Stay Positive - Confidence

For the past month we have been talking about how to stay positive while dealing with all the difficulties brought on by COVID-19.  I have to say, we timed this series pretty well because when we started we were under stay at home orders, and two days ago we entered the green phase of opening.  For those of you not in Centre County, the green phase really just means that everyone can now get their hair cut, professionally.  And that’s a big deal.  I have found that all meetings take a back seat to hair appointments.  Today as we finish up our series, we want to talk about being confident and it’s timely because what we all need right now is some confidence.  We need some confidence that as we move forward in reopening our community and economy that we will work together to do it safely, patiently, and with some grace. 

It is my hope and prayer, and my challenge to all of us, that as we transition to more things being open, and being around more people, that we work diligently to treat one another with respect and understanding.  Whether it is when we are shopping, eating out, waiting to get our dogs groomed, or returning here for worship, I hope we will extend an extra measure of grace to those around us.  When we have to follow guidelines that might not always make sense to us, or make us comfortable, I hope we will do it with confidence that it will not be forever, but for now, so we can keep people safe, and get people back to work.  Please, as God’s people, let us set the example of love and bear with one another through this time of transition, and let us extend to one another grace and peace. 

Being confident helps us stay positive because when we are confident we are comfortable, we feel like we know what we are doing, and let’s be honest, confidence helps us feel like we have things under control.  But please hear this, there are times when all of us feel like we don’t know what we are doing and most of the time we never have things under control.  Even the people who appear most confident struggle with insecurity.  Even the people who appear most competent wonder if they are doing things the right way.  We all have that inner voice that says, “you’re not good enough, you don’t have what it takes, and you can’t do it.  Give up.”  We all have those areas where we feel insecure and like we don’t measure up.  All of us. 

When we allow that voice to lead us and shape our lives, we usually do give up.  In fact, many times we don’t even show up.  When I was asked to take part in just about any outside game as a kid, I would usually say no because I wasn’t very athletic.  From Frisbee to football, I just wouldn’t show up because I was insecure.  When I thought about auditioning for parts in the school musical or plays, there was a voice that said, you're not good enough, you're not talented enough, you're not liked enough to get the part, so I didn’t bother showing up to audition.  When we allow insecurity to guide our lives, we end up not living the lives God wants for us.  We miss out on so much, which leads us to feeling negative, hopeless, and defeated.  So you might be thinking right now that the answer is to be more self-confident.  Wrong.  It’s not self-confidence we need but God-confidence. 

If we are only going to trust in our own strength and ability, we will fail, but if we will trust in God, we will thrive.  The Apostle Paul said, don’t be so naive and self-confident... You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. 1 Cor. 10:12 (Message)

Self-confidence is useless because our heart is deceitful.  Jeremiah 17:9 the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  It’s the heart that tells us we are better than we are.  It pumps us full of pride and tells us that we don’t need anyone or anything to make it big.  The heart is deceitful, it puffs us up and the Bible says, pride comes before a fall. 

Self-confidence is useless because our flesh is weak.  The disciples walked with Jesus for 3 years and they told Jesus they would be with him no matter what, and yet the night before his crucifixion, Jesus asked them to stay awake and pray with him.  When Jesus found them all sleeping, he said, your spirit is willing but your flesh is weak.  I can’t tell you how many times I have said that myself.  My spirit is willing, I want to be faithful, but my flesh is weak.  I give into temptation.  I give in to my will and my way.  I abandon the things of God.

Self-confidence is useless because our behavior is inconsistent.  Today we might feel strong and capable so we step out in faith to do what we know we need to do and can do, but then tomorrow comes and we aren’t feeling it so we aren’t doing it.  We struggle to overcome sin.  We walk into temptation more times than we want to admit.  We can’t maintain the strength and life we want. 

If we only focus on self-confidence and building up our heart, our flesh, and our actions - we will fail.  Self-confidence will only go so far, but God-confidence will see us through all things because it is not based on how I see myself but how I see God and how God sees me. So let’s talk about how to cultivate God-confidence by focusing on three truths of God.

