Courage And Confidence

      After the fall of man in the Garden in Genesis chapter 3, God’s main desire was to reconcile man back to Himself. Throughout the Bible we see the Lord calling man back to Himself, so that man may actually reach his potential and fulfill the mandate for which he was created: “For we are His creation – created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Please note that the above scripture is not for some but for ALL that will believe in Him. We saw Him call Noah, Abraham, Moses and numerous others, equip them and send them forth to fulfill their mandates. For as many of them that heeded the call and were faithful to the cause recorded successes. God gave glowing testimonies about these fathers: “…Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:16b). Their courage and confidence in Him blazed a trail for us to follow. One would wonder, is it that these men did not stumble; did they walk in sinless perfection? On the contrary, they had their doubts and fears; but one thing that stood them apart from the rest was their unwavering faith! This faith entails courage and confidence. For instance, the Bible tells us that Moses was faithful to God. Moses had his weaknesses, especially when the people’s demands weighed him down. But he was able to remain standing and faithful to the end: “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future” (Hebrews 3:5). You may argue that these times are different from biblical times, thus it was easy to follow God then. That is simply not true! Each generation has been equipped by God to stand in the face of evil, if not, the world would have been overran by the enemy: “God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land” (Psalm 68:6). God sets examples in each generation to show them that a godly (courageous and confident in God) life is possible! 

      Friend, having prosperity in this life is a small matter for the Lord to cause to happen in your life. That is just a small part of the picture. The true and whole picture is for you to reign with Him. God calls us His household “if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope” (Hebrews 3:6b). Friend, the fearful and cowards are a prey for darkness. To walk on this path of Christ, takes courage and confidence. Confidence in the fact that He will NEVER let you down no matter what! This was the mindset of the people that walked with God. They were not mindful about the things of the world but were concerned and focused on pleasing and meeting the Lord Jesus Christ. This hope kept them strong and bold even when their physical condition stated otherwise. Friend, do walk in the quiet confidence in God knowing that your hope is not misplaced. May the Lord strengthen your heart so that you will exhibit courage and confidence in Him; and may He keep you in the circle of His love in Jesus Christ name. God bless you.