“The Lord, Our Confidence"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"The Lord, Our Confidence"

        

     "God hath not given to us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind" (II Timothy 1:7).

     The Holy Spirit given to all believers when we trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ brings with Him the enabling to face every challenge - "power" - the character to overcome our tendency to be self-centered when trouble comes - "love" - and the ability to think well in our difficulties - "a sound mind."  As we believe this truth and submit to our Lord in the challenges of life, we discover His faithfulness and ability to guide us in all things.  "Be not afraid of sudden fear… for the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shalt keep thy foot from being taken" (Proverbs 3:25-26).

   Conversely, if we expect to be overwhelmed in times of trouble, our Heavenly Father will allow us to experience the fruits of our unbelief.  "As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee" (Matthew 8:13).  The stark fact of the matter is that when believers expect to be overcome or overwhelmed by challenge, we actually besmirch our Lord rather than our ourselves.  We suggest He has not given to us the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.  We also imply that the Holy Spirit will not lead us in peace, love, and light.  Low expectations regarding God's promises results in limited experience of His Spirit's presence and working.  "He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58).

    "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).  Everything we do in life flows with the current of our perception of God.  Is He who the Bible declares Him to be?  Will He do what He has promised to do?  How we answer these questions determines our perception of the past, our experience in the present, and our expectation regarding the future.  Thankfully, the Holy Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind dwells within us to lead and empower our response to our Heavenly Father.  Let us believe that such a gift is true - because it is.  And let us expect our Lord to work accordingly in us - because He will.  Solomon said it well (perfectly, actually): "the Lord shall be thy confidence."  So long as we rightly direct our focus - "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" - we will increasingly walk in the peace love, and light that teems within our redeemed spirits.

"My expectation is from Him."

(Psalm 62:5)

Weekly Memory Verse

      We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

(Ephesians 2:10)

  

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