#1 God is always FOR me.  Romans 8:31.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  No matter what we have going on in our lives, God is for us.  When we succeed, God is for us.  When we fail, God is for us.  When we are faithful, God is for us.  When we are faithless, God is faithful and is still for us.  God’s love and faithfulness does not depend on our wavering heart, weak flesh, or inconsistent behavior - God is always for us. 

Maybe you heard this past week about Jon Steingard.  He is the lead singer of a Christian band who said that he no longer believes in God.  I love what one of his band members said, “God is still for Jon and Jon still matters… that truth doesn’t change because we question it.”  No matter what we believe, God is for us.  Even when we have doubts about God, God is still for us.  It is ok to question God’s existence and wrestle with our faith, God is still for us.  For too long people stayed away from church because they had doubts, we all have doubts and this is the place to come to wrestle with them because God is for us. 

Jesus told us this was the way God’s love works in our lives when he told the story about a father who had two sons.  When one of them demanded his share of the inheritance, and then went and spent it all on wild living, the father was still for him.  The father didn’t disown his son.  He didn’t forget about him or desert him, he actually searched for his son’s return every day, and when that day came, he ran out to greet him, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  (Obviously pre COVID-19 days)  The father threw a party for his son because he was for his son - even though his son had failed him. 

The other son had always been faithful.  He was always there for his father and always worked hard for him.  You can imagine how slighted he must have felt when his father threw a part of his prodigal brother.  He stayed away from the party and his home, but then his father went to find him and when he did he told him, my son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  Son, I’m for you.  Always have been and always will be.     

This is the picture of God we need to make the center of our hearts and lives.  God is always for us.  It doesn’t matter if no one else is on our side, God is there.  When we feel alone, forgotten, and passed over by others, God chooses us.  We are on his side and he is on our side.  When we know this, it gives us a confidence that doesn’t come from our strength or ability but God’s acceptance and love.  If God is for me, who can be against me.  I can do all things.

God-confidence also comes from knowing that God always HELPS me.  Hebrews 13:5-6.  Because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” so we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”  Our confidence doesn’t come from our own strength and ability but from the knowledge that God is with me - to help me. 

Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  God helps us in times of trouble.  If we find ourselves in over our heads, we can try swimming harder or we can trust God.  No matter what problem we may be facing, God is there to help us.  If we need help in our relationships, patience with our families, grace in dealing with difficult people at work - God can help us.  When we need help to step out to try something new, God can help us.  Where do you need God’s help today?  He is here to help you.

God helped Moses when he didn’t think he could lead the people.  God helped Gideon when he didn’t think he could defeat the enemy.  Jesus helped Peter get out of a boat and walk on water, and God can help us do more than we ever thought possible because God always helps us.  God looks at us and says, you got this.  Go.

And the last way we can stay positive and cultivate God-confidence is to remember that God is still working IN me.  I am not a finished product either in life or faith.  I am still learning, and growing, and when I fail, I need to remind myself that God is still working IN me. 

The Apostle Paul was a man who knew all about the power of God working in people over a lifetime.  Early in his life, God transformed Paul from an enemy of Christ to a follower of Christ, but God wasn’t done.  Years later God moved Paul from the sidelines of the mission of Jesus to the center of it by making him a leader in the church at Antioch, but God still was done.  Paul then set out to take the gospel of Jesus to the ends of the earth. 

Paul never stopped believing that God had something more for him, which is why Paul could say, I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:6 

Notice that Paul’s confidence is NOT in himself, his ability, or the ability of anyone around him.  Paul’s not self-confident; he is God-confident.  Paul knows that God is still working in all of God’s people.  By no means have any of us arrived in faith - we are all on the journey.  Our relationship with God can get stronger, our relationship with one another in the church can get healthier, and our relationship and care for the world can reach farther.  We are not done yet - not by a long shot - which is why God continues to  be there for us and to help us - day after day. 

