How can we practically "not throw away" our confidence in daily life? The Call: “Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence” “So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward.” (Hebrews 10:35) Where Our Confidence Comes From – Christ’s finished work: “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). – God’s unchanging character: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). – The Spirit’s inner witness: “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). Confidence is not self-generated; it is anchored in who God is and what He has done. Daily Practices to Guard Confidence • Start each morning in Scripture. Read until one promise grips your heart, then speak it aloud. • Pray with expectancy. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). Bring real needs, believing He hears. • Keep a written record of answered prayer and providences. Review regularly to see His faithful track record. • Gather with believers who stir faith. “Let us consider how to spur one another on… not neglecting to meet together” (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Memorize key verses—Hebrews 3:6; 3:14; Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 1:12—and recite them when doubt whispers. • Obey promptly. Confidence flourishes where conscience is clear (1 John 3:21). • Sing truth through the day. Worship counters fear and fixes eyes on Christ (Psalm 59:16). • End the day rehearsing God’s steadfast love (Psalm 92:2). Gratitude cements confidence. Enemies of Confidence to Recognize and Resist – Unconfessed sin: it dulls spiritual assurance (Psalm 32:3-5). – Neglect of Scripture: starvation weakens faith (Matthew 4:4). – Isolation: lone sheep are easy prey (Ecclesiastes 4:12). – Fixating on circumstances instead of promises (2 Corinthians 5:7). – Listening to condemning voices after forgiveness has been received (Romans 8:1). Encouragement from the Cloud of Witnesses Hebrews 11 parades saints who maintained confidence: • Noah built when rain was unheard of. • Abraham obeyed not knowing where he was going. • Moses regarded “disgrace for Christ” as greater riches than Egypt’s treasures. Their secret? They looked “forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Looking Ahead to the Great Reward Hebrews 10:36 adds, “You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” • Confidence today is fueled by certainty of tomorrow. • The “great reward” is both present (intimate fellowship, answered prayer) and future (eternal inheritance, unhindered communion). Hold fast. Every ordinary act of trust, every decision to keep believing when sight is scarce, is noted by the One who cannot lie. Don’t toss away what Christ purchased at such cost; cling to it, live from it, and watch Him prove—again and again—that your confidence in Him is never misplaced. |
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