Therefore, we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:6-7
Illustration
An American missionary couple and their family were home on furlough and spending their vacation at a cabin near a lake. They had three children, ages twelve, seven, and four. One day the four-year-old slipped away from his brother and sister, went out on the dock to play, and fell into the lake. He didn’t know how to swim, and he wasn’t wearing a life jacket. The screams of the two older children alerted the father to the danger. He ran to the dock and the kids pointed to where their brother had fallen in.
The father dove into the lake. He went all the way to the bottom and felt around frantically for his little boy. Finally, he ran out of air, came to the top, took another huge gulp of air, and went down again, searching for his son. On his way down a third time, he felt his little boy’s leg. He turned and found his four-year-old son with his arms and legs wrapped tightly around one of the pilings, about three feet below the water. The father pried him loose, carried him onto the lawn, and they both caught their breath. After about thirty minutes, when things had calmed down and were restored to normal, the father asked, “Son, what were you doing down there, hanging on to that piling?” The little boy answered, “I was confident that my daddy would rescue me.” (Lou Nicholes, Conquest of the Promised Land, 2004).
Spiritual confidence comes from a heart of faith and total trust in God’s omnipotence and love. Our confidence does not emanate from our innate abilities. It is grounded in the promises of God and feeds off the blessed assurance of God’s loving-kindness. Any confidence that is not Holy Spirit-driven is arrogance and leads to self-destruction.
Our confidence in God equips us to reach higher heights despite the challenges we face. It is our confidence in God that gives us the courage to lead from the front and do things others do not think we are capable of doing. Spiritual confidence builds the spiritual character that leads to spiritual fruitfulness. It helps us to blaze trails for others to follow.
In today’s text, the apostle Paul professes his confidence despite his many trials on the mission field. Paul was confident the Holy Spirit had given him the authority to proclaim the gospel. Thus, he shared this spiritual confidence with the Corinthian church and assured them that he would continue his ministry to the Gentiles because God was at work in him.
Like Paul, we can always be confident, even in difficult circumstances and trials because we know God is working everything out for our good. As long as we are robbed with physical flesh God will take care of us. He will protect us and assure us of His unfailing love and amazing grace. We may not always see what God is doing, but we must trust His will is what is best for us. Therefore, we can walk by faith and not by sight.
Believers should wake up every day with enthusiasm, joy, and a spirit of expectation despite their circumstances. When the issues of life challenge our faith and is tempting us to question God’s unfailing love and power, we just must rebuke that thought and think of the many times God has brought us through the vicissitudes of life. Because God has invested so much in us through Jesus Christ, we can be confident of our victory as joint heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Like the father in today’s illustration, God will never stop reaching out to us, rescuing us, helping, healing, and restoring us. He has already guaranteed our salvation through Christ Jesus. So, everything else is but the icing on top of our spiritual cake. Thus, we are equipped to go through any hardship without losing our faith. That is what it means to be spiritually confident!
Questions for Person Reflection
How are God’s love and promises helping your confidence?
How can you help others to live with spiritual confidence?
Prayer- Blessed Father, I thank you for helping me make it through the challenges of life. Because of your faithful presence, I am confident I can overcome anything. May the presence of your Holy Spirit continue to strengthen my confidence in you. And when I can’t see what you are doing, please help me to remember to live by faith and not by sight.