Confidence in Others?
In this modern age of pact-making and peace parleys, you are constantly seeing men putting their confidence in one another. Nations place trust and confidence in allies, who, perhaps a few short years later, become their bitter enemies. Strange though it may seem, this, too, is another extreme. Because of the wide-spread lack of confidence in SELF, people begin placing their confidence in other people!
At this moment, the United States is putting her confidence and trust in many foreign nations, three of which were our hated enemies a few short years ago. What is the reason?
IT IS BECAUSE THIS NATION HAS FORGOTTEN ITS GOD!
God shows that putting confidence and trust in another man is also an evil — and commands man NOT to put his trust in a fellow human like himself! "Put NOT your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish" (Ps. 146:3-4).
David wrote that it is better to trust in The Eternal than to put confidence in man! (Ps. 118:8-9)
Christ, An Example of Confidence
Today, you hear a good deal about Jesus Christ. You are constantly told what a great man He was — what a great PERSONALITY He had. But few have heard very much about the MESSAGE CHRIST BROUGHT!
Jesus plainly said He came as a messenger into this world, bringing a message directly from God the Father to mankind! (John 8:38, 42)
But Christ also said that He COULD DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BY HIMSELF! "The Father that dwelleth in me, HE doeth the works," He said. Christ said it was the WORKS He did that bore witness of Him (John 5:36), but that He, Himself, could accomplish NOTHING by Himself!
THINK OF IT!
The very Son of God, for all His personality and energy, said He could do NOTHING by Himself!
CHRIST had absolutely NO self-confidence! How much less, then, can you and I accomplish by trusting in ourselves? (John 5:19, 30)
Yet Jesus Christ had MORE CONFIDENCE than any man who ever lived!
Where Did Christ's Confidence Come From?
What was this source of dynamic CONFIDENCE exhibited by Christ? Let's not assume! Let's ask Jesus Christ Himself!
He said it was the FATHER DWELLING IN HIM that did the works! (John 14:10) THERE was the source of the absolute CONFIDENCE of Jesus Christ!
It was faith in GOD!
The FATHER who lived in Jesus through the power of His Holy Spirit did the mighty works which Christ performed. Christ did not have one iota of self-confidence — but He had ALL confidence in God!
Notice the complete confidence that was in Jesus Christ. Confidence such as NO OTHER MAN has ever possessed — because it was not confidence in Himself — but confidence in the Almighty God!
When Jesus was called to the tomb of Lazarus, He demonstrated the constant attitude of mind that gave Him this great confidence. Christ did not have to "beg" or "plead" with God to raise Lazarus from the dead, but was in the attitude of SUCH CONSTANT CLOSENESS and ONENESS with God that He simply "lifted up His eyes, and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. And I know that you hear me always, but because of the people which standby I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me" (John 11:41-42).
Christ thanked the Father for having already heard Him before He prayed aloud.
This complete and total confidence in God gave Christ the assurance and faith to call out "LAZARUS! COME FORTH!" And a man who had been dead four days was brought back to life, and walked away from his tomb!
We, too, may have this same kind of confidence! "For the LORD shall be your confidence, and shall keep your foot from being taken" (Prov. 3:26). Jesus Christ said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER works than these shall he do; because I go unto my FATHER" (John 14:12).
Confidence with Obedience
Confidence, faith, trust; all these are closely linked to and are inseparable from obedience. Without obedience, you cannot have confidence!
Abraham, called the father of the faithful, had the kind of obedience that God wanted. It was this obedience that gave Abraham the complete CONFIDENCE he needed! God said it was BECAUSE of Abraham's obedience that He would make the promise given to Abraham of inheriting this earth UNCONDITIONAL! (Gen. 26:5)
Abraham met one of the greatest tests ever placed on a human being. God told Abraham to take Isaac, the son for which he had waited so long, and to go to a certain place to kill him. (Genesis, the 22nd chapter)
Abraham did not question God's command! He didn't ask WHY — he did not try to remind God this was the son God had given him, after waiting for so many long years — he simply OBEYED!
