How did the week studying pride go for you? Please comment on our posts and let us know what God has been showing you. That is such an encouragement for other women as they are on this journey with you!
This week, you will be studying about confidence. Confidence is such a tricky thing. The world tells us that we should hold our head high, walk purposefully and look everyone right in the eye and this will portray confidence even when we don't feel it. But, I don't think I could ever be confident in myself knowing my shortcomings. Sure, I recognize and praise God for all of the talents, skills and abilities He has given me but I also recognize that they come from Him alone and not of myself so I would not want to ever boast about them (see why the study of pride vs. humility was the foundational starting point of our study?). So to help you get started this week on the topic of confidence, I want to help you refocus. To whom should we look for our confidence ~ ourselves or God?
I'm sure most of you would agree that we should place our confidence in God but we all know that that is easier said than done! Why is it so difficult sometimes? I believe one of the keys is in understanding, and then believing, that God is who He says He is in His Word. We are going to look at some of the astounding character traits of God. Once we can grasp a little bit of who He is, I pray that we will have the courage to trust Him and put our confidence in Him as He is the only one that is worthy of that.
HOLY
I could never start a list of who God is without putting "holy" right at the very top.
Revelation 15:3-5
"Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the ages.
4Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."
Notice the part "For You alone are holy". We know we are not holy in our fallen flesh. God alone is holy and apart from Jesus Christ, we could never stand in the sight of God. That knowledge and understanding of God's holiness inspires humility, awe and wonder that we could call on Him and He will hear us, every time.
UNCHANGING
James 1:17
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
1 Samuel 15:29
29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind."
It's difficult to think that God is not like us ~ he doesn't follow every wind of change or get tossed by circumstances. He is steady, unchanging, the Rock. When we put our confidence in Him, we have someone Rock-solid on whom we can depend.
FAITHFUL
Hebrews 10:23
23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Faithful means unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted. God has a covenant with those who have repented and made Jesus the Lord of their lives. He will not break that covenant. How mind-boggling is that? We have all experienced in the world around us numerous examples of people breaking their word. God does not do that. Doesn't that inspire confidence in God?
GOODNESS
Lamentations 3:25
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
Psalm 34:8
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
God truly is good. We as humans struggle with that because we see all of the things going on around us and wonder how a good God could allow these things to take place. But we have to realize that we are NOT God and we do not see the whole picture and we have to let trust and faith fill the gap when we don't understand God's ways. Because He is good, we can be sure our confidence in Him is sure.
LORD OF HOSTS
I Samuel 17
44The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh (A)to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field."
45Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, (B)but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.
David didn't approach Goliath alone. He had the Lord of Hosts with him! The Lord of Hosts signifies the multitude of armies of angels that God has in His command! Now, I ask you, would you rather trust in yourself alone or in the Lord of hosts ~ Jehovah Saboath ~ as your confidence?
Here is an exerpt from an article by Betsy Childs published on rzim.org:
"The image this title [Lord of Hosts] brings to mind is of a mighty military commander, one who can at a mere word summon rank upon rank of protective power. In some Old Testament stories, the use of Lord Sabaoth is particularly apt. When David approached Goliath, he responded to the warrior's taunts, saying, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied" (1 Sam. 17:45). Although Goliath may have been the superior soldier with better armor and more deadly weapons, David was not fighting alone. He came in the name of the Lord of hosts, the commander not only of the armies of Israel, but of all of heaven as well. The Lord of hosts only had to speak a word to guide David's pebble to Goliath's forehead, giving him over to David.Not only do the hosts of heaven accomplish God's bidding, they also praise him without ceasing. In Isaiah 6:3, the seraphs call back and forth to each other, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." The hosts are both a manifestation of God's glory (as a king's royal court could be considered his glory) while at the same time they are cognizant of his glory, calling the universe to acknowledge it.
Yet the Lord God's command over all of the hosts of heaven and of men does not keep him from being mindful of the smallest and most fragile of his subjects. The psalmist writes, "Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God" (Ps. 84:3). The Lord of hosts is our fortress, protecting us against the onslaught of our enemies. But He is also a nest for the sparrow, protecting that which the hosts of men would trample underfoot. God sends his heavenly hosts to protect the most vulnerable, just as troops moving into a war-torn region seek out and protect defenseless orphans.
In your hour of need, call upon the Lord of hosts to help you. In your intercession for others, ask the Lord to send his heavenly hosts to dispense his will. Nothing can stop the Lord of hosts, and no one will He overlook. The whole earth is full of his glory."
I have nothing to add to that!! I pray that inspired God-confidence in your heart!
While God has so much to say in His Word about who we are in Him and through Him, we can't let that be our confidence. Our confidence, if it is to be rock-solid, real and unshakeable, must be in who God says HE is. I encourage you to spend some time in the Word, focusing on learning and understanding who God says He is. Here are some key words to use in your study:
Saviour
Just
Gracious
Merciful
Righteous
Father
Eternal
Perfect
I pray God reveals Himself to you in a REAL way this week!
Love in Him,
Tara
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