Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. Hebrews 10:35.

Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:

CONFIDENCE

CONFIDENCE

CONFIDENCE

Do not throw away your confidence, it has GREAT reward. Hebrews 10:35.

Today I want to talk about CONFIDENCE. You need to do a CONFIDENCE checkup. It is the “fear test.” If you have fear in the pit of your stomach of a dreaded outcome, your faith is weak and you need to start feeding and exercising your faith. Without confidence you will draw back and not stand until you see the promise in My Word come to pass. Strong faith = Confidence no matter what. Weak or no faith = no confidence to stand up against the storm.

If you do not have confidence that I am working things out for you to a desired end then you will not get to the end, you will stop in the wilderness and wander there for the next forty years. Remember the Israelites I redeemed out of Egypt to take into the Promised Land, a land flowing with abundance and shalom? They never possessed their possession because they threw away their confidence.

Let Me show you an incident that happened in the life of My Son with His disciples when he walked the earth as one of you. I did not put everything in Scripture that Jesus did while walking the earth as a man because there are not enough books in the whole world to contain all that took place in the physical and spiritual realms during that time frame but what I do tell you, pay close attention to, because it is there to instruct, edify, exhort, encourage, and empower you.

Let us start in the Gospel of Matthew, and then move on to the Gospels of Mark and Luke to get the full scene of what took place. Jesus was in Capernaum and had just cleansed a leper, healed the centurion’s servant, raised up Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever, and healed a crowd of people. Matthew 8:1-17. At that point, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Matthew 8:18, saying to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Mark 4:35, Luke 8:22. And so they launched out. Luke 8:22. They were headed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. Luke 8:26. Do you recall why I sent Jesus there? Yes, Legion, the man in the tombs whom the devil had taken captive to do his will and had destroyed his destiny, and Satan suspicioned My Son was on the way to take him and his demons out of the man. So Satan threw up a storm as prince of the air. But Jesus, having just given the sermon on the mount and worked with crowds and healings, was physically exhausted and fell asleep on a cushion in the helm of the boat. Luke 8:23; Mark 4:38. Well, the storm arose with a fierce gale of wind and the waves were breaking over and covering the boat so much that the boat was already filling with water. Mark 4:37; Matthew 8:24; Luke 8:23. The disciples, even those who were fishermen, went into great fear for they knew they were in danger. Luke 8:23. They came to Jesus and woke him, saying, “Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38. And they continued, “Save us, Lord, we are perishing!” Matthew 8:25. And finally they made the declaration, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Luke 8:24.

This is not the way to respond to a storm, any storm in your life, this is throwing away your confidence. What had Jesus told them when they started out? “Let us go over to the other side.” And He said it in the aorist tense in Greek which indicates past action, meaning it is a done deal. But also, they had just seen marvelous deeds take place at His Word and they knew the Hebrew Scriptures, they were all of age in the Hebrew culture. They knew Psalm 107:23-31: Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on the waters; they have seen the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep. For he spoke and raised up a stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, so that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, so He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!”

Well, they awoke Jesus, and He said to the disciples, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Matthew 8:25. Men of little confidence. Then He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, saying, “Silent (hush), be still!”, and they stopped and it became perfectly calm. Luke 8:24, Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:39. And Jesus said to the disciples, “Where is your faith?” Luke 8:25. And then again, but this time He called it no faith, no confidence at all, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40. He went from little faith, to lost faith, to no faith. Watch yourself and keep your Word level and prayer level up so that you do not run low on the confidence checkup. My servant Paul worked on his levels and he told you, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves [f]do not fail the test.” 2 Corinthians 13:5-6. Just as Christ was in the boat with His disciples when the storm hit, so He now is in you (Christ in you, your hope of glory!), at times it may seem He is sleeping through your storm but He is not. I never slumber or sleep and He no longer does as the Risen Lord, for He is at My right hand ever interceding for you. And even when He was sleeping in that boat on the Sea of Galilee, His heart was awake and in perfect peace, Song of Songs 5:2; Psalm 16:7, for great peace have those who have their minds stayed on Me. Confidence. Trust. Faith. It all goes together into one life of security in the secret place of the Most High, Me. There is none higher. Do not fear, I am with you, what can come against you? Nothing is too wonderful for Me.

Do not be afraid, little flock, I have chosen gladly to give you the Kingdom. Where is your faith? Fear is useless, what is needed is faith (confidence) and all will be well. Luke 8:50.Shalom. I told you that My plans for you are shalom and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. You can lean on that and stay grounded in it.

If results to your prayer do not come immediately just as you want them, know that I am working behind the scenes on a better result than you could ask or imagine, and stand on My Word of promise. Do not draw back even if it seems the weapon formed against you is prospering. To obtain the promises in My Words takes faith and patience. Know that I am orchestrating things. Do not awaken love before its time. I make everything beautiful in its time.

Sarah tried to rush things before her and Abram were ready to have confidence in My promise. But this delayed the promise. Abram stopped fellowship with Me for about thirteen years because of this. But when he came back to walking with Me, the promise came quickly.

Jacob also lost his confidence and drew away from Me. He thought Joseph dead though he never actually had proof of such, he believed the worst of Me. He thought I had abandoned him and taken his favorite son and was working against him. But this was not so. Where was his faith? I had already delivered him out of all his trials and prospered him exceedingly. I was working behind the scenes of what he saw on the surface around him and the work I was doing was a wonder. I was working for Jacob, not against him as he supposed, making him a wonderful future and hope for him with his favorite son living as royalty in Egypt and eating the best of the land in a time of severe famine, taken complete care of him in his old age unto his death.

Have confidence in My goodness it has great reward.

If you are in fear of a dreaded outcome because I seem to be slow in answering, know that I have things in your own life, and often things with other people who are involved, to work out for the best result. I am in you to will and to work but you have to work it out. Never give up your confession of faith for Jesus is the High Priest of your confession (homologia in Greek, which means speaking the same words as He does and He told you Himself that He only speaks My Words) and I watch over My Words to perform them. I not only work things out but I also send the Host, My holy angels.

No confidence shows you have no faith in My goodness, kindness, love, and favor to you, but I have proved all these to you in Christ Jesus. If you are having a problem with this, please read and meditate on Romans 8 right now. The whole chapter.

I love you. Have confidence to come to My throne and receive mercy and grace right when you need it. Pray with My friend and apostle Paul, who NEVER let himself give up his confidence even if he had to be severe with himself to do it, “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance (salvation) through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation (confidence) and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:19-20. Remember, I am always working behind the scenes for a good result for you who believe in My Son. CONFIDENCE has great reward for you will see My promise come to pass in ways beyond all you can ask or imagine. Let Me work by continuing to declare the Word with the VOICE OF THANKSGIVING.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Hebrews 10:35-39.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13