My confidence is in Him.

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

http://youtu.be/KwsvqVmFV6Y - Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns

I love Charles Stanley. At 79 years of age he is still going strong - preaching God's Word every Sunday.  As I get ready for church on Sunday mornings, I try and listen to his sermon on  TV.  This Sunday
he talked about confidence.

Confidence gets a bum rap.  We self-righteous folks can sometimes confuse confidence for arrogance or pride.  But Dr. Stanley clearly explained how every Christian should have confidence because of the Power living in him/her.  Arrogance is being prideful and full of oneself because of what one believes he/she can do or accomplish.  Confidence that comes from knowing that Christ will give us all we need to succeed is much different.  We boast not in our own strength, but in Christ's. 

2 Corinthians 10:17

But, “Let those who boast boast in the Lord.”

As Dr. Stanley spoke,  I suddenly felt myself standing a little taller, believing that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Well, maybe not "all things", but most assuredly, I can do all things that God has for me to do.  He certainly wouldn't give me His strength to do things that are not in His Will or purpose for me.  For instance, if I'm interviewing for a job that I think is perfect for me, God may  have a different plan for my employment.  He will not give me that job just because I think it's great.  He loves me enough to say "no" sometimes.  He will say "no" to my request so that I can enjoy His perfect plan, a plan that will be much better than what I see from my limited vision.  God's vision/plan for me has Eternal weight.  My limited earthly vision focuses on the here and now.  I have confidence in His plan for my life because He has promised that the plan He has for me is to prosper me, not to harm me; His plan gives me hope and a future. An Eternal future.

Jeremiah 29:11-12 TNIV
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.




If I knew what God has planned for me, what He has waiting on me in Eternity, nothing in this world would matter but those things that bring Eternal weight and glory.  If I really understood the magnificence of living in His Presence every single day, the glorious future He has promised for those who believe and put all their trust in His Son, my life would look so different.  I would be rejoicing every moment in the hope that I have in Him.  No challenge or struggle I face in this earthly body would seem too great because He will give me everything I need to face it.  I believe with all my heart that if He allows a struggle, it's because how I choose to deal with that struggle can have a purpose greater than my suffering.  God has an Eternal purpose for my suffering.  That's the confidence I have in Christ.  That's the trust I have in the One who loved me enough to send His only Son to die on my behalf.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.



Mark 9:23 TNIV
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”



I don't believe that God gives me the power to do anything that is not in line with His will for me.  But if He has placed a ministry or  task before me, I know without a doubt He will provide everything I need to accomplish that work:  Not with my own strength, but through His strength.  Not with under my own power but with the Power of the Holy Spirit  living within me.

When I think I'm not strong enough or brave enough or eloquent enough or whatever I see as my shortcomings, I have to remember Moses, Gideon, Elijah, all those great men who have gone before me.  They thought they weren't able to do what God had for them to do, but He gave them everything they needed. He supplied all their needs.   In their weaknesses, His Power worked worked best.

I'm in good company.  Think about all the unlikely people God used to accomplish great things. 

Rahab was harlot but God used her to rescue the spies and the Messiah came through her lineage!  Bathesheba - an adulterous woman was the grandmother - several times removed of Jesus.
Matthew was a hated tax collector - not the most honorable of professions but Jesus chose him to be an apostle.
Peter betrayed the Lord and then God used him to preach that powerful sermon on the Day of Pentecost.
Paul persecuted believers and did everything he knew to do to stop "The Way".  How could be be worthy to take the gospel to the Gentiles?  God chose Him.

Don't we all have moments when we feel inadequate to the task God seems to be putting before us?  Don't we have times when we just don't feel worthy to do anything in His Kingdom.  "Who am I", right?  but because of our relationship with Christ, we can do anything that He has for us to do.  That's the confidence He gives us.  That's the promise He has given us.  If we learn to trust in His Power and His Strength, even in our weakest areas, His power can work best.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Father, forgive my unbelief.  How can I ever worry or be afraid of anything this world may do to me?  You are my Strength, my Protector, my Provider, the Lifter of my head.  You are my everything, and You provide me with just what I need in Your perfect timing.  Lord, I give You my heart and my soul.  Have Your way with me.  Make me what You want me to be.  Forgive me when I take my eyes of Jesus and try to do things on my own, in my own way. Thank You for always being there to lift me back up. Thank You for giving me as many "do overs" as I need.  I love You, Lord.  I trust in Your love.  I'm so happy to be Your child.  In the blessed name of Jesus I pray all these things. Amen.

http://youtu.be/GCKxteuDfEM - This is my desire - Hillsong

Scripture Prayer
when I just can't find the words to fully express my feelings, I can turn to God's Holy Scripture and pray His promises.

http://youtu.be/vJdWdZv-uRA- Everlasting God - Chris Tomlin


1 Samuel 30:1-6 ESV
Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

David faced many battles in his lifetime.  When he was a shepherd, he faced a lion and bear, and then Goliath.
As God's anointed one, he was chased by a deranged King Saul who wanted to kill him. He mourned the illness of his infant son which later resulted in the death of this baby.  He went into hiding when his own son, Absalom sought to remove David as king.  David was definitely acquainted with grief, struggling and suffering. 

