How to be more confident in God. Learn to trust yourself during your greatest trials
Trusting in God is something that most Christians struggle with. Even though we are aware of his great love for us, we have difficulty applying that knowledge during the trials of life.
During those times of crisis, doubt begins to creep in. The more we pray with passion, the more we wonder if God is listening. We start panicking when things don't improve immediately.
But if we ignore those feelings of uncertainty and go with what we know to be true, we can be more confident in God. We can be sure that he is on our side, listening to our prayers.
Confident in saving God
No believer can survive without being saved by God, so miraculously saved that only your Heavenly Father could have done so. Whether it's about healing from illness, getting a job just when you need it, or being pulled out of a financial disaster, you can point out the moments in your life when God answered your prayers - forcefully.
When his rescue occurs, the relief is overwhelming. The shock of having God come down from heaven to personally intervene in your situation takes your breath away. It leaves you amazed and grateful.
Unfortunately, that gratitude fades over time. New concerns soon steal your attention. Get involved in your current situation.
That's why it's wise to write down God's bailouts in a journal, keeping track of your prayers and exactly how God answered them. A tangible account of the Lord's care will remind you that he works in your life. Being able to relive past victories will help you have more trust in God in the present.
Get a diary. Go back to your memory and record whenever God has handed you over in the past in as much detail as possible, so keep it updated. You will be surprised at how God helps you, in great ways and in small ways, and how often he does it.
Constant reminders of God's faithfulness
Your family and friends can tell you how God also answered their prayers. You will be more confident in God when you see how often it enters the life of its people.
Sometimes God's help is confusing right now. It may also seem the opposite of what you wanted, but over time his mercy becomes clear. Friends and family can tell you how a puzzling response eventually turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.
To help you understand how widespread God's help is, you can read the testimonies of other Christians. These true stories will show you that divine intervention is a common experience in the lives of believers.
God transforms lives continuously. Its supernatural power can bring healing and hope. Studying the stories of others will remind you that God answers prayer.
How the Bible builds trust in God
Every story in the Bible is there for a reason. You will be more confident in God when you re-read the accounts of how he behaved with his saints in times of need.
God miraculously gave Abraham a son. He raised Joseph from a slave to prime minister of Egypt. God took Moses stuttering and staggering and made him the powerful leader of the Jewish nation. When Joshua had to conquer Canaan, God worked miracles to help him do it. God changed Gideon from a coward to a brave warrior, and gave birth to the barren Hannah.
The apostles of Jesus Christ passed from trembling fugitives to fearless preachers once they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Jesus converted Paul from a persecutor of Christians to one of the greatest missionaries of all time.
In any case, these characters were ordinary people who demonstrated what trust in God can do. Today they seem bigger than life, but their successes were entirely due to the grace of God. That grace is available to every Christian.
Faith in the love of God
Throughout our lives, our trust in God diminishes and flows, influenced by everything, from our physical fatigue to the attacks of our sinful culture. When we stumble, we want God to appear or speak or even give a sign to reassure us.
Our fears are not unique. The Psalms show us a tears of David begging God to help him. David, that "man according to the heart of God", had the same doubts that we do. In his heart, he knew the truth of God's love, but in his problems he forgot it.
Prayers like David's require a great leap of faith. Fortunately, we don't have to produce that faith ourselves. Hebrews 12: 2 tells us to "fix our eyes on Jesus, author and perfectionist of our faith ..." Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus himself provides the faith we need.
The definitive proof of God's love was the sacrifice of his only Son to free people from sin. Even though that act happened 2000 years ago, today we can have an unshakeable trust in God because it never changes. He was and will always be faithful.