{"id":6760,"date":"2020-09-20T16:03:06","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T06:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/?p=6760"},"modified":"2020-09-28T19:01:36","modified_gmt":"2020-09-28T09:01:36","slug":"the-key-to-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/the-key-to-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"The Key to Confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Key to Confidence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Yacoub Magdy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sometimes your requests will never be rejected from our\nLord. Our struggle often comes from a lack of confidence in the Lord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can ask for the Lord\u2019s help but we are still unsure of ourselves. This effects our performance and belief in our own abilities. We need to find the recipe for confidence to sustain us. Our confidence is in the Lord, the Provider of all good things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you out-give God? Can you give God more than He gives\nyou? The answer is a firm, \u201cno.\u201d Otherwise, how could He be God?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We could never give God more than He gives us, this is a rule that has remained steadfast for centuries. It is impossible. If you give God more, then He will give you much more. Some people give their entire lives to the Lord, then their reward is in eternity. It is impossible for the Lord to deny the reward of the one who gives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is our first rule in the recipe of confidence- we can\nnever give more than God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can I\u00a0 give in return? If I live in sin, I have bad habits, my life is a total mess. I have nothing to offer the Lord, and so, I assume that the Lord cannot give me anything. This brings us to rule number two. Time is a commodity created on earth, but eternity is timeless. Our Lord is not bound to the constraints of time. The present, past and future are the same. This is strange to grasp as humans as we see life as sequential, everything in order, in due time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God created time for a reason, but He is not bound to time. Even if we haven\u2019t given Him anything in the past, I can give in the future. This is called a vow \u2013 to borrow from the future. My past is not good, but my future can be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can gain confidence by making vows to the Lord. It might\nbe good to write our vows down so that we do not forget what we have promised\nto the Lord. Vows are serious, as the Bible says \u2013 \u201cBetter not to vow than to vow and not pay<\/em>\u201d – Ecclesiastes 5:5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must be careful, but if we can fulfil, we should vow. The Bible encourages us to fulfil our vows;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you<\/em><\/p>Deuteronomy 23:21-22<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In vows, the Lord glorifies us and we will give thanks to\nHim. We can give God vows in service, vows in prayer, vows in any way that may\nglorify the Lord. Whatever we like from the Lord, we can make vows, and He is\nfaithful to repay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must be cautious not to vow more than what we can fulfil.\nConsult your father of confession to ensure these vows are realistic. Some get\nafraid that they cannot fulfil their vows. The key is in our hands. If your\nvows are strong and reasonable and you fulfil them, you will never be\ndisappointed. How the Lord works, we never really know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Success is not a figure, but a relationship with God that\nguarantees glory in every aspect of your life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elderly are not tempted like the young. They are not faced with the same temptations. As St John writes, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one<\/em><\/p>1 John 2:14<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Some vows we can consider when we are young \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n