Confidence: What is it?
Definition of Confidence: the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust; the state of feeling certain about the truth of something.
Antonym: distrust; doubt; misgiving; apprehension; disbelief; self-doubt; uncertainty; timidity; bashfulness; shyness
*Key to the Kingdom:
Fear is an enemy to confidence and to faith. Monitor your thoughts and your words.
In the earth, there are two groups of people, those who are unsaved and those who are born again of the Spirit of God. What does each group put their trust in?
What is confidence in the flesh?
The Apostle Paul admonished The Church at Philippi NOT to boast about who they are in the flesh but to “worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh…” Paul shares with them that his birth, his upbringing, and his stature as a well-known Pharisee (lawyer) were all rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus! (See Philippians Chapter 3)
*Key to the Kingdom:
You have to let go of the old in order to receive the new. (Matthew 9:16-17)
Standing in Your New Identity
We, who are born again citizens of Heaven, are to live and walk in the Spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit who abides within us. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21) That means we train ourselves daily to be inside minded so that we can release the power of God’s Kingdom on earth. The more we know who we are in Christ, the more confident we become in our identity “in Christ” rather than who we are in the flesh.
You develop confidence by living by faith.
Vines Dictionary
Confidence: denotes persuasion; assurance; to trust; that which stands; a foundation.
The Righteousness of Faith
Paul put his total confidence and trust in his birth in Christ.
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7-11)
JESUS OUR LORD
We will never truly know the depth of His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. What was Jesus struggling with? His will, for He saw what was ahead and wanted His Father to remove it from Him. (Matthew 26:36-46) Yet, He let go of His will and grabbed hold of His assignment to become sin for mankind, confident that Father would raise Him from Hell.
A deep personal relationship and knowledge of Father and His Word strengthened Jesus to let go of His will and reach ahead to do Father’s will. After all, He knew He was His Son!
Once again:
Key to the Kingdom: You have to let go of the old in order to receive the new.
The Apostle Paul experienced this: “… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Paul suffered great persecution, yet confident, he let go of his past and yielded to do the Father’s will, just like Jesus.
Paul would not have written thirteen books in the New Testament had he been determined to rely and brag about all his past accomplishments. When you meet someone new, what do you want them to know about you—your MBA, your position in a well-known company, where you live, what you drive, or how much YOU are doing at your church?
Our righteousness comes from what Jesus accomplished for you.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;
but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-15)
All our lives, up until the day we leave this earthly body, are a multitude of daily choices. Forgetting those things of the past and reaching forward, confident in Christ and who He says we are, press forward to attain the prize ahead and fulfill the call of God in Christ Jesus. This confidence produces boldness and strength to carry out our assignment on earth, and confidence can be developed through daily use. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
“You are complete in Him…” (Colossians 2:10) The word complete means to “make full, to fill up!” That’s because Holy Spirit lives in you. Meditate on that.
This is that … which is our foundation.
“… In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12 NIV)
Recommended for you:
Bill Winston: Pray with Assurance (Confidence)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6TxRqFw-2o
Antonym: distrust; doubt; misgiving; apprehension; disbelief; self-doubt; uncertainty; timidity; bashfulness; shyness
*Key to the Kingdom:
Fear is an enemy to confidence and to faith. Monitor your thoughts and your words.
In the earth, there are two groups of people, those who are unsaved and those who are born again of the Spirit of God. What does each group put their trust in?
What is confidence in the flesh?
The Apostle Paul admonished The Church at Philippi NOT to boast about who they are in the flesh but to “worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh…” Paul shares with them that his birth, his upbringing, and his stature as a well-known Pharisee (lawyer) were all rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus! (See Philippians Chapter 3)
*Key to the Kingdom:
You have to let go of the old in order to receive the new. (Matthew 9:16-17)
Standing in Your New Identity
We, who are born again citizens of Heaven, are to live and walk in the Spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit who abides within us. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21) That means we train ourselves daily to be inside minded so that we can release the power of God’s Kingdom on earth. The more we know who we are in Christ, the more confident we become in our identity “in Christ” rather than who we are in the flesh.
You develop confidence by living by faith.
Vines Dictionary
Confidence: denotes persuasion; assurance; to trust; that which stands; a foundation.
The Righteousness of Faith
Paul put his total confidence and trust in his birth in Christ.
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7-11)
JESUS OUR LORD
We will never truly know the depth of His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. What was Jesus struggling with? His will, for He saw what was ahead and wanted His Father to remove it from Him. (Matthew 26:36-46) Yet, He let go of His will and grabbed hold of His assignment to become sin for mankind, confident that Father would raise Him from Hell.
A deep personal relationship and knowledge of Father and His Word strengthened Jesus to let go of His will and reach ahead to do Father’s will. After all, He knew He was His Son!
Once again:
Key to the Kingdom: You have to let go of the old in order to receive the new.
The Apostle Paul experienced this: “… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Paul suffered great persecution, yet confident, he let go of his past and yielded to do the Father’s will, just like Jesus.
Paul would not have written thirteen books in the New Testament had he been determined to rely and brag about all his past accomplishments. When you meet someone new, what do you want them to know about you—your MBA, your position in a well-known company, where you live, what you drive, or how much YOU are doing at your church?
Our righteousness comes from what Jesus accomplished for you.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;
but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-15)
All our lives, up until the day we leave this earthly body, are a multitude of daily choices. Forgetting those things of the past and reaching forward, confident in Christ and who He says we are, press forward to attain the prize ahead and fulfill the call of God in Christ Jesus. This confidence produces boldness and strength to carry out our assignment on earth, and confidence can be developed through daily use. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
“You are complete in Him…” (Colossians 2:10) The word complete means to “make full, to fill up!” That’s because Holy Spirit lives in you. Meditate on that.
This is that … which is our foundation.
“… In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12 NIV)
Recommended for you:
Bill Winston: Pray with Assurance (Confidence)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6TxRqFw-2o
Cory, Contributing editor
Originally published as "This is that - 10.21.19
https://www.prayerwithpurpose.org/this-is-that
Originally published as "This is that - 10.21.19
https://www.prayerwithpurpose.org/this-is-that
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