Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, THAT your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 THAT ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till (with a view toward being ready for) the Day of Christ. 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Holding Onto Our Confidence
Before the
Lord
THIS MONTH we
will give ourselves to the building up of our confidence before the Lord,
both for ourselves and in behalf of those for whom we pray. Each day we
will take a passage that makes use of one of the "confidence" words Paul
was fond of.
• THE SETTLED CONFIDENCE OF A
DEEP CONVICTION.
• THE CONFIDENCE OF COURAGE WHILE UNDERGOING TRIALS.
• THE CONFIDENCE THAT COMES FROM HAVING A STRONG FOUNDATION
• THE CONFIDENCE THAT MAKES US BOLD AND FREE IN OUR TESTIMONY AND
IN OUR PRAYING
• WITH CONFIDENCE WE WILL HOLD BEFORE THE LORD THOSE THAT ARE DEAR
TO OUR HEARTS.
THE SETTLED CONFIDENCE
OF A DEEP CONVICTION.
The New Testament
Greek word here is peítho. It carries the
meaning of "to be persuaded with deep conviction; to be confident of."
It is the basis of the word pístis which means "faith."
DAY 1—Paul’s
confidence was that God’s power and His love would not fail.
Rom 8:38,39 For I am persuaded ("I hold
a firm conviction with a deep confidence"), that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
• FATHER, there are forces against me—at work constantly—trying
to convince me Your love is conditional and that I don’t measure
up. Please show me how great Your love is. Help me become settled in it,
with deep confidence, that nothing can separate me from it. Today, let
someone learn of Your love through me.
His love reached us in our unworthy state;
it will reach others in theirs—Rom 5:6-8
DAY 2—Paul’s
confidence for others was that God would complete His work in them.
Phil 1:6,7 Being confident ("firmly persuaded") of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for
me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch
as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel,
ye all are partakers of my grace (that is, "of grace with me").
• FATHER, it seems that confidence was born in Paul for those
people because he held them in his heart. Stir up love in me for these
people I am about to bring before You. My tendency is to
worry about them. Teach me to hold them in my heart and before Your Throne
with a confidence that You will move in them.
Love and faith work well together—GaI
5:6; Eph 3:17; Cal 1:4; I Thes 5:8
DAY 3—Paul’s
unwavering confidence, even in trials, called forth confidence in others.
Phil 1:12-14 But I would ye should understand, brethren,
that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the
furtherance of the Gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in
all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the brethren in the
Lord, waxing confident ("having confidence built up") by
my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
• FATHER, please help me bear a testimony of confidence before
these I hold before You. Sometimes my faith has grown dim and I’ve
not born the best testimony with them. Strengthen me in this matter so
I’ll not complain and speak wrong things before them.
Those who minister the Gospel need others praying
for them—Col 4:2-4
DAY 4—Paul
knew what he would gain in death, but his persuasion was that he should
live longer.
Phil 1:21,23-25 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ... For I am in a strait betwixt two,
having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence ("holding this deep and settled persuasion"), I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance
and joy of faith.
• FATHER, sometimes I feel tired and want to come home to You, but
You have not called me yet. Please strengthen me with a settled conviction
that You still have purpose for me here. This, now, is my earnest request:
let joy and faith increase in me so I can impart it to others by how I
respond to life, and to its pains.
Believers who die for their faith, as Paul
did, have the hope of a better resurrection
—Heb 11:35; Rev 7:14-17
DAY 5—Strict
religious observances can give us no confidence before God if a relationship
with Christ Jesus has not come first.
Phil 3:4,7,8a Though I might also have confidence in
the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust
in the flesh, I more…But what things were gain to me, those I counted
loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord...
• FATHER, I’ve tried religion, but have found little lasting
hope in it. Now in Christ Jesus I have that hope. There is a confidence
in me that I can stand in Your presence. Let this become a settled thing
with me. Help me walk in the freedom of knowing You at all times.
Only through faith can we enter a covenant
relationship with the Lord God—GaI 3:1-9
THE CONFIDENCE OF
COURAGE WHILE UNDERGOING TRIALS.
This Greek word is tharréo and means "to be of good courage,
to have a confident hope" and thus,
to maintain a cheerful bearing when under pressure.
DAY 6—We
can have confidence the Lord will not forsake us in our trials.
Ac 23:10,11 And when there arose a great dissension, the
chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of
them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from
among them, and to bring him into the castle. And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer ("maintain
your confidence"), Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem,
so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
• FATHER, it takes little to shake my confidence. Heal this in me.
Bring me to the place where I can hear Your voice freely and move on through
life with good courage even in trials. Help me know You will never forsake
me—or these I am holding before Your Throne.
As we learn to wait on the Lord, our heart
will be strengthened to stand in every trial— Ps 27:11-14
DAY 7—The
Holy Spirit causes us to be cheerfully confident even in our weak physical
state.
