Could you imagine getting word that someone you barely know (if at all) was running around confidently telling people that you were going to take them on an all-expenses-paid vacation to some exotic location? You'd probably wonder, "where did they get that idea?" - especially if you never said such a thing to them - and considering you don't even have the slightest desire to travel to an exotic location yourself.

Where in the world would they get that idea? How could they come up with that? I mean, if you never said it, they had to have just made it up, right? If you don't have the desire to go on a trip like that yourself, why would you want to go and take someone else you hardly know along with you? How could they possibly have the confidence that you would do such a thing? How could they trust that it was true and that you would do it?

Faith is confident expectation

Faith is confidence in someone or something. It is a confident expectation that the person or thing will do what they are supposed to do. You know what a chair is supposed to do. It is designed and supposed to provide a place for you to sit down. You have faith in a chair that when you sit down, it's going to hold you. You trust that when you sit on it, it's not going to collapse. You expect the chair to do its part. You know what the chair is supposed to do, you trust the chair, you act based on that trust by sitting on it, and the chair holds you.

FF Bosworth said, "Faith begins where God's will is known." If you don't know what God's will is, how can you expect Him to follow through? There's a comprehensive discussion on what "will" is in Live & Walk in the Spirit - Part 1: Trichotomy so I'm not going to rehash that here. (Link) If you don't know what God desires or what His plan is, you can't possibly expect Him to act in accordance with that, can you?

Just like in our example above, if you didn't say you were taking someone on a trip - and if you weren't able to do it - and if you weren't trustworthy enough to keep your word - why would they believe you would do it?

God's Word is His will

God expresses His will - His desires and His plan - in and through His Word. If you don't know His Word, how can you possibly believe Him for anything? That's how anyone gets saved. You have to know - based on His Word - that He loves you, that He sent Jesus to die to for you to cover your sins which separate you from Him, and that it is freely available to you.

Start with the Word. Whatever your situation, whatever is going on - find out what God has already said about it. Find out what His position is - what His desire and/or plan is regarding it. Then go to Him and ask Him about it. Ask Him - based on His will you just read in His Word - to fulfill that in your situation. He is a covenant God. He is faithful. He will keep His Word.

Don't be careless with your confidence. Tomorrow we'll talk about another way many Christians exercise careless confidence.