I’ve got Confidence

We often look up to our pastor or people we admire, and when they fail, we are devastated. We go to college and think our professors know all there is to know, only to find out that they don't know much more than you. So why do we put our confidence in them more than in the God that created them? Why not put your confidence in God. We can have confidence that he will take care of our situation. If it's according to his word, he will take care of it. I am going to read from Psalms 118. I know it’s a long read but hang in there with me. I am going somewhere with this.

"Oh, give thanks unto Jehovah for he is good. For his loving-kindness endureth forever. Let Israel now say that his love and kindness endureth forever. Let the house of Aaron say that his loving kindness endureth forever. Let them that fear Jehovah say that his loving kindness endureth forever. Out of my distress, I called upon Jehovah, and

Jehovah answered me and set me in a prominent place. Jehovah is on my side. I will not fear

what can man do unto me. Jehovah is on my side among them who helped me.

Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to take refuge in

Jehovah than to put confidence in man. It is better to take refuge in Jehovah than to put

confidence in princes. All nations compass me about, in the name of Jehovah I will cut

them off, they compass me about, yes they compassed me about, in the name of

Jehovah I will cut them off. They compassed me about like bees. They are quenched as

the fire of thorns. In the name of Jehovah, I will cut them off. Thou distrust sore at me,

but Jehovah helped me. Jehovah is my strength and song. And he has become my

salvation. The voice of rejoicing is in the tents of the righteous."

Psalms 118

He constantly repeats how Jehovah is for him.I love how he keeps hammering it in.

"The right hand of Jehovah does valiantly. The right hand of Jehovah is exalted. The right hand of Jehovah shall not die, but live and declare the works of Jehovah. I shall not die, but live and declare the works of Jehovah. Jehovah has chastened me sore, but he has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will enter into them. I will give thanks unto Jehovah. This is the gate of Jehovah; the righteous shall enter into it. I will give thanks unto thee because thou has answered me and has become my salvation. The stone that

the builders have rejected has become the head of the corner. This is Jehovah's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which Jehovah has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now we beseech thee oh Jehovah, oh Jehovah we beseech the. Send now prosperity. Blessed be he that comes in the name of Jehovah. We have blessed you out of the house of Jehovah. Jehovah is God, and he has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords even unto the

horns of the altar. Thou art my God I will give thanks unto thee. Thou art my God. I will exalt thee. Oh, give thanks unto Jehovah for he is good for his loving kindness endures forever."

I love this because, as you can see, he is not only encouraging us, but he was encouraging himself that his God is greater. I'm sure his flesh would have wanted to put his trust in the princes and those in authority at that time. But, he realized his confidence could not be in a man. It had to be in Jehovah. No one can hurt you if God is with you

He said,

"Jehovah is on my side among them that help me.” Jehovah is on his side with them. “Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me”

Remember, it is better to put your confidence in Jehovah than in man because man will fail us. You know you can not put your faith in your pastor, doctor, parents, or teachers. You have to have your faith in God because God is the only one who will see you through your situation. He is the only one who has the answers you seek and desire. No one else on this planet can be the

refuge that can hide you from the problems and storms. No one can protect you from the onslaught of those that hate you, that have come against you, or that are after you. But God can. He can be your refuge. He will be the one that protects and surround you.

I had a dream about nine years ago now that I was standing in the middle of a field surrounded by the enemy. They were shooting arrows at me, trying to kill and destroy me. One after another! As I stood in the field, the arrows would hit this invisible wall. They would fall all around me. I believe God showed me that the enemy could not destroy me as long as I was in him. So I have confidence that God is going to see me through. There is a song that Andre Crouch wrote.

"I've got confidence God is going to see me through no matter what the case may be. I know he's going to fix it for me."

That's one of those songs you sing when you are going through your situations. Put that confidence in Christ and know there is no reason to fear. Let's go back to verse 4

Having Confidence when time look tough

"Let them that fear Jehovah say that his loving kindness endures forever."

The only fear we should have is the reverence for God. We should not fear man; we should not fear circumstances; we should not fear all the things the government says we should be scared of; we should not fear disease. Our confidence is in Christ. If our confidence is in God, then like

Job said, "Even if he slay me yet will I trust him" Even if we are attacked in our body, even if we have all these financial problems come against us, we can know and trust that God is going to take care of us. Why? Because we have proven him. We have seen him come through and see him perform miracle after miracle in our lives. Yesterday I told a young lady whose house burned down, "You know what? When you look back after you finish going through this trial in life. You're going to see how God performed beautiful miracles through this tragedy. Through the midst of this, he will bless you and give you

things that you would not have even wanted, searched for, or expected. Had it not been for this situation happening in your life. So many times, I've gone through things wondering why I have to go through or deal with this. Now that I am on the other side, I look back and think, WOW!

God has given me way more than I had and brought me through so much more than I would have imagined he could have. If I hadn't gone through those things, I wouldn't have experienced this land of plenty. The Israelites had to go through many things before they got the things God had for them. They went through 400 years of slavery, to go through a desert, only to cross the Red Sea, only to wander in the desert 40 years, but God had something for them on the other side of that trial. It was a land filled with milk and honey, a land of plenty. That's what God has on the other side of your trail. On the other side of all this pain and whatever you are going through, God has something for you. Trust and know that he is going to give you as he said. In

verse 5, he says,

Put your hand in God, he will put you in a high place

"Out of my distress, I called upon Jehovah, and Jehovah answered me, and he set me in

a large place."

I love that! Set me in a large place! He has a place designed for you, and he will put you in that large place when you trust in him when your hand is in the hand of the man who stills the

waters.

"Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the waters. Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea. Take a look at yourself; you can look at others differently. By putting your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee." -Andre Crouch

Trust in him, believe in him, put your trust not in man, not in princes, but God. It says here in

verse 7

"Jehovah is with me, among them that help me, thereof shall I see my desire upon them

that hate me."

I like to say I will see my desire upon the devil that keeps coming against me in all kinds of situations. I will see my desire because God is on my side. It is better to take refuge in Jehovah than put your confidence in man. It is better to take refuge in Jehovah than put your confidence in man. It is better to take refuge in Jehovah than put your confidence in Princes. I don't care who that prince is in your life, whether it is the President, your doctor, a professor at your college, whoever it is. It is better to put your trust and confidence in God than in them. There may be someone in college, and you believe everything the professor tells you; God has a word for you today. He said, put your confidence in him. Not in man. Not this person who is feeding you lies. One lie after another lie. You have gone back and forth wondering if it is true, and God wants you to understand that it is a lie. You were taught one thing, and they are saying something else. What they are saying sounds right. But God says put your confidence in Jehovah rather than in man, and he will be your refuge. He is the truth, and he is your protection. So as you go on through this year, have confidence that Christ will see you through every trial that comes your way.