Being confident is important to being positive, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that self-confidence is what you need, it’s not.  God-confidence is what will see us through.  Knowing that God is for us, knowing that God will help us, knowing that no matter how much we might fail, get caught up in sinful thoughts, words, and deeds, again and again and again, God is still working in us, that is what will help us stay positive.   


Next Steps
Stay Positive - Confidence

What events or activities have you missed out on because you lacked confidence? 

How do insecurities continue to be the voices that lead you in life and faith?

What would you say is the difference between self-confidence and God-confidence? 

God Is Always FOR Me Read Luke 15:11-32 (prodigal son)
● How is the father “for” both of his children? 
● Which son do you more often feel like? 
● Can you name a time when you ran back to God and God was there for you? 
● Where do you need to know that God is still there for you?

God Always HELPS Me Read Hebrews 13:5-6, Psalm 46:1
● When has God helped you in the past?
● When have you seen God help others in specific ways?
● Where do you need God’s help today? 
○ Ask him for help.

God Is Still Working IN Me Read Philippians 1:6
● This was written by the Apostle Paul. How did God work in Paul throughout his life?
● Name another person in the Bible where you see God’s power and love at work?
● How has God worked in people you have known or read about?
● How has God worked in your life?
● Where do you still need God to be at work in your life?

Stay Positive - Enthusiasm

A year ago I was in Richmond VA on my way to the beach.  I had stopped to see my sister and went to McDonald’s for breakfast.  I ordered a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee and the woman asked me, what kind of coffee?.  I said, regular.  She said, no… what kind of coffee?  I said, um medium.  And she said, no… what kind of coffee?  I said, I’m not sure I know what you are talking about, and she finally asked, do you want a senior coffee?  Then I got it and I said, I don’t know, how old do you have to be to get a senior coffee?  She said 55, and I said, yes!  I want a senior coffee.  It was my first senior citizen discount.  I was excited. 

Well that got us talking.  Somehow she could tell I wasn’t from Richmond.  It may have been that I didn’t speak with a strong southern accent, but more likely it was because she knew everyone else in the restaurant, so she asked me where I was from.  She asked what I was doing in the area, and then she asked me what I did for a living, and I said, I am the pastor of a church.

Well, that got her fired up.  Her face lit it up and she said, oh my… are you on TV?  She was treating me like some kind of celebrity.  I had to laugh and say, no I’m not on TV.  She then asked if I would sing for her.  I was kind of surprised at that - I guess pastors in her church sing.  I said, well I don’t really sing.  She kept pressing me to sing and I said, no, but why don’t you sing.  She said that she really couldn’t because she was working.  But she kept talking about church, and God, and singing, and worship, and she was animated and excited and was telling everyone that I was a pastor. 

Normally, I would have been embarrassed by all of this, but her joy and excitement was so genuine that it was contagious.  I thought, if I lived in Richmond, I would be back in that McDonalds every day to get a senior coffee.  To me, this woman was the definition of enthusiastic.  Enthusiasm means intense and eager interest and enjoyment.  This woman was intense and eager and interested in everything, and she was truly enjoying life - and it was contagious. 

In that moment of enthusiasm, not only was she positive but she helped me stay positive.  You see, I had just come from a minute clinic at CVS because I had a horrible case of poison ivy all over my arm.  I was headed on vacation and absolutely miserable, but in that moment, I was laughing.  I was lifted up.  I was positive.  Enthusiasm not only helps us stay positive but it helps others stay positive.  Paul said to the church in Corinth that their enthusiasm had stirred the hearts of others to action.  True enthusiasm glorifies God and motivates others. 

Do you know someone like this?  Do you know someone who isn’t just happy - they are always joyful, and genuinely interested in others, and so filled with the spirit of God that is contagious?  Do you know someone like this?  Do you want to be someone like this?   Today we are going to learn how to develop enthusiasm. 

