Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, July 28, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-07-28-2017

This is devotional thought number 35 in our devotional series, “Essentials of Faith.” Our subject is: Faith & Acceptance

Here’s the question for consideration: If I am sincerely praying for God to be the Lord of my life, how likely is it that He will answer that prayer?

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” (1 John 5:14–15).

Do you need a confidence boost? I will share the secret to lasting confidence, which is too sweet to keep to myself. The key may be surprising.

I will admit, I have not always been the most confident guy I know. When I was young, I was not the coolest, best looking, or best dressed. I was not the most articulate, athletic, or outgoing. I was often picked on and the butt of people’s jokes. My home environment was not the safe place it should have been either. So where would a person like me learn appropriate confidence? I don’t mean over zealous self-confidence. I mean the kind of confidence that somebody had my back; the sort of confidence that helped me keep my head up and have the determination to succeed.

It was not until I met Jesus for myself that I got a serious confidence boost. It was at that point I began to understand who I was at the deepest levels. God revealed my purpose in life and many of the ways He wanted me to exercise that purpose. This did not all come overnight, however. It came as I daily prayed, search the Scriptures, and exercised what little I understood of my newfound abilities, which strengthened overtime.

You may wonder what all this has to do with our theme text. I am so glad you asked (well, except you didn’t). The greatest confidence boost I have ever experienced was being 100% certain that God would hear and answer my prayers. There are tons of books and teachings about prayer that, frankly, are more superstition than anything else. They breed undue disappointment when we do not get precisely what we ask, as we ask.

Notice the key in our text. John said God will absolutely hear us and grant our petitions if we pray according to His will. It is the will of God that we be unified with Him. According to Isaiah 59, the primary impediment to that unity is cherished, unconfessed sin. One guaranteed confidence killer in the presence of God is refusing to confess and forsake all known sins, by faith. When we confess and forsake our known sins, in heart, the Bible says God will have mercy.

Now, imagine you appear before the throne of a merciful God with your sins confessed and willing to do His will as He gives you strength. Imagine knowing Jesus is your Advocate and Judge (I know that’s hard to believe), but it says so in 1 John 2:1-2 and John 5:22-23. Now imagine you do not understand for what to pray and still lack confidence you need, but the Holy Spirit is given for the express purpose of translating and getting your prayers through (Romans 8:26-28). Oh, and imagine you now realize that the Father loves you so much that He gave you eternal life through Christ. How’s your confidence level now?

You see, all of heaven is astir, working on behalf of penitent sinners who are willing to become submissive saints through Christ. If you need a confidence boost, go to your secret place of prayer, confess your sins, and ask away. Know that the Holy Spirit is renovating your prayers according to God’s will, which will guarantee the answer that is for your best good and His highest glory. All of...