at these folks and how they have walked on the water. It is so inspiring because they have not done anything that you and I cannot do. They haven’t succeeded because of their great intellect or because of their great skill. They have attained great heights because they trusted the Word of the Lord. They were willing. They were bold enough to step out on that Word and trust God to be capable. Their success is because of God. The difference in some of us and them is that they were willing to step out in their confidence in God and we have not been . . . until today.

Today is a new day. We can express our confidence in the Mighty One. When we do, the reward is great. I don’t say it is easy. I am just saying let’s do it anyway. We don’t even have to believe in ourselves. We just have to have confidence in Him. So, how far can we stretch today? What would Dad like to do with our faith in Him? This can get really fun. It’s kinda like a roller coaster; it’s a little frightening as you get started but oh so exhilarating and then once the ride is over you want to do it again.