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#Post#: 8080--------------------------------------------------
Confidence
By: Helen Date: December 3, 2015, 5:22 pm
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Many Christians seem to go through life thinking God is angry
with them. They think they can never please God. How wrong that
is!
David was far from a perfect man, and yet he was able to say,
"How precious are Thy thoughts unto me, O God!"
The Lord is always ready to hear and answer our cry for help.
David said of God....
"For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous
in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee... In the day of my
trouble I will call upon Thee: for thou wilt answer me" Psalm
56:5, 7.
David was confident and knew 'where' to go!!
Why does God come to our rescue, why is He so willing to deliver
us? It is because He delights in us! We are a pleasure to Him.
He says so...Whatever and however we are feeling!! He enjoys
being our friend!
We've hear it said many times...... "I have never been convinced
that I've really been accepted by the Lord.
I never feel good enough for God ...I just don't I measure up. I
keep trying to please Him by doing something good ..." etc
Many Christians feel this way, we have probably all met some of
them!
Many people who haven't had a real confidence in the Lord. They
feel unworthy, unclean, unloved etc. They could never ever
believed that they were a delight to God.
Always trying to work something out to please Him.
But this will never work and always bring defeat! :(
When we come to Jesus, we can't "do" anything He is the
Giver, we can only respond in humble gratitude. That is who He
is!
He says, "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath
eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm,
my great army which I sent among you"
No matter what our failures or shortcomings are.... God makes
it all up to us...with Himself!
We are tattooed into the palm of His Hand! :) "Sing, O
heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, o
mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have
mercy upon his afflicted...
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have
compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet
will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the
palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me" Isaiah
49:13-16.
God says we engraved in the very palm of His hand! The word for
"graven" means "tattooed"....that is, indelible, un-erasable.
We may go through trials and sufferings. but.... we are a
delight to Him!
Although we have not arrived, I believe with all my heart we are
a delight to His soul. He is not mad at us... He delights in us!
"I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast
considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
and thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou
hast set my feet in a large room...
"Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them
that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in
thee before the sons of men!" Psalm 31:7-8,19.
#Post#: 8081--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: Pat Date: December 3, 2015, 5:31 pm
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Because of this wrongful notion of God's character as one who is
stern and unforgiving - and probably some parts of the church
has a lot to do with those notions - people think they aren't
good enough to be Christians and many of those that are
Christians beat themselves up for not being good enough. Sad.
#Post#: 8083--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: Helen Date: December 4, 2015, 8:17 am
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Yes Pat agree. I remember for years and years I felt the same.
I remember a lovely lady, to me a good strong Christian...yet
often ( like a couple of times a year) she would feel convinced
that maybe she wasn't a Christian at all, and that she probably
wasn't saved...she'd go into depression and cry a lot.
After a while she would come out of it...but it still happened,
year after year!! :'(
#Post#: 8087--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: Dave Date: December 5, 2015, 12:17 am
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Paul was" confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun
a good work in us will perform until the day of Jesus Christ"
What if kingdom's tumble down?
What if storm clouds roll?
What if this world is destroyed?
He'll take care of my soul.
I have no need to fear the night
Whatever it may bring.
While I'm walking in the light,
I'm walking with the King.
Now that's a golden oldie.
#Post#: 8092--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: James Date: December 5, 2015, 10:23 am
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Maybe the preachers need to concentrate on preaching to the
folks that they are not good enough and never will be.
If any of us were good enough then Jesus need never have died,
it was because we did not have a way out of our situation of sin
and death that Jesus came to become "THE WAY" and through death
slew death and led us out of bondage and defeat.
Like the old song says "I want more of Jesus so there must be
less of me". Less of thinking about me and mor of thinking about
he who lives for ever to interceed.
#Post#: 8247--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: Amadeus Date: December 23, 2015, 9:01 pm
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[quote]Maybe the preachers need to concentrate on preaching to
the folks that they are not good enough[/quote]
That first one, "not good enough" is true until God changes us,
but the second one...?
[quote]... and never will be.[/quote]
This second one is statement of negative faith. It is saying I
never could and never will be able. It is calling Jesus a liar.
Alone, we can never be good enough, but we do not have to be
alone, do we?
#Post#: 8249--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: Helen Date: December 24, 2015, 10:08 am
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I guess it should have said.."not good enough and never will
be"....in our own strength. I believe that is what was implied.
I remember when the revelation finally 'hit me'...what a joyful
day that was. In my own strength I will never make it. On my own
merit, I will never make it. What a joyful positive message
that is!! And still is!!!
We lay things aside, we make sacrifices, we give, we 'do good',
we give thanks, we don't say things, and we don't do certain
things.......NOT because it earns us anything at all...but
because we LOVE HIM!!!
#Post#: 8255--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: James Date: December 25, 2015, 1:24 pm
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Correct Helen , I think John missed my point. Which was that if
people knew that they never would be good enough or strong
enough or anything else enough to get themselves saved by being
able to get themselves into Gods good books then the lady you
quoted who year after year went through a time of depression
because she felt not worthy would have a true understanding that
it was all by the grace of God, and not by works that we had
done.
I like the song "I am glad I am part of the family of God", It
has the portion
"no longer an outcast a new song I sing",
"from rags unto riches from the weak to the strong"
"I'm not worthy to be here but praise God I belong"
#Post#: 8258--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: Amadeus Date: December 25, 2015, 5:59 pm
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I guess that I stand corrected, James.
#Post#: 8259--------------------------------------------------
Re: Confidence
By: James Date: December 26, 2015, 4:14 am
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No correction need John, you made a valid point from which I was
made aware that I had not made clear what I was saying, or
trying to say.
Always very glad to see your contributions to the discussions
you have much wisdom.
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