Courage and Confidence

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.  Philippians 4:13

"Believing steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith.  There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test.  Faith is absolute trust in God-trust that could never imagine that He would never forsake us."

Oswald Chambers.

I read an interesting thought in my personal devotions today and thought I'd share.

Jeannie Blackmer wrote, "Often I desire confidence first and assume courage will follow, but what if courage comes before confidence?  I want to be brave, take a leap of faith and THEN experience confidence, and it I mess up, I will just reach out for Jesus."  (Mornings With Jesus, pg. 332, 2022 Zondervan Books)

I liked her thoughts.  Often times I make my decisions based on what I already know I can do, instead of doing what God has called me to do IN HIM.

Do I step out in my own confidence and expect courage to follow?  Or do I courageously step out in faith that will allow my confidence in my Lord to grow?

Have I placed my confidence in me, or in the promises of God?

Arthur W. Pink once said, "But why should we not place implicit confidence in God and rely upon His word of promise?  Is anything too hard for the Lord?  Has His word of promise ever failed?  Then let us not entertain any unbelieving suspicions of His future care for us.  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not so His promises."

Christian, the closer we come to the coming of our Lord, we are going to need courage!

And to have more courage we must place our confidence in what God will do, not what we can do!

"God can do nothing for me until I recognize the limits of what is humanly possible, allowing him to do the impossible."  Oswald Chambers

I want to be brave!

    But that's just me!

"We have full confidence in Jesus Christ.  Our confidence rises as the character of God becomes greater and more trustworthy to our spiritual comprehension.  The One with whom we deal is the One who embodies faithfulness and truth-the One who cannot lie.

A.W. Tozer