Hold Onto Your Confidence
By David Wilkerson
February 22, 2010 Dearly Beloved:

DO YOU NEED AN INFUSION OF STRENGTH?
In prayer last night, I felt impressed to send out a word about God’s
promises to give strength to his
people when they need it. I have listed below some of these promises. I
am convinced many reading
this need to believe and appropriate these promises today.

- Psalm 18:2, 31, 39 — “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and
my deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my
salvation, and my high tower…. Who is
God save the Lord? Or who is a rock save our God?… Thou hast girded
me with strength unto the
battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.”

- Psalm 20:6 — “Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he
will hear him from his holy
heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.”

- Psalm 27:1 — “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? The Lord is the
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

- Psalm 28:7-8 — “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart
trusted in him, and I am
helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I
praise him. The Lord is their
strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.”

- Psalm 29:11 — “The Lord will give strength unto his people; the
Lord will bless his people with
peace.”

- Psalm 37:39-40 — “The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:
he is their strength in the time
of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall
deliver them from the wicked, and
save them, because they trust in him.”

- Psalm 68:28, 35 — “Thy God hath commanded thy strength:
strengthen, O God, that which
thou hast wrought for us…. O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy
places: the God of Israel is he that
giveth strength and power unto his people.”

- Psalm 71:16, 18 — “I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I
will make mention of thy
righteousness, even of thine only…. Now also when I am old and
grayheaded, O God, forsake me not;
until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to
every one that is to come.”

- Psalm 84:5, 7 — “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in
whose heart are the ways of
them…. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion
appeareth before God.”

- Psalm 86:16-17 — “O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give
thy strength unto thy
servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. Show me a token for good;
that they which hate me
may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and
comforted me.”

- Psalm 138:3 — “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and
strengthenedst me with
strength in my soul.”

- Psalm 148:14 — “He also exalteth the horn of his people, the
praise of all his saints; even of
the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.”

May God give you a mighty baptism of his strength even this day. His
Word will accomplish this in
your heart. Your prayers and financial support are greatly appreciated
and needed at this time. Thank
you.
In Christ,
DAVID WILKERSON
DW:bbm 2.22.10

Newsletter: Hold Onto Your Confidence
February 22, 2010 "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath
great recompense of
reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will
of God, ye might receive the
promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and
will not tarry. Now the just shall
live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure
in him. But we are not of them
who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of
the soul” (Hebrews
10:35–39).
These verses were addressed to some of the most harassed, tried and
suffering Christians on earth.
These dear saints had walked faithfully in the fear of God. They were
repentant, looking for the
coming of the Lord. They knew Christ as their high priest and had lived
in the full assurance of faith.
And they were steadfast in the Lord. They had held fast their testimony
without wavering. They
trusted in the God who is “faithful that promised.”
These saints also had taken to heart all warnings against apostasy.
They knew that believers who
sinned willfully after receiving the knowledge of truth could fall away
and be “devoured by the
adversary.”
Knowing this was an important part of their faith, because from the
very start they had suffered
terrible persecution. They were “objects of ridicule,” enduring
reproach. They suffered all kinds of
afflictions. Not only was their character assassinated by the wicked,
but their property was
confiscated, leaving them poverty stricken. Finally, their leader was
thrown in jail, leaving them
without a shepherd.
What was going on that these Christians should suffer so terribly?All
of these terrible hardships fell on
those Christians immediately “after ye were illuminated.” It was
then “ye endured a great fight of
afflictions” (Hebrews 10:32). Think about this sentence: It flies in
the face of every modern doctrine of
prosperity and a painless walk with Christ.
You might ask, “Why do some Christians seem to breeze through life? I
know people who apparently
never seem to suffer. They only prosper. They always look happy, as if
they have no problems at all.”
Indeed, as you look at such Christians, you may wonder, “What’s
wrong with me? Why have I had to
endure one difficulty after another since I gave my all to Jesus? When
I was cold and lukewarm in
faith, everything was okay. I didn’t know such hardships existed
until I got serious with God.”
Your answer is contained in this verse: “After you were
illuminated,” meaning, “after you saw the
light.” It was after you opened your life to Jesus and were flooded
with his light that your great fight
of afflictions began.
You see, Satan attacks us according to the measure of light we receive
and walk in. Those who walk in
a little ray of light are no threat to the devil’s kingdom. He aims
his “great fight of afflictions” at those

