Confidence You Can Cling To
If a bully, twice your size, is picking on you, you have a reason to fear. But if you have a friend, twice the bully’s size, standing next to you, the bully has a reason to fear.
When you know that someone bigger, greater, and more powerful than your enemy has your back, confidence is the result.
Perhaps this is why the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote a letter to the believers in Rome—reminding them of the truth:
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
Romans 8:1-2 NLT
Because the Roman believers belonged to Jesus, they no longer had to live fearfully. God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him, and one day, He will make everything—including our dying bodies—brand new.
The truth about their identity emboldened Paul…
“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
Romans 8:31 NLT
If the Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists has put Himself on our side, who can be against us? Who can even touch us? Who would even think about picking a fight that they ultimately could not win?
Someone might hurt our feelings or even our bodies, but they cannot touch our souls. They cannot come against the living God and succeed. They cannot turn against God’s chosen people without answering for their decisions. This means that whatever wrong has been done to us can be left in God’s reliable hands.
We can rely on God as our just Defender and our righteous Judge.
When we become His by trusting in Jesus as our Savior—by grace through faith—the strongest defense in the universe, God in His fullness (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), is forever on our side.
Responding to God at All Times
Throughout our lives, we will all experience both suffering and joy. We'll have times of great grief and times of overflowing happiness. Sometimes, they’ll be separate seasons—but other times, these experiences come together.
In either case and in any situation, James expected Christians to come to God. If someone was suffering, prayer was the call to action. If someone was cheerful, people were to pause and praise God.
This might seem obvious, but when suffering clouds our thinking, we can sometimes forget to prioritize prayer. And when things are going well and we're feeling cheerful, it’s easy to just enjoy our season and not stop long enough to praise God for it. But every season of life is actually just an opportunity to put into practice what James wrote about…
When we are suffering, let us pray. When those around us are suffering, let us pray. When we are cheerful or happy, let us praise God. When others are happy, let us praise God with ...