Faith, Confidence and Smugness – Sunday Thought For The Day

The following is a reworked and retitled version of Chapter 20 of my book: ‘I Feel The Presence of The Lord’.  The chapter was originally titled ‘Smug or Confident’.

There’s a difference between being smug about what we want people to think is our faith and being confident because of God, in Whom we have committed our faith. Do you know how to tell the difference? The simple test is: If we feel our faith is better than another person’s and/or if we feel that we have the idea of faith all worked out — the definition of smug probably fits us.

However, if a person firmly knows and believes that God is with them, that God loves them, and when they pray God hears and will answer according to His will for them — that’s confidence in the Lord.

If a person can examine their life in Christ and reflect upon the times that God answered prayers, that is confidence. If a person without a moment’s hesitation, immediately takes whatever confronts them to the Lord, that person has confidence based upon the assurance of their dependence upon God. This is a sign of faith.

A person that prays putting God’s will first, asking that the answer to their prayer brings glory and praise to God and that the answered prayer makes them a testimony of God’s grace, is a person who is confident in their relationship with God. If a person is willing and committed to placing all things in God’s hands, their faith is strong, not because of what they have done, but rather because they have submitted their all to God.

If, when we pray – we pray with the confidence that God will answer because we are praying according to His will, that is confidence not in our faith, but confidence in the God of our faith, who hears from heaven. When we pray, if we have doubt lurking in our minds as to whether or not God will really answer our prayer, we need to spend time in the scriptures and spend time with God asking Him to correct that.

If when we pray, we do so with unshakeable belief/confidence that God will answer our petitions in a way that is always best for us; if we’re willing to place ourselves and every aspect of our lives in His hands: whether it be our health, finances, family, making a purchase, walking around the block or intercessory prayer; if we are asking and trusting God in total dependence upon Him, then our faith is strong.

However, if a person takes exception to that, and/or if a person is unwilling to submit their lives to God or if they’re only willing to submit a small part of their lives to God, not only is that person’s faith weak, but their walk with the Lord is far from what it should be.

READ:

1 John 5:9-15 (KJV)

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.