who love the light, who embrace all that Christ has for them.
Such saints have no part in darkness. They’ve laid hold of a faith
that has made them “endurers.”
They have become soldiers who walk in the full assurance of faith. Yet
because of their faith they
have become targets of vicious attacks from hell.
The enemy comes like a flood against such soldiers.Satan can make it
seem as if everything in their
lives is coming apart: Their prayers seem hindered, heaven seems as
brass and they suffer afflictions
on all sides. At such times their heart can whisper condemnation:
“You lack faith. If you only believed more righteously — if you
were closer to Jesus, if your thoughts
weren’t so evil — none of this would be happening to you. You would
be on top, like those you see
around you. You would enjoy abundance and hear clearly from God.”
Not so! These Hebrews who were under attack had a genuine faith that
made them “draw nigh unto
God in full assurance.” Indeed, they are addressed in this epistle as
“holy brethren” (Hebrews 3:1).
The writer knows there is a war for their hearts in the midst of great
affliction.
Simply put, Satan’s main objective is to douse the light, to dim it,
to shut it off. Show me a Christian
who suddenly comes out of spiritual darkness, bursting into the light
of Christ and his holiness and
purity, and I’ll show you one who is in for the fight of his life.
Does this describe you? Are you enduring a great fight right now?
Beloved, it is most likely not
because of doubt or sin, but because of the light you have embraced.
Light produces confidence in
Jesus. And the more light you receive, the greater your trust in him.
It is your confidence in Christ that
Satan is determined to shipwreck. He has aimed the powers of hell to
drag you down in fear and
unbelief.
The writer of Hebrews detects a weariness and impatience creeping into
these believers.To address
this weariness the writer tells these Christians, “Ye have need of
patience, that, after ye have done
the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36). He
has identified Satan’s most
effective weapon against those who grow weary in well doing: impatience
with God.
Here is how it works. After a long period of affliction, the devil
plants the thought, “God knows you’ve
trusted him. You’ve been faithful up to now. You would never doubt
his willingness and ability to help
you. So, where is he after all this time? Why doesn’t he help you? Is
this how he responds to his
servants’ faithfulness?”
Apparently, the patience of these holy brethren was wearing down. The
daily fight itself was hard
enough. Now it dragged on continually, with no end in sight.
This is exactly the kind of strategy Satan uses against many dear
saints today: He implants

impatience with God. He’s telling you the Lord is not going to supply
your need — that you’ll live as a
second–class Christian, downcast and on your own all your life. He
accuses, “You’re going to lose your
job. You’ll lose your home. All your praying and trusting will be in
vain. It’s obvious you’re a failure in
faith. The time has come for you to give up and go back.”
Think about what the writer of Hebrews is saying to these suffering
saints.What a message to deliver
to a people mired in deep trouble. They had lost all their property and
possessions. They had
undergone affliction, enduring a great fight over a very long period.
Now they’re being told by
someone in authority, “You lack patience. Just believe and wait. The
promise is coming.”
I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t blame some of these
believers if they were tempted to say,
“Me, need patience? I’ve endured all of this without complaining.
I’ve been kicked around, pushed and
shoved, beaten down, humiliated. My savings are gone. My house is gone.
I’m having to live on the
generosity of my friends, and they’re not in great shape either.
Despite all this, I’ve endured every
battle with a quiet joy and confidence. So what do you mean I need
patience?”
Godly patience is a willingness to wait for God’s timing. There is
such a thing as Holy Ghost timing.
“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will
not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37). This
verse speaks of more than Christ’s second coming. It also is about
the coming of Christ to meet your
need.
The fact is there is no such thing as God being late. Mary and Martha
had thought Jesus was late when
their brother, Lazarus, died. They said, “Lord, if thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died” (John
11:21). In other words: “Jesus, you got here too late. You missed the
deadline.”
Imagine how hurt the Lord must have been over this. In essence he
answered them, “No, I’m not late.
Lazarus will rise again. I’m here, and I am the resurrection. All
life is in me.”
The household of Jairus also thought Jesus was too late. This prominent
man was told, “Thy daughter
is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?” (Mark 5:35).
Once again the message was,
“Jesus was too late. It’s all over. He didn’t answer on time. He
let us down.”
Too late? There is no such thing with our Lord! You may be tempted to
quit the fight and sink in
despair. But our Father is so full of love for his children he can’t
be stopped from bringing something
out of nothing.
Deep despair and anguish can come at Jesus from those he cares for
most.Mary and Martha had cast
away their confidence. Jairus’ household had cast away their
confidence as well. They all accused
Jesus of being too late, uncaring.
Still, all it took was one word from him, “Rise!” and everything
changed in an instant. That’s all it ever
takes with the Lord. He speaks one word and suddenly everything is
transformed. Satan must loosen

