“DON'T TAKE A SECOND THOUGHT”
Have you ever made a faith-declaration (you know, declared something by faith), and then when you felt it was about time for a manifestation of God's divine-intervention to show up, you let go and gave up? What you did was, you took a second thought and decided to back out.
Hebrews 10:35-36 says, "35Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:"
He said, "do not cast away your confidence." Don't take a second thought about whether God will come through for you or not. He said, "{your confidence} has great reward."
There is a compensation for your steadfastness. The Greek tells us that your being confident has a reward, "good or bad."
You can be confident that you will fail. You can be confident that you are going under. You can be confident that you are sick and you will die. That kind of confidence has its reward.
However, you can be confident that what God's Word promises will come to pass. You can be confident that you will be a success. You can be confident that you are healed by the stripes of Jesus. You can be confident that you will get better. You can be confident that you will improve. This kind of confidence has its reward as well.
If God said it, don't take a second thought. Peter walked on the water, but he had a second thought. He didn't stay focused on Jesus, but rather on the storm around him.
1 John 5:14-15 says, "14Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."
Our confidence should be based on the Word of God, which says, "that if we ask ANYTHING … according to His will (His Word), He hears us." Now, "if we know that He hears us (by seeing it in the Word), whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked (past-tense) of Him."
In Matthew 14:28-31, Jesus announced that it was He who was walking on the water. Peter says, "28…Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him…"
Jesus tells us in His Word that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. (Philippians 4:13)
Jesus tells us in His Word that we are more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37)
Jesus tells us in His Word that greater is the Holy Spirit who lives in us that the enemy who is in this natural world. (1 John 4:4)
Jesus tells us in His Word that we were healed by the stripes of Jesus. (1 Peter 2:24)
Jesus tells us in His Word that He supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
Believers often take a second thought about their salvation, healing, prosperity, and in general, the promises of God. But notice how many times God has come through for you in the past. He will do it again. If God blessed you once, He will bless you again. If God made a way for you before, He will make a way again.
Don't ever throw away your confidence in what God has said in His Word. If you are about to give up, just grab hold of the Word of God and hang on.
Don't take a second thought. God is about to do it again! …Think about it!
Be Blessed, Dr. Bill Hanshew
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