II Cor 5:5b,6 ... God... hath given
unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident knowing ("even with the knowledge") that, whilst we are
at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord...
• FATHER, even in this trial I rejoice in Your faithfulness. Thank
You for sending Your Spirit to dwell with me and to strengthen my confidence.
Here, now, are these undergoing a great trial of their faith. Strengthen
them with Your presence. Speak to them like You spoke to Paul and like
You are speaking to me.
The voice of the Lord is powerful, therefore
we live with confidence—Ps 29:1-11
DAY 8—We
can maintain a cheerful confidence even when deprived of life’s necessities.
Heb 13:5,6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and
be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say ("We can say with cheerful confidence"), The Lord is my helper,
and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
• FATHER, prepare us for days when we may have but little other than
Your presence. Forgive us for complaining about something we’re deprived
of. Teach us to find our sufficiency in You. Teach us to trust You more
than we trust man to provide what is necessary for our life. Strengthen
our confidence for the evil day.
We have confidence because our faithful Lord will
never forsake us
—Ps 9:10; 37:28; 94:14; Isa 49:14-16
DAY 9—We
can have confidence the Lord will help us when man rises against us.
Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say ("speak with
cheerful confidence"), The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me.
Ps 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will
not fear: what can man do unto me?
• FATHER, I need Your help. My confidence has been shaken because
of these people who are giving me trouble. Forgive me for regarding their
anger and the poison of their plot. I now turn my heart toward You, to
see, instead, Your power and Your love for me—and for them. Right
now, I forgive them and I trust You. And at last, I feel happy about everything
that has happened.+
Fear of man is a trap; trust in God is a stronghold—Pro
29:25; Ps 56:1-13
THE CONFIDENCE THAT
COMES FROM HAVING A STRONG FOUNDATION—
The New Testament Greek word is hupostásis which literally means "a standing under."
It describes an assured foundation,
a substructure that is solid and true.
DAY 10—God
Himself was the underlying confidence of all Christ Jesus was.
Heb 1:2,3 (God) hath in these last days spoken unto us by His
Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the
worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image (from hupostásis, "the underlying confidence
and foundation") of His person, and upholding all things by the
word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high...
• FATHER, I see You were the underlying foundation of all Christ
Jesus was. Because He stood on Your Covenant, Your faithfulness, Your
strength, and Your wisdom, He could move with confidence in the face of
every demand. Teach me now this same confidence can be mine because You
have received me in Him.
It is in Christ Jesus that God has accepted
us, therefore we have a strong confidence—Eph 1:4-7
DAY 11—Our
confidence will remain strong if we hold on to our relationship with Christ.
Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence ("the assurance of our foundation") steadfast unto the end.
I Cor 1:30 But of Him are ye in Christ
Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption.
• GRACIOUS FATHER, show me more of my redemption. As You have received
me in Your Son, so help me live in Him. I want Him to be the foundation
of all my living, of everything I do. Teach me how my wisdom and my righteousness
come from Him. Help me live a holy life in Him, before You and before
man.
Because we are justified by faith, we can stand
in the grace of God—Rom 5:1-5
DAY 12—The
faith He has given us becomes the underlying foundation of our hope.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance ("the underlying
confidence") of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
I Pet 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
• FATHER, my hope has no foundation outside of Your Son Whom I have
received as my Lord. Thank You for giving me the faith to believe in Him
and to continue trusting Him. Let this same confident hope You have given
me now come to birth in these I hold before You. I name several before
You, one by one, with the expectation that Your grace will move in upon
them.
Our hope in Christ is like an anchor for our
soul—Heb 6:13-20
THE CONFIDENCE THAT
MAKES US BOLD AND FREE IN OUR TESTIMONY
The Greek word we find here is parrhesía which means "bold confidence." It describes the confidence of someone
who is free from shame. With it we can speak and move with freedom and
without hesitation, both before God and before man.
DAY 13—The
greatest show of bold confidence was in the Lord Jesus when He stripped
principalities and powers of their authority.
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made
a show of them openly ("with bold confidence; with open
freedom"), triumphing over them in it.
• FATHER, I’ve been timid in my testimony and in my praying.
I know I’ve been under spiritual bondage. But I am ready now to walk
in the freedom Jesus obtained for me. Show me how far His triumph reached
when He dealt with the principalities and powers that oppose me. Let what
He accomplished come over on my living, on my testifying, and on my praying.
Because of what Jesus did, we have freedom
to enter the holiest place of all—Heb 10:19-23
DAY 14—The
bold confidence He gives us enables us to magnify Him both in life and
in death.
Phil 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that
in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always,
so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life,
or by death.
• FATHER, forgive me for ever being ashamed to testify about Your
Son. Do a new work in me so my testimony will not be weak. I desire a
bold confidence so I can let it be known clearly Whose I am and Who I
serve. I want this even if it comes to the point I may have to die for
it.
