When we depend on ourselves and when we seek to find security and sustainability in ourselves, we do it because we trust in ourselves. And as we trust in ourselves we simultaneously mistrust the all-powerful, eternal nature of our Father in Heaven.
Author: joemarino (Page 34 of 50)
Devote, prayer, watchful and thankful. Lots of meaning wrapped up in these four words. Devotion means steadfast commitment. Prayer means to communicate with God. Watchful means to be on the lookout. Thankful means to be in a posture of gratitude towards someone who has blessed you. Is there really anything else to say as we go to meet with the Lord in prayer?
Confidence is an elusive topic. It’s hard to describe confidence to someone without putting skin or clothing on the subject. And if we aren’t careful, we can easily dress up this subject with very unhelpful illustrations that communicate a sense of just pulling up our bootstraps through self-reliance or self-help. Let me just head that off at the pass right now by reminding you that the Bible doesn’t encourage self-confidence or self-help anywhere.
You and I have unhindered access to the powerful presence of God. What kind of boldness would that give you if you were confident in this truth?
In the original Greek the phrase “span of life” literally means “18 inches” which is roughly the distance between where you stand right now and the next physical step you will take.
Acts 16:25 teaches us that we are to pray and praise even in the midst of our most difficult circumstances and at the most inopportune times. Paul and Silas were locked up in prison but they chose to pray and praise at midnight. The result of this is that other prisoners listened to their prayers and praises. In the midst of our suffering, the world sees and hears our response. What will the watching world see and hear in you?
Over the last few weeks we’ve been examining Ephesians 3:1 – 13 and we’ve been looking at this theme of confidence in the midst of suffering. When suffering comes knocking on your door, where do you find confidence? When sin and trial and temptation come knocking on your door, where do you search for confidence?
We are studying Ephesians 3:1 – 13. In verse 13, Paul says “don’t lose heart when you see me suffering for you”. He’s in a prison cell waiting for his death sentence and he knows that his listeners will be tempted and tried from every side to cave into the pressures of Satan, sin and the world. So where does Paul’s confidence come from?
What we worry about reveals why we worry, which gives us the opportunity to trust in Jesus. We tend to worry about a lot of things. We worry about how much money we’ll have after we get paid. We worry about what people will think or say about us. We worry about our health. We worry about our kids. We worry about our vehicles. We worry about our homes being safe. We worry about having a place to live. We worry about how we’ll pay our bills. There are many things to worry about in this life and we all struggle with worry. What we worry about reveals why we worry which gives us the opportunity to trust in Jesus.
Acts 12:5 reminds us to pray for other people by name. The members of the early church prayed earnestly or passionately for Peter as he sat in prison. They knew his difficult circumstances, they knew the responsibility he carried for the spread of the gospel and they cried out to God in prayer on his behalf. This pattern is a great example of how we should pray for others.