The word enthusiasm comes from two words, En - Theos, which literally means In - God.  True enthusiasm isn’t getting pumped up over an event or activity we enjoy, it’s daily living in God.  While we can think about enthusiasm as being filled with the spirit of God, it’s better to think about it as our living in God.  There is a difference.   Enthusiasm is not so much that God dwells in us but that everyday we are living in God.  Acts 17:28 says, in God we live and move and have our being, and when we strive to live in God,  everything we do we will be for God and because of God, and this kind of faith, and love, and passion changes the world around us - for the good. 

Enthusiasm changes the world because an enthusiastic person is a thermostat not a thermometer.  Nido Quebin, the chancellor of High Point University in NC said, a thermometer only reflects the temperature of its environment, adjusting to the situation.  But a thermostat initiates action to change the temperature in its environment.  Enthusiasm changes the environment because it motivates people.  Right now, we can react to our environment and be shaped by the negativity, disappointment, challenges, uncertainty, and fear, or we can live in God and stay positive, knowing that God is at work, God is powerful, and God will see us through this challenging time and lead us to a better future. 

To learn how to become more enthusiastic we are going to look at someone who was enthusiastic, and that was David.  The most well known story of David has to be David and Goliath.  If you remember from last week, David was the youngest in his family, and his father and brothers didn’t think he was old enough, smart enough, or strong enough to go to battle.  David had to stay home and take care of the sheep, but he also worked for door dash, grub hub, and uber eats… because it was his job to run food to his brothers who were in the army and at the front lines of battle.

Once when David delivered food to his brothers, it says he left the food with the cooks and ran to the front lines.  David didn’t hide in the background.  David didn’t wait to be asked forward, he ran to the front lines to be part of the action, and just as he arrived, Goliath made his way from the enemy camp to the battle line.  Goliath was a Philistine who stood over 9 feet tall and every day Goliath came out to taunt the soldiers in Israel.  He personally challenged them to fight in a winner take all match, but no one in Israel wanted to take him on. 

Young David, however, was willing to take him on.  David said, I have been fighting wild animals all my life and if the Lord delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.  That’s enthusiasm.  That’s David living in the power and knowledge of God and making a difference.  You probably know the rest of the story.  David goes out into battle with a sling and a stone and reaching into his bag and taking out a stone he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead and he fell facedown. 1 Samuel 17:49

David’s enthusiasm changed everything.  Goliath was dead and the enemy was defeated.  This is enthusiasm.  David didn’t adjust to the environment around him and give in to the fear of his brothers and the rest of the soldiers, he changed the environment.  He rushed forward and trusted God to be in him during battle because he had spent all his days living in God.

David’s enthusiasm didn’t come from pride or self assurance, it came because he had spent his days living in God.  His days as a shepherd taught him how to trust God daily, walk with God daily, and worship God daily, and that’s what builds enthusiasm.  We know this is the kind of relationship David had with God because he tells us this in Psalm 23. 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through 
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me 
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD,
Forever.

David trusts God daily.  This is a psalm of trust.  The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  David compares God to a shepherd and a shepherd is always there for the sheep.  A shepherd doesn’t get out in front of the sheep to lead, and they don’t push from behind, and they aren’t cowboys who sit high in the saddle and look down.  A shepherd is among the sheep so he can see them, and they can hear him.  They follow his voice because they trust him.  Where the shepherd goes the sheep go - no questions asked.  This is a picture of David’s relationship with God.  God was with him, always.  God helped him, always.  God delivered him from lions, bears, and wolves, always.  David trusted God completely and daily David lived and moved and had his being in the good shepherd. 

