Confidence leads to boldness

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Confidence leads to boldness”

I read an interesting article about Christopher Columbus the other day. It was entitled “What Was Driving Columbus?” It was about the tremendous sense of confidence and certainty Columbus had regarding his vision to sail the seas and discover new worlds, and where that motivation came from. Here’s what Columbus himself wrote about that:

“I prayed to the most merciful Lord about my heart’s desire, and he gave me the spirit and the intelligence for the task: seafaring, astronomy, geometry, arithmetic, skill in drafting spherical maps and placing correctly cities, rivers, mountains, and ports. I also studied cosmology, history, chronology and philosophy. It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy spirit, because he comforted me with … the Holy Scriptures … encouraging me continually to press forward, and without ceasing for a moment they (the Scriptures) now encourage me to make haste.”

Think for a moment about what he wrote there. He was certain that his calling to do this was from God. He was able to point to all the skills and abilities that God had equipped him with to carry out the mission, and he diligently searched the Scriptures to find confirmation and encouragement regarding his God-given mission. That’s what was driving Columbus, and that’s what kept him going.

All of that combined to give Columbus not just a clear vision of what it was he was called to do for the Lord, but also it gave him incredible passion for it – rock-solid confidence – and the strength to persevere and carry on in the face of rejection and ridicule.

The Apostle Paul also had that kind of vision, passion, and confidence regarding his own call from God. You see, when someone clearly understands what it is God has called them to do, and they have realized that God equips them and empowers them to do whatever it is He is calling them to do, and they know that He goes before them and goes with them – that understanding then becomes the driver, the motive force, that gets them going and keeps them going.

That was certainly true of the Apostle Paul, and of Christopher Columbus, but it’s also true for you and me. Paul was called, equipped, empowered and guided by God for a specific purpose, and so are we. Your strong faith, which is built upon sound doctrine, will be the driving force in your life and that confidence will give you boldness.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Share this:

Related

Leave a comment Cancel reply