Developing God Confidence

Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, And he will direct your paths.

Do you have confidence in God? Are you certain that he is at work every day in your life by:

  • providing for your needs
  • forgiving you of your faults and short comings
  • enabling you to overcome temptations
  • giving you guidance
  • restoring health to your body
  • hearing and answering your prayers
  • sustaining you through times of difficulty
  • delivering you from the attacks of the devil
  • and filling you with joy and peace

My brothers and sister, if you lack confidence that God is able and willing to demonstrate his power in every area of your life, then I have good news for you today. God, through his Son, Jesus is most certainly interested in us and wants to be intimately involved in our lives each day. Listen to the words of Jesus from the book of Revelation, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me,” Revelation 3:20.

So today I want to impart a new confidence in God into your hearts. You see, in the same way a person needs self-confidence to function well on this earth, we also need confidence in God. There was a time in my life I had no confidence in who I was or what I could do. For example, in school, when the teacher told us to open our books and turn to a certain page, I would turn around and ask the child behind me if instructions I heard were correct. I had no confidence in my ability to hear instructions. I was often fearful or worried about weather I would do things right. But as time when on, I developed confidence in my abilities to function in this world, so I did not have to worry making mistakes.

I also went on to develop confidence in my abilities to relate to people and to build relationships with them. Like most children I was very shy. Some of my behavior was due to fear. I was afraid of what people might think of me or that what I might say would be unimportant to them. But through God’s help I learned how to develop my social abilities. And I learned the importants of having self-worth; that I had value in the eyes of God. I did not have to depend on what others thought of me. I was a person of value and worth because God created me and he loves me.

So to be healthy and happy individuals we need to have a proper view of ourselves: not a low view of our selves that says we are worthless individuals or that we are unworthy of the good things that God has for us. And neither should we have a view of ourselves that is too high: a view that exalts our own abilities and worth and at the same times puts down the abilities and worth of others. The Apostle Paul speaks about this issue in Galatians 6. He says beginning in verse 3, “For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor.”

Now it is important here to notice, that having a proper view of one’s self is necessary for developing confidence in God. Because if you view yourself too low, you would not have any confidence that God cares about you, that he wants the best for you and that he wants to be involved in your live. Or if you view yourself too high, where you place too much confidence in your own worth and abilities, then you will think that you have no need for God. The Bible calls this view on one’s self pride. And pride is a major problem in our world today. Most people think that they do not need God. That is why so few people go to church. Yet they struggle though life thinking that they can acquire all the things that could make them happy on their own and they think that going against God’s way of doing things (that is committing sin) can not hurt them. These people think seeking after God is old fashion and that those who dedicate themselves to following God are weak. That why Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God,” 1 Corinthians 1:18.

But we who follow Christ know about the misleading idea of putting too much confidence in ourselves. The Bible calls it putting confidence in our flesh. Paul explains that in the book of Philippians that before he knew Christ he put all his confidence in his fleshly ability to keep the law of Moses. But while Paul thought that practice would make him a good person in God’s eyes and that he would go to heaven, in reality his prideful self-confidence took him to extremes of committing violence against those who did not believe as he did.

Thus, as followers of God we must guard against being drawing into placing too much confidence in our own knowledge and abilities Jesus warns is in the gospel of John chapter 6, “It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing,” John 6:63. And in John chapter 15 Jesus tells us that apart from him we can accomplish nothing. So if we want to develop our confidence in God we have to stop trusting in ourselves as the Lord says in the book of Jeremiah:

Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose trust the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:5-8

What God is telling us here is that if we depend on ourselves or others, we will have a disadvantage. But if we have confidence in God, we will always in all conditions have an advantage so that we will be fruitful and will enjoy the blessings of God.

So, what does it mean to have confidence in God? It means that you are not just wishing or hoping God is going to act in your behalf, but that you expect or that your are certain that he is at work in your circumstances. This is not wishful thinking. Our certainty is based on God’s revelation of himself and the promises of his word. Now, if you want to have this certainty in your life you must first get to know God who has reveled himself though his Son, Jesus Christ and through his word.

The Bible tells us that:

