Confidence: The Missing Substance of Faith!

Confidence: The Missing Substance of Faith!

 “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” {Hebrews 3:6, NIV}

When it comes to living the faith life, the issue of confidence cannot be ignored. Many times, people try to walk by faith, but they just don’t have the confidence to back up what they say they believe. Confidence is the missing substance of faith, meaning that without it, faith won’t be able to operate properly.

In addition, patience must be employed while waiting for the manifestation of God’s promises. With both of these forces working together, faith will always get results.

Faith is the law of God’s kingdom, so as Christians we cannot get anything to work if we don’t have faith. But confidence is like the match that ignites the faith fuse. It is something that is developed as we spend more time with God, just like we develop confidence in certain people because we spend so much time with them that we know their character.

By constantly fellowshipping with the Lord, meditating on His Word, and putting ourselves in remembrance of what He has already done, we develop ultimate trust and confidence in Him. The more confident we become, the more our faith will be activated.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, confidence is defined as, “reliance or trust; a trusting relationship; a feeling of self-assurance.”

When we have confidence in God, we firmly rely on Him and trust that His Word will indeed come to pass. Confidence leaves no room for doubt.

Hebrews 10:35 says, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.” In other words, we must not allow our confidence to dwindle, because there is a great reward attached to remaining steadfast in our trust in God. Faith is a practical expression of our confidence in God. When we are confident that what God has said will come to pass, we will be bolder when it comes to stepping out on faith. When God tells us to do something, we won’t hesitate.

In addition to confidence, we must employ patience as part of the process to receiving the end of our faith. Biblical patience does not mean “putting up with” something. Patience is the act of maintaining confidence in God’s Word during trials and affliction. When patience completes the job, we have the result we desire, and we end up being complete, wanting nothing (James 1:4).

Everyone has experienced times when their circumstances seemed to worsen and it was as if the hard times dragged on and on with no end in sight. It is during times like these that the temptation to quit and give up on God is most prominent.

However, we should never allow pressure to cause us to give up, or doubt God’s Word. If we are willing to stand forever, we won’t be standing very long.

Being a faithful churchgoer is not enough to see the promises of the Bible come alive in your life, and neither is simply reciting the Scriptures all the time. We must not only repeat what the Word says, but we must believe that what it says is coming to pass in our lives as we speak it.

Belief in God’s Word demonstrates our confidence, and it is confidence that ignites our faith. Hebrews 3:6 also tells us to hold on to our confidence as members of the household of faith.

We will have plenty of opportunities to exercise our confidence in God’s Word, particularly during these times in which we live. There may be financial challenges, issues with our health, employment issues, or things going on in our relationships.

Practical Application

Whatever the situation may be, the key is to find the solution in the Bible and to begin releasing our faith in what God has said, knowing that if we have confidence in Him, everything we believe will surely come to pass. He will never fail us, and He honors the confidence of the Christian who trusts in Him completely.

by Hope FM

 Activate Devotion, Thursday 19th, 2012!