The passage above from 1 Samuel tells us of a time when he and his men return for battle only to find their town burned to the ground and all their wives and children taken.  I can't imagine the fear and anguish David must have felt.  He was so busy protecting others that his very own family was kidnapped and their home destroyed.  As if that weren't enough, his own men were furious with David for allowing their families to be taken. His men threatened to stone him to death.

What did David do?  He strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

How did David do that?  How did he strengthen himself in the LORD?
I found my answers in the Psalms.  David wrote about his struggles.  He also shared how he turned to God to help him face every foe. 

David placed his trust in God to help him -

Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?  ...

Psalm 56:9-11
You have kept count of my tossings;

put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

David praised God in the midst of the battle. He trusted God's strength - not his own.

Psalm 59:16-17
But I will sing of your strength;

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.


When David felt alone, he sought comfort from the LORD.  He praised God and meditated.
Read Psalm 63 and see how David seeks, praises and mediates on thoughts of his LORD.

Psalm 63:1-8
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.


So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.


Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.


My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

When I am discouraged or feeling afraid and alone, I can do what David.  I can strengthen myself in the LORD.  I may not be able to put my thoughts in beautiful words like David, but I can use David's psalms of praise and adoration as my own prayer and praise.  Praying the Scriptures is a beautiful way to find strength and encouragement in the LORD.  What better way to pray according to God's will than to pray His very Words to Him?

The Bible is full of God's promises to provide, protect, strengthen, guide, give wisdom and understanding... When I'm struggling with a burden that seems just too heavy to bear, it's not always easy to find the right words to pray.  When that happens, I turn the God's promises and I pray the Scriptures.  I know my prayer will be pleasing because I'm using God's very Word.  I'm acknowledging that I believe His inspired Scripture to be true and trustworthy.

If you're having one of the days when the words just don't come, find those promises that you need to hear in the Holy Scripture and claim those promises as your own.  God loves you and has promised to give you His best.  You can trust Him completely - even when you can't see the answers.  That's what FAITH is all about.  Believing when you can't see.

http://youtu.be/K7FQfSmtu-w - Revelation Song - Phillips Craig and Dean


I've taken excerpts from "Today's Quiet Walk" from Walk Thru the Bible.  It's a Scripture prayer based on Psalm 63, Psalm 51 and 1 Peter 5. 


Prayer:
Holy Father, because Your loving kindness is better than life,
my lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name. . . .
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:3-4, 6-8).


Lord, I confess the sins I have in my life.
You know those things I've brought before You.
You know those secret sins in my mind that
no one else can see. Please forgive me of those,
and also those sins that I do unaware.

You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifice You want from me is a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart-
This, O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:16-17).


Father, please give me a greater commitment to Christ, a greater love for Your people. Help me to hear Your voice and to be able to quickly discern the lies of the enemy.
Holy Spirit, please take control, guiding me in all that's good and perfect so that my life will be a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to You.


May You, the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after we have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us.


To You be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

(based on 1 Peter 5:10-11).

In quietness and confidence is my strength...

The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says, "Only in returning to Me and waiting for Me will you be saved.  In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it."  -  Isaiah 30:15

Why is it so hard to find quiet time? I long for the tranquility that I feel when it's just me and God - no noise - no distractions- just soothing, calming quiet.  But it's so hard to shut the world out.  It seems everytime I sit down to just "be still and know", that's when all those things on my "to do" list come flooding in.  I can't seem to clear my mind of the noise and distractions. 

It never fails, when I'm trying to spend some quiet time with God, that's when I will remember all the things I need to do. My thoughts take over:

"I'll just get up and make that one phone call, then I can really be still."
"If I just put one load of clothes on to wash, then I can be doing two things at once." 

And it doesn't stop there.  It really is a battle of the mind.  The enemy does not want me to spend this time with God.  He does not want me to feel the comfort and peace that being alone with God provides.  He throws everything he can at me, trying to distract me from the One who can calm my spirit.

When I let those distractions take me away from my communion with God, I'm putting those things before Him. I'm basically saying, "Father, hold on just a minute, I just have this important thing I need to do.  It won't take a second for me to check my email.  After all, there might be something very important I need to attend to."  That's exactly what I'm thinking when I get up from my quiet time to do that "one thing" that seems so critical at the moment.  I'm telling God to wait?  Am I really going to tell  my Father that something else is more important than my time with Him?  That is not good.

There are times = ) when I am talking to my husband, trying to share something that is really important to me, but he doesn't see the importance of what I'm saying.  After all, he has things he needs to do, and he is easily distracted.  If his cell phone rings, he doesn't think twice about answering it right in the middle of our conversation.  Needless to say, I feel pretty unimportant in those moments, even though I know he loves me.  I just don't feel like a priorty when he doesn't give me his full attention when I'm talking.

