Your faith in Jesus Christ is in direct correlation to the confidence that you hold in Him, little faith, little confidence.
It is one of the reasons that you will read here that circumstances, nor the possible consequences to ourselves should be of any concern to us in this life. A man’s character and integrity are not modified by these two words, and neither should his walk with Christ be.
The majority of those who profess Christ as Lord believe that adverse conditions upon their lives are due to either a sin within their lives, or an attack from our adversary. I offer you the life of Lazarus, the beggar who sat at the rich man’s gate, hoping for some crumbs to eat, laid there by his friends each day. “But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” (Luke 16:25) And where did Lazarus go?
Will he walk with us into eternity, yes, definitely. So, why evil, why not good things as so many profess is the reality of the favor of the Lord upon His children. What Lazarus’s life was like in his youth, why he was unable to provide for himself, what caused him to receive evil is immaterial, the point is he did, and still remained faithful to the Lord our God, circumstances did not alter that.
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.” (Job 2:3) Job and Lazarus, at least for a time, had much in common, most noticeably that the circumstances they found themselves in did not alter their confidence in the Lord, He was still the ruler of their lives.
Think on Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus here, laying there, waiting for the Savior to come and heal him, servants sent to find the Master, and He never arrives. His last thoughts before his “first death?” My guess is that they were no different than his second one, confidence is not swayed by circumstances, and the integrity of a man in his relationship to the Lord Jesus is not modified by the consequences that come upon him. “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:8)
I feel much pity, and I must admit much anger towards those who hold fast to traditions, to works, to deeds and actions done in the hopes of appeasing the Lord, in seeking to remain in His “good graces,” for they do not have the confidence we are speaking of here, but instead cling to a false hope, the narrative they have been deceived into believing. It is of course their own fault, they have no one to blame but themselves, they have chosen to live in fear, and the perfect love that casts out all fear (1 John 4:18) is unknown to them. Their confidence rests in their ability to adhere to the laws and traditions that they hold onto, not the grace and mercy of the Lord God.
If your life is hid in Christ, (Col. 3:3) then you have nothing to fear. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer. 29:11) If you are standing on the Rock that is Jesus Christ, only your flesh will fear, your strength does not rest in you, but in the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you, guiding you in all truth, bringing your life into willful submission in all humility unto Him whose promises are true.
Don’t give into the fears of the world around you, do not surround yourself with those who only profess Him with their lips, let Him sanctify you, grow in His grace and knowledge, with each day your life will grow more in confidence in Him. And “Thy will be done” will be the words your heart will say to Him, no matter what the day brings.
