Tag Archives: confidence

A PARTNER OF DECEPTION

February 1, 2025Bible Studyconfidence, My own 3ffort, zealousLuella Campbell

Philippians 3:4-6 NLT
[4] “… I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! [5] I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. [6] I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.”

What Paul thought and what was the truth were poles apart. Until the moment that he met Jesus, he thought he was okay. He was doing well. He had every reason, so he decided, to be confident in his efforts to find favour with God. How deceived he was!

Paul had the right parents. He was born into the right family. His parents did the right thing to make him a part of God’s covenant with the Jews…took him to the rabbi to be circumcised on the eighth day…spot on! Tick that box!

Paul was born into the right tribe…Benjamin, one of Rachel’s sons, Jacob’s favourite wife. He was a descendant of a beloved and privileged group. There’s no question about his ancestry. Tick box number two!

Paul had the right career…a Pharisee, and an over-zealous one at that. He did his best, worked his hardest, outdid his peers in obedience to the law. He ticked every box in his effort to please God. Surely, he must be at the head of the queue when it comes to God’s approval.

To crown it all, Paul thought he had the right attitude. He did everything he could to protect God’s commandment, “No other gods…” by trying to exterminate all the blasphemers who followed the Jesus who said He was God! This topped the list of his achievements!

Paul’s confidence in his flawless life was unshakeable until he came face-to-face with one he was up against. Suddenly, his pack of cards collapsed around him. His standard of judgment, himself, the measure he used to test himself, his achievements, didn’t work. Everything he hid behind fell apart and the real Paul was exposed, naked, defenseless. He had nothing to cover his pride…the thing Jesus hated most and the one thing of which he, Paul, was most guilty. His outside looked okay until his inside was exposed.

Paul had no option but to surrender. Since all his defenses were gone, he collapsed at Jesus feet, busted and finished, to bow to Jesus as Lord…and bow he did!

From that moment on, Paul took all the lies he had ever believed with such pride, and tossed them onto the garbage heap, his “righteousness… filthy rags, his” obedience”…dung, his “good works”…rotten, stinky self-effort, his pride…the stench of his very being. For the first time, he was honest with himself. He saw it all clearly, a package of lies he to which he had entrusted his eternal destiny.

Philippians 3:7 NLT
[7] “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”

What did Paul see in that moment of revelation? Did he see, in the Spirit, a torn and bloodied figure hanging on a Roman cross? Did he have a flashback of a smashed and broken man, surrounded by an angry mob hurling stones at him? Did he hear him whisper with his final breath, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them”? Did he feel the pain of those he dragged back to Jerusalem to be tried and condemned for following the humble Nazarene?

Something inside turned him the right way up. At last, he knew the truth, deep in his soul. Jesus is Lord! From that moment, he bowed to a new Master. For the first time, he saw all the lies he ever believed, all the false ideas he tenaciously followed, all the hypocrisy he had hidden behind, for what they were…the GREAT DECEPTION. He had fallen headlong into the devil’s trap.

All his life, he had been feeding and nuturing his pride. Self, with all its ugly tentacles, had captured his heart…self-worth, self-esteem, self satisfaction, self-effort, self-will…and all the other sins of selfishness, had turned him into a helpless slave to himself… until he met Jesus.

In the matchless words of Charles Wesley, Paul could sing…

1. And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?

2. ‘Tis mystery all! Th’Immortal dies!
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine!
‘Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.

3. He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race;
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.

4. Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

5. No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
(Author: Charles Wesley (1738)
https://hymnary.org)

Paul came alive, a new man!

IN HIS CONFIDENCE

May 24, 2016Pastor's Deskconfidence, priesthoodPaul Smit

Dear Family
It is simply mind blowing to think that “the LORD confides in those who fear Him”. We are talking about the Creator of all things, the God of all wisdom, and the Mind of all reason. Why on earth would He, the All Sufficient One, want to share anything with us in the first place, let alone take us into His confidence? I think part of the answer to that is God’s longing for true fellowship with His created beings. We see that from the very beginning God walked with Adam in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day. It appears that this was a customary thing—the God of all glory popping in for a leisurely stroll as He interacted with the crown of His creation. We know the sad ending to that story, but we are eternally thankful for the truth we now walk in on a daily basis. Because of the last Adam, the life-giving Spirit, Jesus, we now have access to that stroll with God in the cool of the day, all day, every day!
Jesus said, “He who belongs to God, hears what God says” and, “My sheep hear my voice”. We have this unbelievable access to the confidence of Almighty God all day, every day. Wow!
So how does God speak to us? Well, in a number of ways, but the most reliable and regular way would be through His Word. Every single time we pick up that blessed book we are able to hear and discern the confidence of God, as long as we’re seeking His righteousness in the process and not our own will. He has given us His very own Spirit to live in us, the Spirit of Truth, who helps us to understand what God is saying.
The church has got very lost down through the ages, giving certain people (the clergy) exclusive rights to hear from God. This has resulted in gross abuse of the Scriptures as well as an inherent laziness on behalf of the people. God has given gifts to the church to help the church function properly. He has not given positions and titles and certainly never intended an exclusive bunch to be the sole recipients of His confidence. It’s for all His children who fear Him. Isaiah wrote in 66:2 “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Don’t run to the priest, run to your High Priest, Jesus, and there spend time soaking in this truth, “The LORD confides in those who fear Him!”