his grip, death flees, life springs up, and heaven’s promises break
out on all sides.
Beloved, no matter what you’re going through, all the Lord has to do
is speak a single word and devils
are sent scattering. Creation trembles. Suddenly, the answer you’ve
sought is upon you. So, you ask,
why has the Lord not answered you yet? Why does your suffering go on?
Why does it look so hopeless
for some of God’s holiest people?
All I know is this. In such crises, God’s people either grow in
confidence or draw back and cast away
their confidence. “If any man draw back, my soul shall have no
pleasure in him. But we are not of them
who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of
the soul” (Hebrews
10:38–39).
The Lord is determined to strip us of all confidence in the flesh,
leaving us with total confidence in
him.If we’re honest, we’ll admit we often put our confidence in
others during our hour of great need.
We look to pastors, counselors, friends, spouses for answers. We spend
hours, days, weeks trying to
figure out how our problem can be solved. And if a solution isn’t
quick in coming, we keep
manipulating, working every angle, until all our human resources are
exhausted.
I often hear Christians say, “If only this deal would just go
through.” Or, “If only so–and–so would put
in a good word for me. All I need is a little break.”
Thank God for all the help from others, but we are not to look for an
angel to appear or a ship to come
in. Paul states, “(We) rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). It
is for our soul’s sake that God waits until we look beyond human
resources and seek him alone for
help. He does use people in our lives, but we are to let him
orchestrate it.
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man”
(Psalm 118:8). “Trust ye not in a
friend, put ye not confidence in a guide… Therefore I will look unto
the Lord; I will wait for the God of
my salvation: my God will hear me” (Micah 7:5, 7).
Paul knew all about the powerlessness of the flesh. He admitted he was
not clever. His critics called
his preaching contemptible, his presence base — in short, they said
he was boring. But Paul had no
problem with such criticism because he didn’t trust his flesh. He
knew that Jesus hadn’t fought his
battles with cleverness, ability or charisma but with all confidence in
the Father.
Paul told the Corinthians, “I’m not going to come to you with false
confidence or boldness that is of
flesh. I will not put it on for you. For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war in the flesh.”
In other words: We don’t need our self–assurance built up. We
don’t need to be undergirded by
flattery. All the human abilities in the world won’t bring down a
single stronghold of Satan. “That no
flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:29).

There is a glorious promise in Hebrews 3:14 for all who hold firmly to
their confidence in Jesus.This
verse says, “We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast
unto the end.” The meaning here is: When we maintain an unwavering
confidence in the Lord, he
becomes our only true source of supply. We need look nowhere else.
“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory
by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
We are being promised, “In Christ are all the riches of glory. In him
is all the fullness. Everything you
need for life and godliness, God has given you in Jesus, your total
supply.”
Few Christians doubt that Jesus is the source of all they need. But
they don’t always have confidence
and assurance he’ll give them what they need. Beloved, let me share
just a few wonderful reminders
of the Lord’s concern for you:
He knows all about your personal needs. “For your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of
before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8).
He truly cares for you. And he is touched by your need. “Casting all
your care upon him; for he careth
for you” (1 Peter 5:7). The Greek meaning here is, “It matters to
him.” This may be difficult to
comprehend in the midst of your long affliction. But even now God is
taking a great interest in every
matter touching your life: job, family, children, relationships,
health. It is truly his concern; it matters
greatly to him.
“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense
of reward” (Hebrews 10:35).
God says, “Hold onto your confidence, because I am a rewarder.”
Simply put: “It pays to hold on.”
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (11:6).
Do you want to truly bring Christ pleasure? Then give him your total
confidence. Hold on and don’t
waver. And remember his promise to you:
“The just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul
shall have no pleasure in him. But we
are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe
to the saving of the soul”
(10:38–39).
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