Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Truth Telling 24: He is my confidence.



2 Kings 18:19-25, "'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have strategy and military strength - but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. And if you say to me, "We are depending on the Lord our God" - isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem?" Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria; I will give you two thousand horses - if you can put riders on them! How can you repulse one officer of the least of my master's officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord? The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.'"

Psalm 71:5, "For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth."


Proverbs 3:25-26, "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared."

Isaiah 32:17, "The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever."

* When you follow the marginal note for confidence in Isaiah 32:17, you find this:

Isaiah 30:15, "This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."

* In Isaiah 30:15, the word trust is noted with Isaiah 32:17. These mean the same thing here: trust = confidence. I find it very compelling that strength is found in this trusting and this trust is directly related to confidence.

Jeremiah 17:7-8, "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

2 Corinthians 3:4-5, "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God."

Ephesians 3:12, "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."

Philippians 3 

2 Thessalonians 3:4-5, "We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."

Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Hebrews 10:35-36, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."

Tell yourself this truth today: my confidence does not come from my own ability or self rather I am strengthened through trusting and putting my confidence in Christ.

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