How We Can Have Confidence Before God Pt.1 Series

-- New Revised Standard

Hebrews 10:35 Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward.

The writer of Hebrews is telling us to hold on to our confidence because it brings a great reward. One translation says, Do not lose your fearlessness. Another translation says,

Ye may not cast away, then, your boldness. These are some different ways of saying

the same thing, confidence has a reward, and we need to be confident in order to receive it.

We should be able to go before our Father with great confidence and boldness.

My question is how can we get that kind of boldness or confidence before God, and is it something every believer automatically has? I believe we can find the answer to these questions, as always, in God’s Word.

The Apostle John said --

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. (1 John 3:18-24)

John said, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. John did not say if God does not condemn us we would have confidence before Him. We might say it like this, -- if our spirit or inner most being does not condemn us, we would have a clear conscious. Confidence comes from a clear conscious. Our spirit being is our conscious.

God’s Word tells us in -- Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.

John also says if we love in deed and truth, we will know we are of the truth and shall

assure our hearts before Him. He is telling us to 1st we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and 2nd We should love one another, He commanded us to do this for as very good reason. We will put ourselves into a place where we can receive from Him when we are obedient to His commandments, as The Apostle John said -- And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments. We have to put ourselves into a place where we can receive.

We do this when we believe on Him, and walk in love toward one another. Not just in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. In other words we are not just giving lip service, but we are truly walking in love toward one another. Preferring one another over ourselves, and acknowledging one another. Not just with our words, but with our actions as well.

You might wonder what this has to do with being bold or confident. That is a very good question. Let’s read on.

Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

The Apostle John had great spiritual insight in this area. I encourage you to get into His epistles and spend some time studying and meditating in them on your own.

We are to firstly, believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and secondly, walk in love toward one another -- then we know we are abiding in Him, and He is abiding in us.

We know this by the Spirit whom He has sent. So we have an inner witness in our spirit by the Holy Spirit that lets us know that we are in Him and He is in us. Knowing that God Himself is in you, and you are in Him creates this confidence in us before Him.

When your fellowship with God the Father is right, and your fellowship with other believers is right, then your conscious is clear before God, and your heart will not condemn you. This does not mean the devil will not try and accuse you. You have got to know and understand the difference. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Rv:12:10.

However, we know of his devices, and won’t be drawn in with his trickery, will we?