Making a Bold Confession

Making a Bold Confession

Years ago, before I practiced the principle of confessing God's truth, I would wake up in the morning and look out to check the weather. Perhaps it was raining, and I didn't feel too well. Even though the weather seemed depressing, I knew I had to go to work.

"Another miserable day," I would say. "Why do things have to be like this?"

When I got to work, sure enough, the day aligned itself with my confession-it became miserable and gloomy.
Everything went wrong. I opened the car door and water poured off the roof all over me. Then I'd step into a puddle, and water would run into my shoe. By the time I got to work, I was in a hateful mood and continued with my negative confessions.

"I knew it. Just as I thought. Another miserable day."

"This is the work of Satan," I would later add. "He's making everything go wrong. He's tormenting me."
When I went to bed that night, I wouldn't sleep well because of my state of mind. That restless night only set me up for another terrible day. This could go on until Saturday, when I hoped for respite. But even then things would go wrong.
One day, as I was reading the Bible, I found a passage that described the day that God had created. "This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps 118:24).

At first I thought he was talking about some special day-a feast or holiday. Then I realized that God was not talking about a specific day, but about every day. He had filled each day with blessing, abundance, prosperity, lessons to be learned, wisdom to be gained, and opportunities to glorify His name.

"But how can I rejoice and be glad when I have bad days?" I asked myself. God stopped me from focusing on this question and told me first to believe, confess, and act upon His word.

Every man or woman who successfully accomplishes God's purposes in life applies this principle of faith-the bold confession. Though they are aware of external circumstances which may seem contrary to God's plan, they boldly confess the truth, saying "Even though I see all this, I know the truth of God's Word." That bold confession not only becomes a powerful force for changing a particular set of circumstances, but it also transforms the person who makes this confession of truth.

Let's consider Abraham, a man who practiced this concept of the bold confession. When Abraham was ninety-nine, God said to him, "A father of many nations have I made you" (Rom. 4:17).

God spoke to Abraham as though His purpose was already completed. He was making a bold statement of truth. It was a bold confession, because the facts said something different. Abraham was old and impotent at ninety-nine. Sarah was ninety, hardly the age for child bearing, and she was barren.

The facts said, "Impossible."

But God said, "I have done it."

Abraham was faced with a choice. He could follow one of two reasoning processes and reach a conclusion that would determine the outcome of his life. He could have reasoned like this: the sum of the facts equals the conclusion.

"Fact number one: my body is old," he could have reasoned. "Fact, two: Sarah is ninety years old, too old for children; fact three: Sarah has never had a child. Conclusion: We cannot have children. Maybe I'm hearing things, or maybe God meant Sarah and I will adopt a child." That's how human reasoning would deal with God's truth.

We must be careful not to allow this method of reasoning to characterize our response to God's truth. Instead, we must learn to think according to God's ways: to believe, confess, and act upon His Word.

All the facts in the world can be held up next to a simple statement from God and the wise person will say, "Yes, I see all the facts. They appear very convincing. And I see all the possible conclusions. Therefore, I have one thing to say: "God's Word is true."

Facts shift and change, but God's truth remains constant.

Abraham chose God's way. He didn't argue with God, nor did he try to correct God's grammar or reinterpret what was said. The Bible says, "He did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:20). Abraham was fully persuaded that what God promised, God would perform. Because of Abraham's faith, God considered him righteous, and Abraham became the father of many nations.

Consider, too, that Abraham became the father of many nations the moment God spoke the promise and Abraham believed it. If Abraham's belief had been shaped by human reasoning and evaluation of the circumstances, he would never have had strong, unwavering faith.

God's way of fulfilling the promise differed from everything Abraham had been trained to believe about the facts of life. A year went by, then two, and then almost twenty; but still there was no child. In spite of the circumstances, Abraham continued to believe God and confess the truth. Finally, Isaac, the promised child, was born.

Every circumstance, obstacle or problem must bend and change under the mighty power of God's Word. But that power will only be released by the application of faith.

Do not be afraid of problems or perplexing circumstances in your life. Instead, learn to boldly confess the promise from God that says, "And we know that God causes all tings to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

The Lord has arranged the circumstances you will face. He is carefully setting up difficult situations and unusual circumstances so that you can learn to apply your faith in Him.

It is important to remember that words in themselves don't change things or solve problems. But when you make a bold confession of what you know in faith to be true, you will be able to make the right decisions and face the problems at hand.
As you practice God's Word and apply the principles of faith to all that you encounter, you will find your faith growing. You will be able to handle an increasing amount of responsibility in the affairs of God's kingdom.

No matter what happens to you, learn to make that one bold confession, "All things work together for good." Because of your faith, you will see the circumstances change for the glory of God.

Of course, this doesn't mean that "all things will work together to make you happy." But it does mean that your faith in God and your bold confession will cause every incident in your life to fit into an overall pattern for good. As you believe, confess, and act, you will see God glorified and your own life built up in him.

There are many bold confessions of faith you can make based on God's Word. As you align your speech, your thinking and your actions with the truth revealed in God's Word, the greater will be your ability to experience and reflect God's life. You will be increasingly free from the things which bind and frustrate human beings.

Solomon describes the wise person, saying, "The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer", and "The heart of the wise teaches his mouth" (Prov 15:28; 16:23). I want to encourage you to go to God's Word with the aim that in your thinking, your speech and your action, you will align yourself with His truth.

If you learn to make the confession of your mouth the truth of God's Word, you will not only have a bold confession, you will have a blessed life.

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