Confidence

"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward" (Heb. 10: 35). 

While meditating on the above text I was especially impressed with the word confidence." First, in its relation to God, and then in its relation to man.

The primary meaning of the word, says Webster, is "A trusting or reliance; an assurance of mind or firm belief in the integrity, stability, or veracity of another." There is not a factor in the church of Jesus Christ that Satan strives more incessantly to destroy than he does "Confidence." The cause for this may be found in the two following reasons: First, "Confidence" is the coupling-pin that links man to God, and earth to heaven. "He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11: 6). Secondly, "Confidence" is the coupling-pin that links man to man. It would be impossible to do business in the commercial world if men were void of confidence in each other. It takes a degree of confidence to deposit money in a bank, post a letter, send a telegram, buy a railroad ticket, etc., etc. If confidence is such an important factor in the business world, and men find it utterly impossible to succeed without it, of how much greater importance must it be in the religious world, since it is utterly impossible to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ without it

Let us briefly notice some of the reasons why we need confidence toward God.

First, it delivers us completely from doubts and fears, and gives us clearness, assurance, and soul rest. How well do we all remember the time when we were tormented with doubt and fear, and pressed down beneath the load of sin and guilt! But when we fully trusted Jesus, we received a witness that our many sins were all forgiven, and immediately every doubt vanished and there sprung up spontaneously in our hearts a peace, rest, and assurance that all hell could not refute.

A second reason why we need confidence in God is because it opens the door and clears the way for Him to verify His promises with us. The Bible with its three thousand promises is of no value to the man who does not have enough confidence in the God of heaven to rely and depend upon Him for their fulfillment. The promises are valueless unless we have confidence to step out upon them.

A third reason why we need to retain confidence in God is that it lays the foundation for hope, i. e., a reliance upon God for protection and reward in the day of judgment. Since He has been so faithful in assisting us and has brought us through so many hard and difficult places, we are therefore encouraged to trust Him for future protection. Job said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" (Job. 19: 25). Paul said, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12).

Saint Stephen looked up through a shower of stones and with enamored trust and childlike confidence committed his emancipated spirit into the hands of the Redeemer of the world.

We will now mention some of the reasons why Christians need confidence in each other.

First, because it somehow limits and gauges their love one for the other. It is an unvarying rule in every clime and age of the world, that men love those most in whom they have the greatest confidence. This rule not only holds good among sinners, but among the holiest of men. Jesus so loved the world that He died for every human being, and yet He had a greater love for the Church. Again, He had more confidence in Peter, James and John than He did in the other nine disciples, and yet, of this select three, He had greater love for John than for the other two. Why the question may be asked. Because John had the greatest love for Him.

When people backslide and desert the cause of God, we cannot help losing a degree of confidence in them, neither can we help losing a measure of the love we had for them in former days when they walked with God. Of course we have the same amount of love for them that we have for other sinners, but cannot retain the same degree that we have for the saints of God. Whenever confidence is affected, love is also affected, and remains so until confidence is restored.

Secondly, confidence is a preserver of Mutuality, Unity, and Fellowship. Satan is aware of this fact, therefore, he puts up a hard fight to destroy brotherly confidence in the church. If one can show me a church where the members do not have confidence in each other, I will show him a church where there is bickering, contention, and strife all the time.

Third, Confidence is a perpetuator of Mercy and Generosity. It becomes natural for us to sympathize and bestow gifts upon those whom we love and have confidence in; but on the other hand we are rather reluctant in sympathizing and giving to those in whom we have no confidence. Therefore, if Satan can succeed in destroying our confidence in the saints, he has succeeded in stopping the flow of Mercy and Generosity in our hearts, and also robbed us of the blessing of the "Cheerful givers."

A fourth reason why we need to retain confidence in each other, is that we may be a constant blessing one to the other. No matter how gifted a man may be to sing, pray, testify, exhort, or preach, he is of no help to those who have no confidence in him. He may be greatly blessed, and at times jump and shout, but this will not help things if confidence is lost. Nothing will mend matters but a restoration of confidence.

I now mention a few of the multiplicity of methods used by the devil in destroying confidence.

First, by bringing in friction and misunderstanding. Misunderstanding is by no means a sin. However, it is a powerful factor in the hands of the devil to separate the saints and blight the work of God. It is possible for a misunderstanding to arise between the holiest of men, notwithstanding that as a fact, if it is not quickly rectified and removed, it will work havoc and ruin as lasting as eternity. There arose a misunderstanding between Paul and Barnabas that affects the Church of God until this day. Therefore, brethren, do not let a misunderstanding exist between you for an hour, but get together and talk the thing over, and clear it up in the mind of each other, so as to retain confidence. It is good, said one, to retain even the good-will of a dog. 

Secondly, the next method which Satan uses to destroy confidence, is to arouse suspicion and surmising in the minds of the saints, respecting the character of some brother or sister. Therefore, when accepted and given place in the heart, it becomes sin and separates the soul from God. "Charity thinketh no evil * * * believeth all things, hopeth all things"-Bible.

A third method, used by the devil in destroying confidence, is seen when God's people strain the scripture and set up a false standard of piety, one which they do not, nor cannot live themselves. However, they expect others to do so, and when they fail, they are censured and criticised by these false standard-bearers. Mr. Wesley says, "To place the standard of holiness too high crowds it out of the world just as quickly as it does to place it too low."

Fourth, Satan's next successful method of wrecking confidence, is throwing a spell over God's people that turns them to "eyes." He makes them believe that they are endowed with the gift of discernment, and are commissioned of God to see every one's faults, and to set everybody right. Hence, all they seem to see from morning till night, at home or abroad, in every church, convention, or camp-meeting, is faults, failures, compromise, unbelief, carnality, luke-warmness, worldliness, tameness, etc. If what they say is true, there is not a real, clear-cut, red-hot, genuine holiness person in the world but themselves. They seem to forget that God has seven thousand that have not bowed their knees to Baal. They are not looking for good traits in other Christians, therefore, they do not find them. It is to be remembered that spiders find poison in the same blossoms that bees find honey. The secret is, the spider is only on the lookout for poison. Reader, are you like this spider?