It makes me feel bad.  After all, shouldn't I be the most important person in his life?  Shouldn't what I have to say matter more than what anyone else might say?  Okay... to be fair, I do the same thing to Larry.  = )  It's the pot- kettle thing.  But what's even worse, I do the same thing with God.  In my quiet time, if the phone rings, I usually answer it.  "Excuse me Father, I just have this important call...."  REALLY???

In my quiet time, God will speak to me.  Maybe He will speak by giving me insight regarding the passage I just read, or maybe He'll speak through a bird soaring high in the sky.  If I don't let the world distract me, if I don't let my own thoughts distract me, God will speak to my heart with love.

Is that 30-45 minutes of down time really going to prevent me from doing all the things I need to do for the day?  Do I really think that?  It's crazy to think that because I waste at least that much time doing meaningless things all through the day. 

This struggle to have quiet time is spiritual warfare to be sure.  If the enemy is fighting so hard to keep me from it, he must know how powerful it can be.  In quietness and confidence is my strength.  If I want to be strong and powerful throughout the day, I need that quiet time with God.  I refuse to let the enemy steal it away. The (Holy) Spirit who is in me is more powerful than he (the enemy)  who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

I love the verse in Isaiah:  "In quietness and confidence is your strength."   I have experienced that strength that comes from simply sitting in my yard, watching the squirrels scamper around, racing each other from one tree to the next.  I've seen the birds scurrying about as they look for food for their babies.  And when the wind is just right, I love watching them fly overhead, allowing the air to come under their wings and lift them up. They are carried along with no effort on their part.  All they do is just spread their wings wide, trusting God to do the rest.

photo by Tomasz Sienicki

I love the word "soar".  The online Free Dictionary defines it this way:

To rise, fly, or glide high and with little apparent effort.
To climb swiftly or powerfully.
To ascend suddenly above the normal or usual level as in  "Our spirits soared."

What does "soaring" have to do with quiet time?  Well, when I sit quietly in my backyard and wait on God, He sometimes speaks to me, by sending a beautiful bird high over my head, soaring confidently with power and ease.  In that moment of  quiet and peace, I am reminded that just as He gives that beautiful bird the ability to rise above, He will also give me the strength and confidence to rise above my worries and cares, if I simply trust in Him instead of myself. 

Isaiah 40:30-31
Even youths will become weak and tired,

and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

http://youtu.be/mVEvD30e5yc - On Eagle's Wings - Hillsong
 
I hope you can find your quiet time with God today.  I know it's difficult to get away from the noise of this world.  But Jesus found time, and He was so much busier than we are.  Every where He went, He was bombarded with people who needed Him.  How many times do we read that He went off by Himself to pray or to be alone with His Father?  Sometimes, He would wake up early in the morning, while everything was still quiet.  One way or the other, He found time. I need to find time, too. 
 
Quiet time is so important to my relationship with God.  How am I to know what He would have me do if I never really sit still and listen?  I can read a chapter from the Bible every day, but if I'm not being still and truly listening with my heart for what He wants to show me in that passage, I'll miss out on so much. 
 
Isaiah 30:18-21
"But the LORD still waits for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion.  For the LORD is a faithful God.  Blessed are those who wait for Him to help them.
O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.  He will be gracious if you ask for help.  He will respond instantly to the sound of your cries.  Though the LORD gave you adversity for food and affliction for drink, He will still be with you to teach you.  You will see your teacher with your own eyes, and you will hear a voice say, "This is the way; turn around and walk here."
 
When I try to do things on my own, or when I get caught up in the cares of this world, my Father, who loves me and has compassion on me, will sometimes allow adversity or affliction in my life.  Not because He's mean or wants to punish me, but because He's my Father, and He uses whatever is necessary to draw me back to Him for my sake.  2 Corinthians 12:10b - "when I am weak, then I am strong" becomes real to me. Because when I'm facing difficulties, when I feel overwhelmed by this world; when I realize that I cannot do it alone, that's when I reach for Christ.  In weakness, affliction, adversity, I become strong by trusting in His strength, not my own.
 
When I wait on God, when I sit and listen, Isaiah says I will hear His voice say "This is the way; turn around and walk here."  But if I don't  listen, if I don't make time to be still and quiet before Him, I won't hear what He has for me.
 
Matthew 14:22-23 ESV
Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, ...


Mark 1:35 NLT
The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray. 
 
James 4:8 ESV
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Psalm 46:10 ESV
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Matthew 6:6 ESV
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

http://youtu.be/mZGzu6oI9b4  - I Give You My Heart - Hillsong

Father, my heart's desire is to worship You. Nothing and no one is more important to me than You.
Lord I give You my heart, I give You my soul. I live for You alone. 

Please help me to shut out the distractions for just a few minutes of precious time with You alone.  Just You and me.  Father, open my ears and prepare my heart so that I will see clearly what You have for me today.
Before I get all bogged down in things I need to do, help me draw strength and confidence for the day by spending quiet moments with You.  Nothing matters more than my time with You.
Every breath I take - every moment I'm awake, Lord have Your way with me. Do what You need to do to keep my attention on what is most important.  More than anything, I want this day to honor You.  In the blessed Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.