Confidence that Conquers Philippians 4:10-13 I. One of the most reliable predictors of how successful a person will be in life is the level of his confidence. I have known people with impressive education, talent, skills, families, and opportunities who never fulfilled God’s plan for their lives. Why? Self-doubt undermined their ability to become the person the Father created them to be. Yet other people, who lacked impressive credentials, achieved great success because they’d learned to rely on God’s power working through them. II. The Confidence of the Apostles The early church leaders displayed a supernatural confidence in the Lord’s ability to empower, protect, and provide for them. A. Peter and John before the council (Acts 4:10-13). B. Paul regarding the spiritual growth of the Philippian believers (Phil. 1:6). C. John concerning prayer (1 John 5:14-15). III. The Power of Confession A. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” What we say matters. We can speak either life-giving words or ones that bring death to God-given dreams and goals. B. Speaking negatively will usually make a person depressed and unmotivated. Statements such as “I can’t do it,” “I’m not good enough” or “I’m going to fail” will almost guarantee failure. And you will probably feel even more drained of energy if you constantly say “I’m not healthy,” “I’m tired,” or “I’m getting old.” Even seemingly innocent statements such as “That’s just my luck” or “I can’t afford it” can be evidence that you have an improper view of the Lord’s sovereignty and gracious provision for all your needs. C. Positive confessions are energizing. I encourage you to replace negative comments with statements such as “With God’s help, I will reach my goals,” “The Lord will provide enough,” or “I choose to obey my heavenly Father, no matter what.” IV. “I can do all things through Christ.” A. This is not a prideful statement. Paul was aware of his shortcomings and often felt inadequate in his own strength (2 Cor. 3:5). However, he knew that God would strengthen him for the tasks ahead. B. When God calls you to do something, He takes the responsibility to equip and enable you to obey. C. The phrase “all things” in Philippians 4:13 does not include willful rebellion against the Lord. D. Be careful not to compare yourself to someone else. God looks to see how faithful you have been to do His will for your life—not how your abilities measure up to someone else’s. E. Choose to believe God’s promises and let go of the past. Paul had murdered Christians before his conversion. He could have made excuses for not serving God because the early church feared him and were unlikely to accept him as a fellow believer. Yet he chose to obey God regardless of the consequences. V. The Foundation of Our Confidence The promise of Philippians 4:13 is ours based on three things: A. Our position in Christ: If we have accepted His gift of salvation, we are God’s children and He is our heavenly Father. B. Our perception of who Christ is: He is the sovereign Ruler of this universe. He controls all that happens and is fully capable of equipping us. C. His promises: Christ is always present, providing, empowering, and strengthening us. I challenge you to make a decision today. Decide to begin claiming the promise in Philippians 4:13 as your own. Accept it by faith on the basis of your personal relationship with the Savior and the promises made in the Bible. I guarantee you will be transformed as the Father reveals His perfect will for your life day by day. Instead of holding back in fear or uncertainty, you can move ahead in perfect confidence that you have His assistance, direction, and provision to fulfill anything He calls you to do.
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 02:04:21 +0000
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