Assurances : 1. Companionship
God assures us of his companionship. “Keep your lives free from
the love of money and be content with what you have, 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. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews
13:5-6, NIV)
2. God’s Sovereignty
Regardless of how bleak the world situation looks, God is in
control and when we die, he will take us to be with him. “For none of us lives
to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to
the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we
belong to the Lord.” (Romans 14:7-8, NIV)
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who,
being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be
grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being
made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross! Therefore God
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the
glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11, NIV).
3. Faithfulness (Be faithful, for God is faithful)
The Apostle Paul remained faithful until death, and he realized
that God is always faithful to us. “But you, keep your head in all situations,
endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your
ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time
has come for my departure. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now
there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to
all who have longed for his appearing.”
“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone
deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and
gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and
all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The
Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his
heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (II Timothy
4:5-8,16-18, NIV)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or
hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is
written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep
to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39,
NIV)
4. Empowerment (God gives a spirit of power.)
Paul told Timothy of the power that God gives to those who follow
him. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is
in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to
testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in
suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us
to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning
of time.” (2 Timothy 1:6-9, NIV)
5. Ability (God is able to accomplish His work through us.)
I If we are willing to follow God, he accomplishes much through
us. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
(Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV).
6. Humility
If we humble ourselves, God will honor us. “Humble yourselves,
therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (I
Peter 5:6, NIV). “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the
Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with
your God.” (Micah 6:8, NIV)
“But he give us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God
opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to
God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will
come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you
doubleminded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your
joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
(James 4:6-10, NIV)
7. God’s Glory (We have the knowledge of God’s glory that unbelievers
do not have.) We have confidence because we comprehend spiritual truth that
unbelievers do not understand. “Therefore since through God’s mercy we have
this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and
shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On
the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every
man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is
veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of
unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus
Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who
said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to
give us the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have
this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God
and not from us.” (II Corinthians 4:1-7, NIV) (For details and for free course visit <www.missionstraining.org>)