David walks with God daily.  He leads me beside still waters.  Even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with me.  God walked with David and David walked with God.  These verses show us two important things.  First, we need to follow God and not ask God to follow us.  Too often we move forward in life and then ask God to bless what we are doing instead of being willing to follow God and allow God’s blessing to flow into our lives.  Too many times in life I made my own decisions and then asked God to bless me instead of taking the time to ask God to help me see where he was going so I could follow him and be blessed.  We need to stop, and pray, and walk with God. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means for us to walk with God through this global crisis and into the future.  God has shown us new things about being the church.  God has opened new doors for us to be in mission and ministry.  God has shown us that worship doesn’t need everything to be the way it has always been.  Things can be different and new and fresh.  We are reaching new people, and more people, and finding new ways to share the good news of Jesus and the unique life of Faith Church.  God wants us to keep walking with him into the future.  Will we go where he leads us?  Will we be willing to leave things behind and step into the new future God has for us? 

We need to follow God and not ask God to follow us, but when we do wander away, or when we walk through difficult and painful times - God is still there.  That’s the second thing we learn here.  God is the good shepherd who is willing to leave some sheep behind in order to come and rescue us.  God is the one whose light always shines in the midst of our darkness so we can keep walking. 

To walk with God daily means we stop to see where God is going so we can follow him, and it means opening our eyes when we feel lost and alone to see that God is still with us and will lead us.  And all of this is cause for us to worship God daily.  David worships God daily.  Psalm 23:5-6. 

You prepare a table before me 
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD,
Forever.

Too often we think about worship as just what we bring to God.  While worship is a sacrifice, or an offering of our praise and thanks to God, worship is also about putting ourselves in the presence of God and allowing God’s word and power to fill us.  Worship is about God anointing us with his spirit as we humble ourselves before him.  It is coming to the table God sets for us and feasting on God’s goodness and mercy.  It is about being in the house of the Lord, which is not the church building, but the presence of God, daily.  And Forever. 

David worshipped the Lord in the fields watching the sheep.  He worshipped God with abandon and with passion and with his whole being.  We know this because years later when David led the Ark of the Covenant into the city of Jerusalem it says, David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.  2 Samuel 6:14-15

David worshipped God with great joy and power in this moment because it was how he always worshipped God.  Whether he was alone with only sheep to watch him, or whether he was in the city streets with everyone watching him, David worshipped with abandon.  He feasted at God’s table and allowed the anointing of God’s spirit to wash over him - daily. 

David didn’t take on Goliath in his own strength or trust in his own power.  He didn’t talk himself into it with positive thinking and motivational sayings.  David took on Goliath because he was enthusiastic - he was living in God.  He was living in God with power that day because everyday David trusted God, walked with God, and worshiped God. 

Where do we need to trust God more?  Wherever that is, we need to tell ourselves, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want - for anything.  Where do we need to see that God is walking with us?  Maybe we have wandered off and need to see that we are not too far from God, or maybe we need to see that in the midst of the confusion and chaos of our world, God is here to meet us and lead us on.  And how can we worship God with more abandon?  That doesn’t mean dancing, lifting your hands, or swaying to the music, it means coming into the presence of God knowing that God is ready to feed us, anoint us, and fill us up to overflowing. 

Enthusiasm isn’t created in us, it is understanding that we were created in God and that truly in him we live and move and have our being.  We become more enthusiastic when we trust God daily, walk with God daily, and worship God daily. 


Next Steps

Read the story of David and Goliath.  1 Samuel 17. 
● What allowed David to take on Goliath with such faith?

The word Enthusiasm comes from En - Theos = In - God.
● What’s the difference between being filled with God and living in God? 
● What does it mean to say, in God we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)?

“A thermometer only reflects the temperature of its environment, adjusting to the situation.  But a thermostat initiates action to change the temperature in its environment.” (Nido Quebin)
● Are you more comfortable being a thermometer or a thermostat? 
● What risk can you take this week to change the temperature of your environment in positive ways?

Read Psalm 23 and identify ways David trusted God, walked with God, and worshipped God. 

This week, identify one way you can intentionally:
● Trust God
● Walk with God
● Worship God

For Deeper Study:
David did not always remain enthusiastic.  See 2 Samuel 11.
● What changed in David? 
● How does comfort, complacency, and pride erode enthusiasm?
● How can we guard against these things?
● Who can help you remain enthusiastic?