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Part 1- The Power
of Believing
We all have dreams
and desires for our lives. Whether it's a goal to own
a home or to start a business or to see our loved ones
healed and restored, there is usually something we want
that we do not have. So, we proceed to try to obtain
those things. We can make plans and phone calls and
do everything we know how to do, only to experience
failure. Why?
We act without confidence.
Confidence is a key attribute every believer should possess
because it is so closely linked to faith. In fact, the Bible
says . . .
"What
is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope
for is going to happen." (Hebrews 11:1, New Living
Translation)
Confidence is the quality
or state of being certain. As Christians, God wants us to
be certain--not in our abilities, and ourselves, but in Him.
This is the essence of faith.
We have all experienced
seasons of uncertainty and doubt. Remember your first day
of school; your first drive solo in a car; your first job,
your first date; and so on and so on. At each moment you had
an opportunity to doubt and not move forward. It was your
desire for improvement and your confidence that kept you moving
forward to the next first. Why have most of us mastered these
accomplishments yet, are so hesitant with others?
Remember, whenever you
are trying to do something that has never been done or is
rarely done, it will be more challenging. The goals mentioned
above are common stages in every person's life. We have people
around us who have done those things before. We saw them do
it. Therefore, we have no trouble believing that we can do
it too. Now, what happens when you want to do something uncommon?
For instance, Martin
Luther King had a dream to see segregation among blacks and
whites in the southern United States abolished. He began to
actively work towards this dream, even though there wasn't
anything in his present circumstances to tell him that it
was possible. How? He had confidence backed by faith in God.
"Faith
is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole
staircase."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
During the course of
the Civil Rights Movement, there were many uncertainties.
First of all, why did Martin Luther King believe that peaceful
resistance was the way to change the course of history? Many
people felt that force was the only way to change the unfair
laws of segregation. Why did they continue to peacefully protest
while people were put in jail, beaten and even killed for
protesting? They had confidence backed by faith in God.
Having confidence in
God, adds power to your believing. It gives you the strength
to raise your foot to the next level on the invisible staircase
leading to your dream. Confidence gives you the ability to
proceed in spite of persecution, obstacles and setbacks.
It
gave the believers of the early church the courage to confess
Christ as Lord and Savior even though they knew they would
be killed because of their beliefs. They must have been pretty
darn sure of Jesus Christ to be willing to die rather than
denounce Him. This is how certain God wants us to be of Him
as act in faith.
Well, what if you want to be sure of God, but you just aren't?
Read Part 2 where we discuss the keys to strengthening your confidence
in God.
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