We see in Jeremiah the kind of confidence He
will give even to a child—Jer 1:7,8,17-19
DAY 15—We have the bold freedom to come into the presence of God through
the Lord Jesus.
Eph 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto
the Father.
Eph 3:12 (Christ Jesus) In Whom we have boldness ("bold freedom") and access (i.e.: "admission into the presence
of God having been persuaded that the faith of the Son of God allows me
to come into Him"--See Gal 2:20) with confidence by the faith of Him.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore
come boldly ("with bold freedom and confidence") unto
the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help
in time of need.
• FATHER, I come to You today in the boldness of what the Lord Jesus
has done. I have great need. Thank You for receiving me and setting me
free from the timidity I once held in praying. Now, with confidence, I
bring these petitions before You. And, I bring these souls before You,
again naming them, holding them before You.
Becoming free from bondage, we come before
the Father as joint-heirs with Christ—Rom 8:15-17
DAY 16—Because
of the Lord Jesus, our confidence in praying only increases.
I Jn 5:14,15 And this is the confidence ("the
bold freedom") that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according
to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever
we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
• FATHER, thank You for the confidence You have given me in praying.
I am holding before You some people who are in deep trouble. They have
no hope unless You move in their behalf. With the authority You give me
in Christ Jesus, I bind the work of Satan in their lives. I loose them
to feel Your love and receive Your grace.
God will show Himself strong—Il Chron
16:9; Ps 34:15
DAY 17—If
we abide in Him, our confidence will be sure in the final day.
I Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when
He shall appear, we may have confidence ("bold freedom"), and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
Jn 15:10 If
ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept
My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.
• LORD, bind my spirit to Yours. Hold me in the grasp of Your love.
Teach me to abide in You. Holy my reins tightly lest I wander from Your
side. Keep Your hold on my heart, on my mind, on my emotions, and on my
will. And LORD, please do this in these I hold before You.
To whoever would abide in Him Jesus gave a
powerful promised about praying—Jn 15:4-7
WITH CONFIDENCE,
WE WILL HOLD BEFORE THE LORD THOSE THAT ARE DEAR TO OUR HEARTS.
DAY 18—We
bring loved ones before the Lord with a confidence He will keep them from
evil.
I Cor 1:9 God is faithful, by Whom ye were called unto the fellowship
of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
II Thes 3:3,4a But the Lord is
faithful, Who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. And we have
confidence ("we have been persuaded") in the Lord touching
you...
• FAITHFUL LORD, here are these people who have been wavering in
their faith. Evil seems to lurk all around them. I bind those forces that
reach for them. I hold them in Your presence with a confidence that You
will convict them and draw them to Yourself—and that you will keep
them as Your Own.
We are learning to never give up in praying
for others in need—Rom 1:9; II Thes 1:11,12
DAY 19—We
are persuaded God has His Own purpose for the lives we hold in prayer.
Heb 6:9,11,12 But, beloved, we are persuaded ("we are confident of") better things of you, and things that accompany
salvation... And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence
to the full assurance of hope unto the end: that ye be not slothful, but
followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
• FATHER, these I hold before You today who once felt Your call upon
their lives. Draw them on. Hold them close. Let them feel Your compassion
for them. Let them feel Your love. Show them Your faithfulness in what
they are facing today. Cause them to know You are moving to bring them
out of their trouble.
We will not cease in praying for certain ones the
Lord has laid upon our hearts—Col 1:9; I Sam 12:23
DAY 20—We
enter the conflict in praying for those who are in the enemies’ line
of fire that they may hold their confidence.
Eph 6:17-19 And take the helmet of salvation (the confident
covering that protects our minds from the enemies attacks), and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with
all perseverance ("unremitting continuance") and supplication
for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that
I may open my mouth boldly ("with bold freedom"), to
make known the mystery of the gospel.
• FATHER, here are these servants of Yours on the front lines of
battle. Let Your protection come over them—spiritually, mentally,
emotionally, physically. Let the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation work
in them so they will know clearly how to move at Your command. Let their
confidence become stronger to withstand the enemy and to lead souls to
Your grace and power.
We will not cease in praying for certain ones
the Lord has laid on our hearts—Col 1:9; I Sam 12:23
DAY 21—We
are learning to hold on to our confidence, not letting it go under any
circumstance.
Heb 10:34-36 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took
joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have
in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore
your confidence ("the bold freedom" in which you are learning
to live and to pray), which hath great recompense of reward. For
ye have need of patience ("perseverance when under pressure"), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
• FATHER, my confidence is growing, but sometimes I feel weak. The
pressures still reach me and make me weary. Today I wait before You. Search
out in me what attacks my confidence. Bring me to a place of stability
in trusting You, both for myself and for these I have been holding before
You. I rest in Your faithfulness. Here my confidence is complete.
The rewards of our confidence will be great—Mt
5:12; 10:32,42; 1k 12:8; I Cor 15:58
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—Part 9 