The Patience Of Jesus

March 27, 2016Christian Lifechose twelve, confidence, patience, sent them out to preach, with HimLuella Campbell

THE PATIENCE OF JESUS

Jesus spent many hours with them, on the road, around the fire at night, in the villages and in the country, in formal and informal teaching sessions, explaining the meaning of parables, teaching them about the kingdom of God, demonstrating how the kingdom worked by doing miracles and showing mercy to all people, especially those whom society in general and the religious people in particular, despised and marginalised.

They watched in amazement at what He did, and at times were dismayed by the things He said, especially to His opponents whom they knew were gunning for Him and looking for an opportunity to get rid of Him. On one occasion they tackled Him after He had been particularly explicit about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees:

Then the disciples came to Him and asked, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?’ (Matt. 15: 12)

Jesus was not perturbed.

‘Leave them; they are blind guides.’ (Matt. 15: 14a), He responded.

Time after time He had to go over the same thing with the disciples. They just did not get it that the kingdom He was introducing was not the revived kingdom of David, free from the Romans and under their own rule. They were continually at it, squabbling about positions in this new kingdom. Every time He overheard them, He patiently taught them about the difference between worldly authority and the true authority which came from submission to God’s authority.

Did they finally get it? No. Not until after Pentecost when the promised Holy Spirit fell on them in such power that they were completely renewed in their understanding, and began to live out their new authority, conferred on them by Jesus before He left them.

Every rabbi chose disciples in whom he had confidence that they would become replicas of him, both living and teaching his yoke. It was no different with Jesus. When we look at the men He chose, we wonder whether He really knew what He was doing. But Luke assured us that He chose His disciples after a night of prayer.

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them whom He also designated apostles. (Luke 6: 12-13)

Either both He and God the Father were wrong, or they could see the potential in these men which no one else could see, and chose them for what they would become.

After an extended period of teaching and training, He sent them out to do what He was doing.

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. (Luke 9: 1-2)

Later on, they returned with great excitement to report that even the demons were subject to them. Jesus was as excited as they were. They had finally got it. His confidence in them had not been misplaced.

He always spoke to them as though He trusted them. He spoke of the future and told them what they would do. The only one who would fail Him completely was Judas, although He gave him opportunity to change his mind. Even Peter would come back after his denial and become a leader among the disciples.

He coaxed and urged them to trust Him even when they showed their mistrust time and again. He knew that, in the end they would come to the party because the Holy Spirit was coming.

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Do you like this post? Then buy your own copy of my book, Learning to be a Disciple, which is also available from www.amazon.com or www.takealot.com in South Africa. You can also order a copy directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com

Watch this space!

My latest book, The Heartbeat of Holiness, will also soon be available.

Two Mighty Statements

April 1, 2015Bible Studyassurance, confidence, faith, hopeLuella Campbell

TWO MIGHTY STATEMENTS

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible (Heb. 11:1-3).

Two mighty statements! A superb definition of faith and a magnificent explanation of creation!

The writer referred to faith as the vehicle through which we enter this life in Christ, sustain this life and participate in all the benefits of Jesus’s sacrifice and high priesthood. Faith. What is faith? Two words describe faith in a nutshell – confidence and assurance. Faith reaches out from our hearts into the unseen realm and lays hold of spoken words to pull them into the natural until the unseen becomes visible. The believer puts his confidence in the trustworthiness of the one who spoke the words.

Not every word spoken into the atmosphere has weight. Many, many of the promises spoken by unreliable people vanish into oblivion as soon as they are out of their mouths. What about the empty promises made by politicians to hopeful electorate to gain their vote? Their words have not weight because they cannot fulfil them or because they have no intention of honouring their word.

What about words spoken by parents to children which are never carried out, leaving their offspring disappointed and disillusioned about the trustworthiness of their promises, spawning frustration and rebellion. How can God be trusted when His representatives don’t follow through on a simple promise? But God is reliable. That’s who He is!

Assurance! Confidence gives birth to assurance based on the credibility of the one who has promised. Although the promises of fickle humans do not always offer assurance, we can have absolute assurance that the word of our reliable God cannot be broken. His word is based on His character. He cannot deny Himself. He is God, after all.

