Being Confident In God! 4-12–26

Welcome to the word for the week. The word of God is for everyone. Where we are when we hear it is what varies. You can be in a place where you are far away from doing right, trying to get better, or at a place where you just want to do right. If you have a true heart for God you will never take anything for granted. So how do we know the difference for ourselves? 1 John 3:18-21 says “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.”

We need to start with the obvious wrong first. When you are doing wrong most of the time you are very aware of it. Yes, there are some things that you may not know but I am clearly talking about those things you know. Sin forces us to hide from God and His people. When you find yourself in cover up mode then something is wrong. There is no point in pretending when you are in this state because you miss your chance to be delivered when you do so. A lot of things on this journey start and end with our honesty. When we are doing wrong and honest about it then God can change us. When we are wrong and pretend then He leaves us the way we are and things only get worse. That is not the devil being busy. That is you not wanting to admit what you and God already know about you. Do not even waste your time trying to convince others when you are in that state because discerning people will clearly hear the lie. The best thing to do in this state is to say it is me oh Lord and let God deliver you.

The next state is knowing you are wrong but not knowing how to change. This is the person who wants to do right but does not know where to begin. You begin with God. Here is good wisdom. We fall when we leave God. We are picked back up when we return to God. It really is that simple. This is the place where others may say it is not that bad but you know for yourself you are not where you need to be with God. This is where true change happens. This is where you meet and learn about God. This is when your eyes are opened and you are able to see things for what they are. This is when you begin to see how you fell and what the traps were to get you there. This is when you discover your need for God is truly every day. This is when you realize you need to pray more. You realize you need to not read the bible more but you need to actually study it. This is that point when you start to take heed to God’s word.

Then you have the person who does not feel like they have arrived but they are sure they are not who they used to be. This is the person who has cried out to God countless times. This is the person who has been honest with God about their shortcomings and they are at a point where they do not trust anything about themselves. This is the person who at a hint of trouble begins to cry out to God. This is the person who knows what God has done and they are truly afraid of walking away from Him. This is that person who took a day off, stayed in the bed and rested, and still prays just in case that is not what they were supposed to do. This is the point in life when God matters and you cannot see yourself without Him. This is the place where you will give up your favorite things if you found out God wanted you to. This is the place where you quit fighting and kicking against God. This is that place where your heart does not condemn you and you have confidence towards God. This is that place where you are sure that you are absolutely sure that without God you cannot do anything! It is here that you discover the true peace of God.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you in His grace,
Bishop Carlos J. Lennon