The Key to Confidence
Adapted from a sermon by Fr Yacoub Magdy
Sometimes your requests will never be rejected from our Lord. Our struggle often comes from a lack of confidence in the Lord.
We can ask for the Lord’s 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.
Can you out-give God? Can you give God more than He gives you? The answer is a firm, “no.” Otherwise, how could He be God?
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.
This is our first rule in the recipe of confidence- we can never give more than God.
What can I 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.
God created time for a reason, but He is not bound to time. Even if we haven’t given Him anything in the past, I can give in the future. This is called a vow – to borrow from the future. My past is not good, but my future can be.
We can gain confidence by making vows to the Lord. It might be good to write our vows down so that we do not forget what we have promised to the Lord. Vows are serious, as the Bible says – “Better not to vow than to vow and not pay” – Ecclesiastes 5:5.
We must be careful, but if we can fulfil, we should vow. The Bible encourages us to fulfil our vows;
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
Deuteronomy 23:21-22
In vows, the Lord glorifies us and we will give thanks to Him. We can give God vows in service, vows in prayer, vows in any way that may glorify the Lord. Whatever we like from the Lord, we can make vows, and He is faithful to repay.
We must be cautious not to vow more than what we can fulfil. Consult your father of confession to ensure these vows are realistic. Some get afraid that they cannot fulfil their vows. The key is in our hands. If your vows are strong and reasonable and you fulfil them, you will never be disappointed. How the Lord works, we never really know.
Success is not a figure, but a relationship with God that guarantees glory in every aspect of your life.
The elderly are not tempted like the young. They are not faced with the same temptations. As St John writes,
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
1 John 2:14
Some vows we can consider when we are young –
- Short and honest confessions. In confession, many people are honest and to the point. Others speak, tell stories, make jokes. These will generally leave feeling like they do not benefit from confession. Of course they did not benefit, for they didn’t confess. You didn’t embarrass yourself, you did not break your heart.
- Money is another; with any skill we have, we can use this to help others and the profits to give the poor.
- Pray for one another, use your time in prayer to pray for others.
We have a key to the power of God. He is very real, and encourages making and fulfilling vows. They are Biblical. The risk is that you make a vow and cannot fulfil it. We must always pray for one another, in unity. If you are not affected personally but see others around you struggling, share with them in prayer.
Our confidence is derived from using all our talents for the glory of God. No matter the career, we remain servants of the Lord for eternity.
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
John 12:26