Hello family. As those who are familiar with my blog, my faith is an important part of who I am. Recently, I have been making a conscious effort to spend more time studying the Bible. One of the things that I have been studying is confidence. Not confidence in the sense that most of us would think like self-confidence, boldness, or self-assurance. I am talking about confidence in God and believing that God will take care of every situation that we face. I often hear and read people who are not particularly religious saying that depending on a “sky daddy” to save you is a tactic of the weak or a cop-out for those who have no resolve or no real plan for their lives. I can understand why many would come to that conclusion. Many Christians passively throw up their hands and wait for Jesus to save them. This is not the true manifestation of faith. This is not real confidence.
Jesus taught in Mark 11:22 to have faith in God. Faith can be defined as complete trust, confidence, or the state of being certain. Despite what we are going through, we are to trust that God is aware and that He is working in the best interest of those who love Him. That being said, we are not excused from doing our part. The Bible also teaches in James 2:14-26 that faith without works is dead. In other words, believing that God will bless me with a job means nothing if I don’t get off of my butt and go fill out an application. I am reminded of the story of Gideon. Gideon was leader of an army already facing difficult odds when God told him that he had too many men. With so many warriors, they may have been tempted to claim credit for the coming victory. God instructed Gideon to send those that were afraid to go into battle home. Even after that, God whittled Gideon’s men down even more. Gideon ended up going into battle with 300 men. How many of us can say that we would’ve gone boldly or confidently into battle like Gideon did?
I say all of this just to share some of the things that I have been dealing with. Recently, I have made some major changes to my life in an effort to adhere more to the principles in which I believe. I have taken significant steps to become 100% debt free. I have also taken the leap of faith in several ways to maximize my talents in media to have a positive influence on others. As you know, I have started hosting a weekly internet radio. I have also taken the opportunity to get more experience in live audio-visual production. And there is another major step that I am not quite ready to share with everyone just yet. I bring all of this up because once I made the decision to step out there and do some new, challenging, and faith-testing things, I was met with all types of oppositions and setbacks. This let’s me know that I am on the cusp of something major. There is no challenge in being average. There is no opposition for those content to hide their talent and be mediocre. But if you are determined to do something great, something meaningful, expect to be met with all kinds of resistance.
Despite the resistance and against all odds, continue to show up for the fight. Do everything in your power to succeed, and be confident that God will carry you to victory.
Candid Contemplations 