For Real? - Thanksgiving Devotional #14

"...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;..."

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

What exactly does it mean to be confident? The dictionary defines confident as:

1. Self-assured - certain of having the ability, judgment, and resources needed to succeed

2. Convinced - sure about the nature or facts of something. The thesaurus offers these words as alternate ways to define confident: sure, certain, positive, convinced, secure, in no doubt. 

How confident are we? Are you confident in yourself and your own ability(ies)? Be completely honest with yourself. I know... There are days that I am absolutely confident that I have NO ability(ies). And the Truth is that apart from Christ, I don't.

But here's the big question... Are we confident in Him? Are we certain that God the Father has the ability, judgment, and resources needed for US to succeed? Are we convinced, positive, secure, and in no doubt that Jesus is who He says He is? That together, Father and Son will do what has been promised and already completed? Are we sure? Are we that confident in His Word?

How confident are we for real? Yeah? Then why do we hesitate when He moves in our Spirit? Jesus IS real. His Word is real. He who has begun a good work in you WILL complete it... I'm confident. Yeah, for real.

Prayer:

Father,
           We are confident in You. We choose to be just like Abraham who did not look at his or Sarah's inability in the flesh to produce an heir. Abraham NEVER cast away his confidence in You and in Your Word even though he waited years...and then made mistakes trying to help You, just like we have done. But Father, we come back to the heart of who You are and pray that our confidence in You never waivers. We are so thankful that Your faithfulness to us never does! We want to be more like You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Persuaded

...for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2nd Timothy 1:12c KJV

I am persuaded - other translations read "fully convinced" and I am - that God is everything He says He is. I am persuaded that truly His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are so far above our thoughts. 

Romans 4:20-21 - He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he [God] had promised, he [God] was able also to perform.

I am persuaded that God will give children and grandchildren that He has promised. I am also persuaded that He will do it His way and not ours. 

Romans 8:35-37 KJV 
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

I am persuaded that NOTHING comes against me without God's attention. 

Romans 8:38-39 KJV

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am also persuaded that EVERYTHING which comes against me will be used to develop Christ's character in me and make me fit for His purpose.

Hebrews 11:12-13 

Therefore sprang there even of one [Abraham], and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

I am persuaded, fully convinced and confident that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ...

I am persuaded because I know whom I have believed...

Prayer:

Father,

         We pray Your Word - For this cause we bow our knees unto You, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That You would grant us, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might by Your Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith; that we, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto You, O Lord, who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to Your power that worketh in us, Unto You be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

No Fear of Bad News

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Psalm 112:7 NIV

No fear of bad news. That's quite a promise! How are they fearless? ...their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Steadfast in the original Hebrew is the word kuwn; defined* as; 

be firm, be stable, be firmly established, be secure, enduring, to be prepared, be settled. 

Other translations render it as hearts are firm, fixed, confident.

Who are "they" whose hearts are steadfast? The ones who fear the Lord and obey His commands (vs 1). The righteous. Those who have prepared their hearts with God's Word. They are secure. Firmly established. Enduring. Confident.

No fear of bad news.

Prayer:

Father,
           Let Your Word be forever established in our hearts and minds. We want to be found faithful, our hearts steadfast in You, so that we will praise You no matter the circumstances in this life. Like David, we put our trust in You. As Isaiah declared, surely You are our salvation; we will trust and not be afraid. You are our strength and our defense. We proclaim our song of victory in You, O God, our Light. Our Strength. Our Song. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

*The Hebrew lexicon is Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon. These files are considered public domain.