Confidence: The Missing Substance of Faith

Creflo Dollar
When it comes to living the faith life, the issue of confidence cannot be ignore
d. Many times, people try to walk by faith, but they just don t have the confidenc
e to back up what they say they believe. Confidence is the missing substance of
faith, meaning that without it, faith won t be able to operate properly. In additi
on, patience must be employed while waiting for the manifestation of God s promise
s. With both of these forces working together, faith will always get results.
Faith is the law of God s kingdom, so as Christians we cannot get anything to work
if we don t have faith. But confidence is like the match that ignites the faith f
use. It is something that is developed as we spend more time with God, just like
we develop confidence in certain people because we spend so much time with them
that we know their character. By constantly fellowshipping with the Lord, medit
ating on His Word, and putting ourselves in remembrance of what He has already d
one, we develop ultimate trust and confidence in Him. The more confident we beco
me, the more our faith will be activated.
According to Webster s Dictionary, confidence is defined as, reliance or trust; a t
rusting relationship; a feeling of self-assurance. When we have confidence in God
, we firmly rely on Him and trust that His Word will indeed come to pass. Confid
ence leaves no room for doubt.
Hebrews 10:35 says, Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great rec
ompense of reward. In other words, we must not allow our confidence to dwindle, b
ecause there is a great reward attached to remaining steadfast in our trust in G
od. Faith is a practical expression of our confidence in God. When we are confid
ent that what God has said will come to pass, we will be bolder when it comes to
stepping out on faith. When God tells us to do something, we won t hesitate.
In addition to confidence, we must employ patience as part of the process to rec
eiving the end of our faith. Biblical patience does not mean putting up with somet
hing. Patience is the act of maintaining confidence in God s Word during trials an
d affliction. When patience completes the job, we have the result we desire, and
we end up being complete, wanting nothing (James 1:4).
Everyone has experienced times when their circumstances seemed to worsen and it
was as if the hard times dragged on and on with no end in sight. It is during ti
mes like these that the temptation to quit and give up on God is most prominent.
However, we should never allow pressure to cause us to give up, or doubt God s Wo
rd. If we are willing to stand forever, we won t be standing very long.
Being a faithful churchgoer is not enough to see the promises of the Bible come
alive in your life, and neither is simply reciting the Scriptures all the time.
We must not only repeat what the Word says, but we must believe that what it say
s is coming to pass in our lives as we speak it. Belief in God s Word demonstrates
our confidence, and it is confidence that ignites our faith. Hebrews 3:6 also t
ells us to hold on to our confidence as members of the household of faith.
We will have plenty of opportunities to exercise our confidence in God s Word, par
ticularly during these times in which we live. There may be financial challenges
, issues with our health, employment issues, or things going on in our relations
hips. Whatever the situation may be, the key is to find the solution in the Bibl
e and to begin releasing our faith in what God has said, knowing that if we have
confidence in Him, everything we believe will surely come to pass. He will neve
r fail us, and He honors the confidence of the Christian who trusts in Him compl
etely.
Question: "What does the Bible say about confidence?"
Answer: Confidence is a popular subject today. We are told to think confidently,
to be self-assured, to live brashly, boldly, and brazenly. In a myriad of ways,
the theme of modern society is to be self-confident. Popular religious leaders
make confidence the centerpiece of their teaching. Does the Bible agree with thi
s "positive thinking" mantra? If the Bible teaches us to be confident, what shou
ld we be confident about? If not, why not?

The word confidence (or its close derivatives) is used 54 times in the King Jame
s Version and 60 times in the New International Version. The majority of uses co
ncern trust in people, circumstances, or God.
The Bible says there are some things we should not have confidence in. For examp
le, "Have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3). Paul wrote these words
to counter the claims of those who thought they were acceptable to God based on
their heredity, training, or religious devotion. God is no respecter of persons
(Acts 10:34), and our rsums and geneaologies don't matter much to Him.
Proverbs 14:16 says that a righteous man departs from evil, but a fool rages in
his confidence. In other words, to arrogantly assume that sin has no consequence
s is a foolish confidence.
If we re going to be confident in something, Psalm 118:8, 9 tells us what it shoul
d be: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is be
tter to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes." Those who trust in
government, finances, other people, or themselves will be disappointed in the e
nd. On the other hand, those who put their confidence in God will never be asham
ed (Romans 10:11).
Psalm 16 is an excellent example of a positive confidence in God. David takes no
credit for his own goodness (verse 2), nor does he extol his own abilities. Ins
tead, every good thing is ascribed to God (verse 6), and every hope is based on
God's character (verse 1). Because God is unchanging, David can confidently rest
in hope (verse 9), despite any hardships he faces in life (verse 10).
Our confidence comes from our relationship with Christ. He is our High Priest, a
nd through His intercession, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebr
ews 4:16). The apostles before the Sanhedrin displayed an assurance that amazed
their antagonists: When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that
they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that
these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
We can follow God in full confidence in His wisdom, power, and plan. As we obey
the Lord, we have assurance of our salvation (1 John 2:3). Also, having a good c
onscience aids our confidence, for we will have nothing to hide. The righteous ar
e as bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1).
Paul gives us something else we can have faith in: "Being confident of this very
thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the da
y of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). Knowing that God promises to work in the l
ives of His children, Paul was confident that God would help the Galatians stand
fast in the truth (Galatians 5:10).
When we put our trust in God and His revealed Word,
ility, focus, and poise. A biblical self-confidence
d's Word and character. We put no confidence in our
fidence in the God who made us, called us, saved us

