2 Kings 18:19 “The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: “’This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours?”
In brief, the position of The Elect is a balance of boldness and humility. Time would not permit me to describe the aspects of these necessary Apostolic attributes. We are commanded to walk forthright while employing the meekness of the Spirit. These directives are given to us by the Lord Who is aware of our limited abilities. He is not blind to our failings, nor is He removed from the essence of our fallibilities. When He is inserted into our equation, the victory is certain and final!
The Philistines should have won the battle. The odds were in their favor, but a shepherd boy armed with the Name of the Lord, came running to the valley. What gave David courage to fight Goliath is at work in us. We are not alone when we come in the Name of the Lord: Jesus! His name is the confidence of the saints and the trembling of Hell. He is the honor of the Body and the undoing of the enemy’s plot.
The Assyrian king asked the question which demands an answer: On what are you basing your confidence? Where does your confidence come from? Here’s the answer: 1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”
We fail when we have confidence in our ability. If we trust in external elements; governments, monies, talents, intellectualism, we will be found wanting. Our trust is in God. People bring disappointment. I have suffered this many times in my life. I trusted people and they rejected me. The ones to whom I gave the most walked away. I had to learn this lesson written by Solomon: Proverbs 25:19 “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” It never works.
Our Faith, Trust, Confidence, and Boldness comes from the One from Whom all blessings flow. Our God is greater than any natural resource for He is the Source of all strength, might, and power. The enemy is bewildered by our advancement. “Where is all this coming from?” The answer is unknown to those who rely upon the flesh. Even Christians have fallen into this abyss of carnal endeavors. They have forgotten the scripture: James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole