We are privilege to experience another day and we give thanks to the Living God who is our keeper. Today we rise in confidence as we make progress because we know who we believe and we are persuaded. This persuasion come not by hearing about God but we have experience Him for ourselves.
In the Bible Abraham moved in confidence because he had experienced God talking to him. Moses moved in confidence because he experience both the burning bush and the voice of God from the fire. Gideon when he was chosen by God to become the deliver of Israel he moved in confidence to the battle after he experienced what God had done with the fleece. Judges 6: 36- 40 “And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. 38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground” Gideon proved that God was with him. Later God who knows our level of confidence spoke again to Gideon to assure him by a dream that someone else had. Judges 7: 9- 15 “And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. 15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian” Gideon grew in confidence as he seek to follow God’s command to deliver the people.
Today I pray that our confidence will be like Elisha who was not fearful of the enemy. When Elisha’s servant saw the enemy getting closer he became fearful but the confidence of Elijah stood out. 2 Kings 6: 15- 17 “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. May we stand on the promises of God and be confident in the God that do supernatural wonders which no power can stop.
Our confidence is an act of faith that rely on who God is. David grew in confidence in God and he learn to rest in God as he went through many trials. Psalm 3: 5-6 “ I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about” Later David speak this confidence as he comfort himself in Psalms 4: 8 “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety”
May we not only talk in confidence, let us act in confidence as we make progress. We show strong assurance in our God that fight our battles when we put away fears, doubts and stresses, when we learn to rest in confidence. Like David may our sleep be one of peace because our safety is in the Lord. May the clutter of negatives be removed from our mind so that our thoughts pattern can be impacted by our confidence in the word of God.