our lives take on a new stab

is really a confidence in Go
flesh, but we have every con
and keeps us.

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-confidence.html#ixzz3LFuCf2su

Be Confident In God s Strength
BY RICK WARREN MAY 21, 2014

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:13 NASB)

God wants you confident in the truth that, through him, all things are possible.
Every day of your life, you have a choice:
You can focus on the obstacles before you, or ...
You can be confident in the truth that God is pouring his strength into you.
When the Israelites first approached the borders of Canaan, Moses sent scouts in
to the Promised Land to assess the situation. Ten of the scouts came back with r
eports that focused on the giants in the land, men so big and powerful the scout
s feared they could not be defeated.
However, two of the scouts remained confident in the promise from God that he wo
uld hand the land over to the Israelites. One of those scouts, Caleb, silenced t
he others when he said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we c
an certainly do it (Numbers 13:30b NIV). He was focused on the magnitude of God a
nd not the magnitude of any giant challenge ahead.
Today, you may be facing giants that challenge your faith. Some of the giants cr
owd around you giants of time and energy, finances and resources, fear and faith
lessness.
God wants you confident that he s pouring his strength into you so you can do what
ever it takes to overcome these obstacles. He says you can take possession of yo
ur promised mission; you can be certain you can do it because God is strengtheni
ng you.
Consider this: God wants to build up your faith, and one way he ll do it is by sho
wing you how, together with him, it is possible to defeat the giants that keep y
ou from moving into your promised mission.
Talk About It
When you re confronted by a difficult task, what are the effects of considering it
an opportunity for God to stretch your faith?
Do you believe God uses ordinary people? What are some examples of ordinary peop
le in your life or in history whom God used to do extraordinary things?
What kind of scout do you want to be: one who is stressed over the obstacles bef
ore you or one who is confident in the promises of God? Ask God to help you deve
lop confidence in him and then look for the ways he begins to do just that.
Finding Confidence In God
By Dr. Charles Stanley
Lam. 3:21-26
God s people have only one way to face life: confidently. After all, He loves us,
has saved us from eternal death, and is committed to guiding us through every mo
ment of life. God wants us to live confidently but too often we allow feelings of
personal inadequacy and unworthiness to derail our faith.
The apostle Paul lived through horrendous circumstances rejected by his Jewish pee
rs, stoned, abandoned for dead, ridiculed, ignored, and often beaten and impriso
ned for his devotion to Christ. But Paul continued to maintain a confident hope,
right up to the very end. How did he manage this?
The apostle recalled one simple truth: I can do all things through Him who streng
thens me (Phil. 4:13). He focused on his Lord, just as Jeremiah had: Great is Your
faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I have hope in Him

(La

m. 3:23, 24).
The classic hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness expands on this important idea. The nex
t time you sing it, don t miss its wonderful message: God is faithful and does not
change (Heb. 13:8). In this one truth, we find our reason for hope and unwaveri
ng confidence. The Lord s unchanging nature teaches us that even when we feel unlo
vely, we remain beautiful to Him. We can do nothing to change His love for us it i
s unconditional and flows freely from His throne of grace. He never changes, and
He is faithful to keep all of His promises.
Do you trust God? Have you experienced the strong assurance that comes from plac
ing your faith in His unfailing love? He loved you unconditionally yesterday, an
d He loves you with the same love today and tomorrow forever. Therefore, roll the
burden of your heart onto Him, and you will discover that you, too, can sing, Gre
at is Thy faithfulness.