THE CONFIDENCE CODE (Unlocking Divine Assurance)
Part 1 - “Cleaning Up Shame and Guilt”
TRUE CONFIDENCE IS FOUND WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
1 John 3:18-22, 18 “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.”
John reminds believers that the fruit of our faith is proven in our actions. We can be confident that we belong to God and that His Spirit lives in us when we show love to each other through how we act toward others. God is greater than our feelings because feelings are not facts. They can guide us at times, but they can also deceive us. God is truth, and His truth is lived out through acts of love.
Hebrews 10:35-39, 35 “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
37 “For in just a little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay.
38 And my righteous ones will live by faith.[k]
But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”[l]39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.”
The author of Hebrews encourages believers to not throw away their confident trust in the Lord. Trouble will come in this life because of sin, and that is why our faith needs to be grounded in God and our eyes turned toward eternity. Let us focus on walking in patient endurance so that we can be confident to receive all that He has promised.
Colossians 2:1-3, 1 “I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. 2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Paul wrote his letters to share with believers of all times that God’s plan was always Christ. In Christ we will find all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Paul doesn’t stop there, though. He encourages believers to be “knit together” by strong ties, because he knows the importance of being in community to maintain and strengthen our faith. Our confidence comes from this unity as one body, building each other up on the solid foundation of Christ.
GOD WANTS HIS CHILDREN TO LIVE IN CONFIDENT TRUST ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. HE GIFTED US THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS CHRIST TO PROVIDE THE HELP WE NEED ALONG THE WAY. GOD HAS ALSO BLESSED US WITH A FAMILY OF BELIEVERS IN THE CHURCH, WHERE WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE IN UNITY THORUGH BONDS OF LOVE, WITH A FOCUS ON THE GOAL OF ETERNITY WITH HIM. BECAUSE GOD IS FAITHFUL, WE CAN REST IN PATIENT ENDURANCE EVEN WHEN TIMES ARE HARD OR PERSONALITIES CLASH. LET THIS BE A REMINDER THAT WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE FIRST!
Galatians 6:7-10, 7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
Through his letter to the church of Galatia, Paul reminds all believers that we will reap what we sow. He challenges everyone to live to please the Spirit, letting love be the plumb line that we measure our lives against to see if we are in the will of God. Paul encourages us to “not get tired of doing what is good.” If anyone would have had a reason to be tired of doing what is good, it was Paul. God is faithful. The blessing will come if we do not give up. Let our lives be overflowing with goodness, especially to our church family.
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE
God’s words in Scripture are faithful and true and as Paul reminds us, we were gifted the Holy Spirit to help guide us in the truth of Scripture.
Read Galatians 5:16-26.
What is God speaking to you through this passage? Are there any circumstances in your life right now where you have walked away from the promptings of the Holy Spirit and taken steps toward your sin nature? Take some time to discuss these with your small group, knowing you are not alone.
What passions and desires of your sin nature do you need to nail to the cross today? Recognize that there can be desires that in themselves are good, but as we discussed last week, if they are put in the wrong position in our lives, they can become idols (i.e. selfish ambition) and serve our sin nature instead of God’s Spirit in us.
When we walk forward in the Spirit, we are trusting God to show up as our hearts are moved into alignment with God’s heart.
Read Nehemiah 1. If you do not know the story of Nehemiah, consider reading all 13 chapters. Nehemiah’s heart was moved in agreement with God’s heart. We read the confidence in Nehemiah’s prayer that God would hear and move because Nehemiah’s prayer aligned with God’s promises.
As God showed up and answered Nehemiah’s requests, his confidence grew. People tried to throw Nehemiah off track, there were attacks from all angles, but because Nehemiah was confident that he was in God’s will, he was steadfast in his commitment. Read Nehemiah 6:16. What does this passage speak to you about confidence? Can you think of an area of your life where you need to have the confidence of Nehemiah?
Nehemiah accomplished a seemingly impossible task. This was only possible because of his confidence in God’s call on his life, to step in to something that could only be accomplished in God’s power. Think about it. Nehemiah was a cup bearer, not a builder. But God. Take some time to journal a prayer to God asking Him to help you to walk in that same confidence in whatever He might be calling you to do.
Read John 5:1-15.
The New Testament is full of examples of Jesus calling people out of who they were and into a new life of who God says they are. Who did Jesus do this with in this passage? What are some thoughts that this man may have had that kept him stuck in his mess?
Think of one other example of Jesus calling someone out of their mess and into a new confidence in who Jesus said they were. Share this example with your small group. How did that person walk forward in the confidence of the Spirit (share specific details)?
We all have areas of our lives or ways that God’s Holy Fire has called us to walk in confidence in who He says we are. Write out the truth of who God says you are and share that truth with your small group. Post what you wrote in a prominent place where you will see it and remember who God says you are this week.
