Confidence

Good Morning,

Growing up in a home in which we believed in hard work and proper preparation, it is hard to accept the failure mentality that is so prevalent in our society.  I watched my parents try the most unusual ventures and succeed.  I saw my dad build, design, create and do just about anything imaginable (because brains can always be borrowed as long as someone is willing to do the work).  From determining to earn a college scholarship in the sixth grade, to helping my parents build our house, working my way through Bible college, and starting a church — failure was never something to fear, just something to avoid by wise counsel, hard work and a great deal of prayer.  

Over the years, many have been bothered by my self-assurance in the pulpit.  Critics may call confidence arrogance, but if that about which I am confident about is biblical — that confidence is secure confidence.  Our society is cultivating a fearful, insecure mindset in young people, especially in young men.  

The Bible says a great deal about confidence:

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

It was David who simply stated, “Is there not a cause?”  

Jonathan climbed up the mountain into the Philistines’ camp simply to see if God might do something great.

1 Samuel 14:6 “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.”

We are creating a generation of soft, passive people, especially the young men who simply do not believe that they can accomplish anything significant.  Independence,  self-reliance, and self-confidence are all biblical character traits, as long as we are leaning on the Lord for strength.  David rallied his men to victory.  Moses led the people out of Egypt.  Joshua led people into Canaan.  Peter stood up at Pentecost and preached resulting in 3000 people getting saved and baptized.  Someone has to be confident enough to say, ”This will work; let’s go do it.”  Our great generals in WWII did not sit around afraid to act.  Were they always correct?  No!  But they were self-assured.  They prepared and planned, and then they acted, believing they had the best idea available.  

Every other year, the workers of our church step out and run a “Big Day,” a time when we bring the church out to the community and preach to thousands of people.  This task is always done with prayer and some insecurity, but also with the assurance that we can do the work and leave the results up to God.   We always come back rejoicing at all God does! 

We live in an era in which strong leadership that is confident and passionate is almost unwanted.  

Security is displayed in the willingness to start a business or start a church, or the willingness to go out soul winning and expect someone to listen, or the willingness to start a bus route and expect that route will be filled with people — this kind of assurance is getting harder and harder to find.  Who will go to the third-world nations with the Gospel if we have no confidence?  Who will take the risk of death in difficult nations for preaching?   It was Jim Elliot who, having had many invitations to preach in America, chose rather to go to the Auca Indians and take the Gospel to them.  Upon leaving he was warned that it might cost him his life.  His famous reply was, “He is no fool who gives up what he can not keep, to gain what he can not lose.”  That is confidence!  That confidence needs to be in our hearts as we rear our children, train employees, or work with children at church.  

Around 1910 William Borden was said to have donated his inheritance of millions to be used in missions work in China.  He left America at 22 years of age and pursued his calling to the Gansu province in China. Reportedly, in Borden’s Bible (which was found after his death), he had written, “No Reserve” shortly after turning from fortune to the mission field.  In another portion of the Bible the phrase, “No Retreat” was inscribed shortly after he learned of his meningitis diagnosis.  He wrote, “No Regrets” shortly before his death.   Having never reached his desired mission field, this bold young man stepped out into eternity with confidence and assurance.   

Let us redevelop strong self-reliant, bold young men who desire nothing but a cause, seek nothing but to make a difference, and love only God.   

Pastor