Each time something is reconfirmed, it gains strength. Consider a time you learned you could do something. Perhaps you ran a short distance, made a new recipe, earned a raise at work, or saved money at the store by using coupons. You got excited because you accomplished something you never accomplished before, but was it a one-time thing or could you repeat it? Then, you did it again, and your accomplishment was reconfirmed. Perhaps you’ve won a difficult game repeatedly, or you’ve completed a do-it-yourself home project. Something you hadn’t done has now been done. Something you didn’t know is now known.
You consistently reconfirm your faith. The foundation has been laid. You know the truth of God’s Word and who he is. You don’t just believe in God, you know him. You learn more about him, which prompts you to grow more closely with him. You watch for him working in your life, and as he does, you give him credit for what’s happening. Because you’re looking for him, you recognize him. You don’t excuse away his provision and guidance as coincidence and chance. Your reconfirmation doesn’t change who God is. He is unchangeable. Your reconfirmation changes your relationship with God. As you experience God, and what you believe lines up to your experiences with God, you give him more credit and trust him more completely. When your belief doesn’t line up with God, you search, knowing God is true and searchable, and he will reveal himself. You can trust him to convict you of what beliefs to tweak in order to more completely know the one and only true God.
Dig Into God’s Word…
And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” (Matthew 26:27-29, NLT)
God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. (Acts 15:8-9, NLT)
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. (Romans 9:1, NLT)
Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:5-10, NLT)
Live It Out Loud…
When you think about your spiritual journey or everyday life, what’s one word that comes to mind? Look up the word (a synonym or concept) in a Bible concordance and see where God leads. For a quick online search, visit www.BibleGateway.com, and type in the word you want to search. You can choose your preferred translation, and you can even choose multiple translations to search at once. (Click on the Keyword Search, then choose “Search in multiple versions” under the dropdown “Select version” menu.)