[Biblemat] S> The Christian's Confidence
ZekeFlores1 at cs.com
ZekeFlores1 at cs.com
Mon Sep 10 11:06:53 CDT 2007
Brethren
Here's a lesson I hope you can use.
Zeke Flores
Kiber Street church of Christ
Angleton, TX
www.angletonchristians.com
******************************************************************
Confidence: The Christian's Stress Buster!
A stressed out secretary told her boss, "When the rush is over, I'm going to
have a nervous breakdown. I earned it, I deserve it, and nobody's going to
take it from me!"
Intro The age we live in seems to create a "squeeze" for time
and attention.
A. Appliances designed to work faster illustrating our desire
to have more and "right now!"
B. We also face the mounting pressures of
1. Family
2. Job
3. Health
4. Finances
C. Along with this comes an ever increasing malady common
to busy people: STRESS!
1. The more it grows, the more everything around us
seems to crack, crumble, and erode.
D. The causes of stress are as varied as are our worries,
but notice some symptoms: Emotional Warning Signs
1. Anger, sadness, frequent mood swings
2. Inability to concentrate, unproductive worry
3. Over-reacting
4. "Impulsive" behavior
5. Withdrawing from relationships
E. There are Physical Warning Signs
1. Stooped posture
2. Sweaty palms
3. Chronic fatigue
4. Weight gain or loss
F. Chronic stress can lead to a variety of physical ills:
1. Muscle pain, stomach & intestinal trouble, pulmonary
trouble, immune system, diabetes, depression
G. One of the things most eroded by stress is CONFIDENCE
1. Ironically, confidence is stress' greatest enemy!
I. Why do we sometimes lack confidence?
A. Stress (Already dealt with at some length)
1. Note Paul's stress - 2 Cor 11:23b-29
2. Yet, in spite of this, he was confident in ...
a. A better future - 2 Cor 4:13-18
b. The brethren - 2 Cor 1:6-7
3. So, stress (although real) should not rob us of our
confidence in God or one another.
B. Fear
1. Uncertainty, the unknown, worry, all contribute to fear
2. Fear paralyzes us into inaction, stagnation, lethargy
a. If you keep saying "I can't," then you won't!
3. Fear should have no place in a Christian's life.
a. 2 Tim 1:7, 1 John 4:18, Heb 13:6
4. So fear, although real, should not rob us of our
confidence.
C. Circumstances
1. TV tells us unless we live in the right place, drive the
right car, listen to the right music, have the right body,
use the right deodorant, etc then we're nobody!
a. This leads to discontentment with who we are
and what we have.
2. Be careful what you use as your standard of
measurement
a. 2 Cor 10:12
3. Instead, be content with who you are & what you have
a. Phil 4:11 "I have learned to be content in
whatever.."
4. "Yes," you say, "but I'm no Paul!"
a. True, but God loves you and accepts you for who
you are, sometimes IN SPITE of who you are!
b. "Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden
and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28
c. Notice Jesus DIDN'T say "Come .. if you're perfect!"
(1) "It is not those who are well who need a
physician, but those who are sick. I have not
come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance." Luke 5:31-32
5. So, circumstances (although real) should not rob us
of our confidence.
D. How, then, do we restore shattered confidence?
II. Confidence - The Christian's Stress Buster!
A. Begin with humility
1. Seems contradictory, yet we must recognize our
confidence lies not in ourselves, but in someone
higher.
a. Rom 11:33-36
2. True humility finds its outlet in service
a. Matt 20:25-28
3. If we have humility, we'll look for answers instead of
trying to escape responsibility by placing blame on
others
a. Humility alone cannot restore confidence, so we must
B. Remember God's promises
1. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the
LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you a future and a hope." Jer 29:11
"For as many as are the promises of God, in Him
they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen
to the glory of God through us." 2 Cor 1:20
2. As we consider His promises, we must also
consider his faithfulness.
a. 1 Cor 10:13
3. When we're battered by the devil, remember His
faithfulness!
a. 2 Thess 3:3-5, Rom 8:18, 2 Cor 4:16-18
4. When sin threatens to overtake you, remember His
faithfulness!
a. 1 John 1:9
5. How much of our difficulties could we overcome if
we just stopped and considered God?
a. Illustration: "Slow Me Down, Lord"
Slow Me Down, Lord and Ease the pounding of my
heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal
reach of time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day,
the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension of my nerves with the peace
that passes understanding.
Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my
roots down deep into the soil of life's
enduring values,
that I may grow towards a greater destiny.
Remind me each day that the race is not always
to the swift; that there is more to life than
increasing its speed.
Let me look up to the towering oak and know that it
grew straight and strong because it grew
slowly and well.
(Adapted from Orin Crain as quoted by Charles Swindoll
in "The Tardy Oxcart." Pg 535)
C. Do the right thing ... and feel good about it!
1. Nothing like the feeling of a job well done. (Good job!)
2. So it is also with our service to God.
a. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all
your might; for there is no activity or planning
or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you
are going." Ecc 9:10
b. We develop the right attitude about service so
we can hear "Well done good and faithful servant
... enter into the joy if your Master." Matt 25:21
3. There are many "right things" to do.
a. Fixing a bank error, even when it's not in your
favor!
b. Speaking up when Christ's name is sullied.
c. Passing out tracts or the church's card in public
places
4. You can do the right thing, AND feel good about it
AND gain confidence to boot!
D. Remember you're not alone
1. Too often, our troubles grow to the point we think we're
the only ones with problems.
a. We depress ourselves further by thinking that no
one else could possibly understand.
b. 1 Pet 5:8-9, Col 2:5
2. Note that others suffer, sometimes even worse than you!
a. "There but for the grace of God, go I."
b. If that's true, what can you do to ease another's
pain?
c. Take note of the good in your life instead of
dwelling on the negative.
Conc. Christian, never lose sight of where your confidence lies!
A. Not in yourself, but in the power of God
1. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1
2. What is faith w/o trust and confidence?
B. INV
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