WHY?
Because Abraham BELIEVED God! (Jas. 2:23) Abraham had COMPLETE CONFIDENCE — NOT in self — but in God!
God had PROMISED to give Abraham many multiple thousands and thousands of sons. Abraham knew immediately that God could either raise Isaac from the dead, or bless him with other sons according to His promises. Abraham was FULLY PERSUADED that, whatever God had promised, He was ABLE TO PERFORM! (Rom. 4:21)
What a sad lack of that kind of confidence today! People do not believe God WILL keep His word! People do not FEAR God — neither do they want to OBEY Him! But to those who WILL OBEY, who WILL believe His word and DO those things God shows them they must do — God says "BLESSED are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart" (Ps. 119:2).
How YOU May Have Confidence
How can YOU come to have the real ASSURANCE and KNOWLEDGE that you need in making decisions in this life?
How can YOU overcome boredom, discouragement or disheartenment as a result of an accident or sickness?
How can YOU regain real confidence — and a sense of positive assurance — even in the face of the death of a loved one, or terrible financial hardship?
The Apostle Paul gives us the first step toward the only real confidence, in Romans the 12th chapter and the first two verses: "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And BE NOT CONFORMED to this world, but be you TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
God's way to find confidence is the DIRECT OPPOSITE from the false ways of this world! God's way is the way of GETTING RID OF ALL SELF, of throwing away the rebellious, cast-iron human WILL that is contrary to God — of CRUCIFYING THE OLD SELF with Christ!
Paul explained in Galatians 2:20 that He was crucified with Christ, but that he still lived by the FAITH of the Son of God!
The only worthwhile confidence is the knowledge that you have actually given your very SELF — your will, your desires and your complete MIND — into God's hands. If you have real confidence, you'll be saying with Christ, "Not my will, but YOUR will be done, Father."
God inspired John to write, "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He shall appear, we may have CONFIDENCE, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (I John 2:28).
The one most central reason for the FALSE confidence on the EXTERIOR that people have today is because they are much more CONCERNED about what people will say, what people will think — the impressions they are making on other people, than they are about WHAT THE ALMIGHTY GOD THINKS OF THEM! Jesus Christ did not fear what man thought of Him! Rather, He had the Spirit of the FEAR OF GOD! (Isa. 11:2) And Christ was HEARD of God — because He feared! (Heb. 5:7)
His fear was not terror, but the kind of awe that comes with a full realization of the tremendous power of God — an awareness of His GREATNESS!
If you really FEAR God — you will want to obey Him! The WAY to real confidence is through unquestioning obedience! God tells us through John, "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have CONFIDENCE toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in HIS [not our friends' and relatives'] sight!" (I John 3:21-22)
Do YOU want this kind of confidence? Or do you, like most "moderns" of today, want God to "keep His nose out of your business?"
Admit it or not — most of you truly WANT more confidence!
You deeply desire to have that PEACE OF MIND, that positive sense of assurance, that sense of knowing that everything is going to work out all right!
You would like to have NO FEARS about the future. You would like to have a sense of SECURITY concerning your job, business, or source of income. You would like to have comfort, confidence, and a positive sense of spontaneity and enthusiasm in every trial and difficulty!
You would like to be alert, able to make wise and far-reaching decisions, able to be cheerful and happy even in the face of terrible adversity or personal disaster!
If you would truly WANT these things — then God says it is yours for the asking!
God says, "See? I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU THIS DAY LIFE . . . AND DEATH . . . CHOOSE LIFE!" (Deut. 30:15-19) God offers life on the one hand — eternal life and rulership with Christ, and death on the other. God commands you to MAKE YOUR DECISION which one you will take. He will not make that decision for you.
God grant that you will make your decision with CONFIDENCE!