What we say (positive or negative) will cause our thoughts and behaviors to follow. I realized this when I heard an optimistic boy say, “I will find him,” referring to a friend he planned to see during recess at a large school. He is in a different class and can only see his friend during recess, but if I had been the one looking, I might have said, “I will look for him.” I realize that such insecure words could cause me to act without the confidence this boy had. He did not emphasize the attempt to find the friend but emphasized his success. How often do we speak words of uncertainty instead of using the child-like confidence this boy had? God confirms we have great hope in our lives and future, so let’s speak words that reflect our Christian hope.
God does not call us to speak in arrogance, but with Christian confidence. We need to differentiate between a fleshly confidence and the true confidence we have in Christ. James confirms this when he says, in James 4:13-16, “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay a year. We will do business here and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog. It is here a little while, and then it is gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.” So we must acknowledge we will do certain things, if the Lord wills.
Nonetheless, we can still speak confidently, even when we say, “Lord willing, we will do this,” if we honor God. If we do not honor God, we cannot claim any promise in the Bible, because John 9:31 clearly says, “We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will.” God listens to people who have fully surrendered their hearts and wills to him. They are true believers.
If God has called us to do something, he will make a way for us. Abraham had trouble believing this. God promised 75-year old Abraham a son (Genesis chapter 15). Ten years later his wife, Sarah, offered her maid as a surrogate to have a child with Abraham when they still lacked a son of their own. Abraham did not wait for God’s promise. This is sad, since God not only promised a son, but he clarified, in Genesis chapter 17, that the promised son would come through Sarah. Abraham was 99 years old by then. God kept his promise and when Abraham was 100, God fulfilled that promise. So if God has confirmed any promises to you (through Scripture, or through the Holy Spirit’s revelation) he will keep his promise. As a result, if Abraham had walked in complete faith (godly confidence like the little boy had) he would have said, “I will have a son with Sarah.”
God gives us the right, when he has confirmed a promise, to claim the promise with confidence. While I cannot speak for any promises God has personally made to you (via your prayer time with the Holy Spirit) I can tell you some promises he has made for you in the Bible. You can say, “I will go to heaven,” thanks to his promise of eternal life to those who surrender to him (John 3:16). You can say, “I am forgiven, cleansed and never condemned,” thanks to the promises in verses like 1 John 1:9 and Romans 8:1. You can say, “I have God’s presence and his strength to do what he wants me to do,” thanks to Hebs.13:5 and Phils. 4:13. You can say, “I have a peace that transcends understanding” thanks to Phils. 4:6-7. You can say, “God will guide me,” thanks to Proverbs 3:5-6. You can say, “My life has purpose and will work for God’s good,” thanks to Romans 8:28. You can say, “I have all I need, thanks to God’s provision” thanks to Ephesians 3:20. You can say, “I will never be alone,” thanks to Deut. 31:8. You can say, “God hears me,” thanks to Isaiah 65:24. You can say, “I will always have God’s love,” thanks to Psalm 136:1. You can say, “I can have the help I need from God,” thanks to Hebs.4:16. You can say, “God will provide for all my needs,” thanks to Matt.6: 26-27.
There are many other promises in the Bible that are intended for all believers (and not just the special ones like that promise to Abraham and Sarah). As you read the Bible you will find God’s promises to you and other believers. You can boldly claim these promises, if you honor his commands. And I can confirm that God has made promises to me, via the Holy Spirit, during my prayer times. He has kept every promise he made to me personally, as well as the promises he made to me in the Bible. I just had to be careful to not imagine God made a promise to me when it was just my wishful thinking. The Holy Spirit helps us separate our wishful thinking and what God actually wants for us.
So how do we respond to people when they ask why we are so optimistic? 1 Peter 3:15b tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” We can let others know we have hope, because of Jesus’ love and because of all the promises he gives us from the Bible, and from his answers to our prayers. But what do we do when people mock us for our hope? Matt.5:11-12a tells us, “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.” So we might need to walk away when people want to mock us. We do not try to correct them, because they don’t want to hear the truth: Proverbs 9:7-8, “Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise and they will love you.”
So now we need to monitor our thoughts and words. We might not even realize we are speaking in a negative way (not full of the hope God promises us.) A person might say that little boy was cocky to assume he would find his friend. But when he told me his story, he had no arrogance at all. He was sensible. He was polite and joyful. He behaved in Sunday School, eagerly participating, and humbly submitting to our teaching. He was clearly a kind and hopeful boy. His behaviors showed me he lived a gentle life with a genuine love of Jesus. And I know Jesus will honor his desire to find his friend on the playground on the first day of school at recess. I think Jesus has assured this boy of that hope.
Sometimes God gives us direct and personal reassurances like he gave this young boy. This happens during our quiet times or at other times when we pray. But God has sometimes even spoken to us when we were not praying. He will do this if we are genuinely seeking him (Matt. 7:7b.) So now that we know God wants to honor us when we honor him, we need to get our thinking in line with his will. For example, God does not call me dumb. If I make a mistake and then call myself dumb, I am neither living in a hope-filled way, nor am I agreeing with God. And if I say, “I break everything I touch,” I am telling a lie (I hold many delicate things without breaking them) and I am denying the hope that I can handle things without breaking them (by the way, someone very negative does say these things about me and others.)
To be confident and hopeful is not to be arrogant. We can drive our cars trusting God to care for us, but we still wear a safety belt. We can put on our best clothes, fix our hair or makeup and trust (and enjoy knowing) we look our best without being vain. We can plan a garden or meal and do our best and then have joy, trusting our efforts will be fruitful, even appreciated. We can express our hope for the successes we want, always saying, “If God so wills.” And like the little boy who will soon go to a crowded playground, we don’t have to express the vague idea “We will look for him.” No, we can say, “We will find him” or that we will do the thing we have planned. We do all these things, as unto the Lord, and always with hope and confidence in the Lord.
We can trust God and we can express our words with hope and confidence. If we have been speaking in less than trusting, hope-filled ways, God can help us to change our negativity. We just need to listen to our own words and monitor them so they please the Lord. I pray we have blessed you with this week’s post. Thanks for joining us as we practice speaking with godly confidence.