“Look at the universe,” urges the writer. “How did it come into being?” God’s word! God spoke and stuff happened. That’s how powerful and trustworthy what God says, is. When He releases a word from His mouth, it has creative power. It can make happen in the visible world what is invisible in the atmosphere. God releases from His mouth what is already inside of Himself and it will translate into what He says because of who He is.

Faith = confidence and assurance. This is our invisible link with God’s promises and His power to do what He has said. It is His chosen way and He cannot act outside of faith. When we fail to trust Him enough to rest in what He has said, His hands are tied. There is no link between the unseen and the seen realm. Faith is the fine gossamer thread that links the temporal with the eternal.

Let’s look at the writer’s illustration. Contrary to the “ex nihilo” – out-of-nothing – explanation of the theologians, the Bible tells us what He did. God spoke into the physical what was already in existence; He made the visible out of what was invisible – atoms, energy – which is within Himself. Out of His own divine energy He formed the universe by the power of His command.

It is by the same power of His command that He brings into the visible world that which already exists in Him – His will. If He could fashion the universe out of the energy that was already within Himself, how simple it is for Him to bring into visibility the promises He has decreed by His word. The fact that His delays are connected to His timing does not negate His faithfulness in fulfilling His promise.

The issue, then, does not lie with God’s reliability but with our response. It is through faith – holding on to the gossamer thread that connects us to Him – and patience, the willingness to wait for His time that will see the promises fulfilled. Faith and hope, confidence and assurance, seeing the end result encapsulated in the promise and being confident that He who promised is faithful – reliable and secure.

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublshing.com.

Jesus, Our Great High Priest

March 1, 2015Bible Studyconfidence, high priest, sympathise, weaknessesLuella Campbell

JESUS OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the hope we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin. Let us then approach God’s throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Heb. 4: 14-16)

How well we know this passage of Scripture!

For those of my readers who do not have a Jewish background, that Jesus is our high priest may not mean much to you. After all, you have not been schooled in the teaching that you need a representative before God. For as long as you have been believers in Jesus, you have known that He represents you to the Father because He is God’s Son. But what if you have been born into an Israelite family on the journey through the wilderness?

They knew what it was like to be terrified of a God who had the power destroy an entire country with one disaster after another. They saw what He did to the Egyptians. They saw the devastation the plagues did to their crops, their homes and even their families when He rained down death on everything, including their firstborn sons. They saw the bodies of the Egyptian army floating in the Red Sea after they had crossed on dry land. Would they ever forget the terrible spectacle of walls of water swallowing up an entire army with their horses and chariots?

They heard God’s voice thundering from the fiery mountain top when He came down to cut His covenant with them. Not even an animal was to touch the mountain lest it die. They felt heat of God’s anger when He wiped out great numbers of them through plagues of disease and fiery serpents when they complained about their circumstances instead of trusting Him. O yes, they had enough proof of His terrifying power!

They knew they needed a go-between, someone who would stand between this fearful God and them to negotiate and intervene on their behalf. They needed someone to plead for forgiveness when they sinned against Him through their disobedience and rebellion when they could not get their own way. In His great love He appointed Moses’s brother, Aaron to be their mediator, their high priest who stood before Him on their behalf.

As long as Aaron approached God the way He prescribed, he was preserved from death. He had to take blood with him – the blood of a goat onto whom the sins of the nation had been pressed, and then slaughtered in the prescribed way. He had to make sure that he did it exactly as he was commanded or he would also die right there in the Holy of Holies where God’s presence was represented by an unearthly flame.

It seemed that this God was looking for reasons to kill them. He was so holy and so unapproachable that only Moses, their leader and Aaron, their high priest could get anywhere near Him. As for the rest of the people, they stayed as far away as possible and only ever went near the tabernacle if they had a sacrifice to offer.

As Jesus drew His last breath on the cross and died, something unthinkable happened. The great thick, heavy curtain that kept everyone except the high priest out of the Most Holy Place, suddenly split right down the middle. There was the unearthly glow of God’s presence hovering over the mercy seat, visible to everyone in the Holy Place – AND NOTHING HAPPENED TO THEM. No one was struck dead as they glimpsed what they had never been allowed to look at. Even the high priests had never see God’s glory because the smoke of the incense they carried into the Holy of Holies shielded their eyes from the sight.

How did that happen? God’s anger against sin had been satisfied once and for all. Never again would He demand a sacrifice. Sin’s debt had finally been paid, and by no less a person than His own Son. Not only that, but Jesus also represents us to the Father in the heavenly sanctuary. He is a perfect high priest because He experienced all the weaknesses of human flesh without breaking under the tests. He died but He rose again and lives forever to represent us to the Father.

And the Father is satisfied.

Ebenezer Family Church

HE IS RISEN!