To be called and to be sent are two distinct things. To have a vision is one thing and to materialize that vision is another thing. Only very few people actually make it to a successful end after having the valley experiences of life.
One of the most needed factors in making it to a successful end in your endeavors, be it in your ministry, business, career, marriage, Christian faith, etc., is confidence. Confidence in simple English, is complete trust in a person or thing. Confidence places you on the pedestal, gives you strength to stand in the face of any kind of opposition, empowers you to keep your peace even in the storm, enables you to do the impossible. The stronger your confidence, the farther you'll go in life and accomplish great exploit.
For Christians, the only way to live a successful and abundant life, as destined by God through Jesus Christ, is to put your confidence in the one that He sent - Jesus Christ. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! The issue of confidence is often times not discussed amongst christians because many do not acknowledge its importance, as such, our adversary, the devil, prowls about stealing the confidence that God's children have in God that should lead them through the bumpy paths of life.
The first subtle device the devil used against man was geared towards confidence; the devil crept in by attacking the confidence of the first woman, by asking, "Did God really say"? Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” He knows that once he asks that question, the listener, who doesn't know his tactics or wiles, would become vulnerable and give in to his demands. This is one of the greatest weapons that the devil uses against the children of God, to move them away from their glorious inheritance in Christ Jesus, the inheriatnce that God prepared for His own even before they were born.
This is pathetic because many believers are ignorant of the devices of the enemy, for this reason, they fall cheaply for his manipulations and find themselves exactly where the devil wants them. When your confidence is withdrawn, whether your vision for ministry, church expansion, business expansion, career advancement, marital bliss, good health, financial breakthrough, spiritual growth, kingdom prosperity, etc., everything you've ever built or thought of building or owning will come crashing.
Christians especially, have a glorious inheritance which God prepared before time, to be delivered to us through His Word, but the inner voice that whispers negative questions, chokes out the confidence that positions us for breakthrough. Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. This inheritance is the fullness of life that Jesus came into the world to give to us, through his death on the cross - John 10:10b (NLT) My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
Shamefully and ignorantly, many that should be ruling as kings and priests by the death of Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:9-10), have been misled by the agents of darkness to renounce their faith and divert their confidence to the adversary; our adversary never stops working through our most trusted friends, neighbors, family members, children, parents, relatives, colleagues, TV shows and movies, etc., to take our confidence and stop us from possessing our inheritance. If the enemy tries to lure you into ungodly habits or unholy conducts that will take the presence of God from you, and you do not succumb, the next thing he does is, attack your confidence in God. Isaiah 36:4 & 8 And Rabshakeh said unto them, say now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this in which you trust? 8"I'll tell you what! Strike a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses if you can find that many men to ride on them!
It is expedient that you daily build your confidence in the Lord, and not allow the devil/enemy steal your confidence, thereby, robbing you of your throne and glorious destiny. There are three major ways to build a strong confidence that will not only light up your path to a glorious destiny, but will empower you to work through that path, however rough, until you get to your glorious destination.
1. Source: Your source of confidence determines the degree of exploit you'll command on earth. Daniel had his source in God alone and was empowered to stand on his faith, even unto death, Daniel 6. The three Hebrew boys, Shedrach , Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace (the highest degree), but their source of confidence kept them even in the fire, Daniel 3. The Word of God pronounces the end of those whose source is man or anything created by the God, they are indeed cursed and their end is failure and destruction. But the bible calls them blessed who trust completely in God and will prosper in uncommon places, in their time and season , Jeremiah 17:5-8; Isaiah 36:4-10.
1. Source: Your source of confidence determines the degree of exploit you'll command on earth. Daniel had his source in God alone and was empowered to stand on his faith, even unto death, Daniel 6. The three Hebrew boys, Shedrach , Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace (the highest degree), but their source of confidence kept them even in the fire, Daniel 3. The Word of God pronounces the end of those whose source is man or anything created by the God, they are indeed cursed and their end is failure and destruction. But the bible calls them blessed who trust completely in God and will prosper in uncommon places, in their time and season , Jeremiah 17:5-8; Isaiah 36:4-10.
2. Knowledge of God: To have confidence in anyone, you must first know him well enough to naturally trust him. If you have chosen God as your only source (the best decision you can ever make), the degree of exploit you will command depends on your level of knowledge about Him. Daniel 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. If you know and believe His word concerning any situation in your life, it gives you confidence to command it into existence. If you know what God has said to you personally, through your dreams, visions, his prophets, audible voice of the Holy Spirit, etc., hold on to it and work with it. These are several ways through which God speaks to us and builds our confidence in Him.
3. Focus: You confidence is increased when you keep your eyes on God alone without wavering, you are set on a pedestal that will establish your generation. 1 Kings 18:21 Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent. There are many today who claim to love God but are not confident enough to say it or stand with him, so the devil feasts on their destinies. They are looking to God for help and publicly "serving" him, but on the other hand, they're looking to man and the things created by human hands for help, just incase God fails......how terrible! For how long are you going to keep looking between two opinions? Jesus Christ said to His disciples, the light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, your whole body shall be full of light, Matthew 6:22. If your focus is solely on God, you'll be filled with enough confidence that will get you to your place of rulership and dominion; your place of rest.
When people pf the world waver between two options, Christians are not permitted to do the same. I announce to you, according to the word of God (Acts 4:12), that Salvation comes from no one else, except Jesus Christ; only those who truly want to be blessed by the Lord and live successful lives put their trust in him.