  • God is the creator and sustainer of life, but more than that, he is our father. Thus he loves us and is concerned with our daily lives-Matthew 7:11-“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” And in 1 Corinthians 2:9, 10- “But as it is written, ‘Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, Which didn’t enter into the heart of man, These God has prepared for those who love him.’ But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”
  • God is consistent, he does not change-Psalm 89:34-“I will not break my covenant, Nor alter what my lips have uttered.”
  • God has purpose; he has a destiny for each on of his. Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.”
  • · God is personal. You do not have to go through angel or men to get to God. John 14:6- “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me’.”
  • · God is all knowing, Isaiah 46:10-“…declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” Proverbs 21:30-“ There is no wisdom nor understanding Nor counsel against the LORD.”
    and all powerful Luke 1:37-“ For everything spoken by God is possible” Matthew 19:26-“ Looking at them, Jesus said, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’.”
    and present everywhere Jeremiah 23:23,24 – “Am I a God at hand, says the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him? says the LORD. Don’t I fill heaven and earth? says the LORD.”
    so he is never late, never forgetful, Habakkuk 2:3, 4 – “ For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hurries toward the end, and won’t prove false. Though it takes time, wait for it; because it will surely come. It won’t delay.”
  • · God is holy, he is completely apart from sin. Sin can not dwell in his presence. That’s why God sent his son into the world to die for our sin. By paying the penalty for our sin, Jesus gave us access to God. Habakkuk 1:13-“ You who have purer eyes than to see evil, and who cannot look on perversity, why do you tolerate those who deal treacherously…” Exodus 34:6,7- “The LORD! The LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.””
  • God is impartial-he treats everybody the same; Romans 2:11-“ For there is no partiality with God.“
  • God is faithful; the Bible describes God as being firm, steady and dependable. Psalm 36:5 – “Your loving kindness, The LORD, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”
  • God is pleased by faith and obedience; Hebrews 11:6-“ Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.” John 14:21-“ One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him”
  • The essence of God’s nature is love; 1 John 4:7, 8- “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.”
  • And for those who have received him, he is always presence in their lives: Matthew 28:20- “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Are you certain that the God you serve is all powerful? Does he know everything? Are you sure that he loves you. Are you convinced that he keeps his word? And do you believe that he has a plan and a purpose for your life? Do you respond, “Yes, I know that for certain?” Or maybe you would say: “Sometimes it is hard for me to feel that way,” or “I often have doubts in my mind”. Yes, you are right. The feelings and thoughts of doubt in your mind are the obstacles to having confidence in God. But the writer of Proverbs tells us what to do about that. He say, “Lean not on your own understanding” and to trust with all your heart or inner being. It is a matter of not relying on what you think you know and having an attitude of faith that sticks with God’s word even when you encounter difficulties and setbacks.

That was certainly the case back when I was in high school. At that time I had the opportunity to enroll into a nearby college during my last year of high school. I would be able to take college courses and have them count toward my high school diploma. I worked hard that year before my last year of high school so I could qualify for this program. Yet, when I applied, I was turned down. But, my mother was not ready to give up. In my mind, the people at the college were not going to let me in. But thankfully, my mother did not rely on report that was given us. Instead, she spoke to the Dean of Admissions and he decided to reconsider my application and I was accepted.

Do not rely on the visible circumstances or what you think you know. If God has told you he will take care of your financial needs then you should not worried about the balance in your bank account. Of if you are single and God has told you that he has a mate for you then you then you do not be concerned about being alone or being unable to meet the right person.

So in order to have confidence in God, you have to decide whose report or whose message will you believe? That is what the prophet asked in chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah. Will you believe the messages that we receive from the world, the flesh and the devil? Or will you tune in to the message of the Spirit of God and walk in agreement with it. It is a decision that you make. Before you knew Christ all you could understand what was conveyed through your five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. But now, you have the Spirit of God. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:5, “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” And because of God’s Spirit residing in you, you now have the power to make a decision to ignore what the world is telling you and believe that the Spirit is telling you.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be. Those who are in the flesh can’t please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. Romans 8:5-9.

So if you believe the report from your five senses or on the limited amount of knowledge that you have then what will be the outcome? The mind of sinful man leads to death. Can you please God or meet his conditions? No, the sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law; it can not please God. There is no confidence available to those who live according to the sinful nature, its senses and knowledge. That is why you have been having doubts. Therefore, you will not see God’s power manifested in your life. But, what is the result when you listen to and obey God’s Spirit and follow the teaching of God’s word? You understand what God’s will is through his Spirit. You understand the promises you have as a child of God and see them manifest in your life by meeting God’s conditions. Staying in agreement with God’s Word and God’s Spirit produces life and peace. We may experience troubles, difficulties and shortages but these no longer have to defeat us because we are in tune with a loving, faithful and all power God.

Remember, God’s word never returns to him void; it always accomplishes the purpose that God intends. So when you are obedient and stay in agreement with God’s will and his word, you can not fail. Thus, you can have confidence all the time and in all circumstances. The Apostle Paul summed it up well in Ephesians: “Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” Ephesians 3:20. And the power that works in us is our faith and trust in him.


The first step fulfilling God’s plan in our lives is receiving God’s free gift of eternal life. If you have not received eternal life, just ask God right now to give it to you by faith: “If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” Romans 10:9, 10. Pray this prayer and mean it in your heart:

Lord Jesus,
I now turn away from my sin and I turn to you. I believed that you died for me and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for my sins. I receive now your gift of eternal life and I make you the Lord of my life. Thank you Jesus.

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