Praying,
asking the Lord to give them confidence, Peter and John received the thing for
which they had asked. Confidence. Confidence is that value that helps us to
rely on the Lord for all things and gives us the strength to keep on going
forward in the direction that we are call because God is leading us. It makes
us aware that we are only responsible for being obedient—not for the results.
Although we are always responsible for our own actions. The end result of what
God is calling us to do or say will be governed by Him.
We can see
such a great example of this in Peter.
He was impulsive, like when he got out of the boat to walk on the water
to Jesus (Matthew 14:27-31), but he also denied Jesus and didn’t stand us for
what was right when Jesus was on trial and crucified. After Jesus’ resurrection
and ascension, Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit and preaches to a group of
Jews from many nations in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Pentecost. Three
thousand souls were saved that day (Acts 2:41) As Peter goes on in his ministry
to the Jews he doesn’t assume that God has just gifted him with a great speaking
ability. Now Peter asks God for confidence and is again empowered to preach. He
didn’t ask for riches or for the persecution that they faced to be taken away.
No, he just asked for confidence, sometimes translated as boldness. That “boldness”
is the very thing for which Peter is best remembered. In Acts he spoke with
confidence for the Lord—boldness. That is the very thing many Christians ask
for now. We want to be like Peter—bold and confident that what we say will lead
others to Christ.
Training Tip – In a study described in the book The Outliers:
the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell it was found that children from
upper class families were more assertive and had more confidence in dealing
with adults and taking charge of their circumstances. An example of this was a
child who was going to the doctor for a routine check-up. His mother asked if
he had any questions for the doctor and then role played him asking the doctor
about bumps under his arm. She was teaching him that he has the right to speak
up. When the boy talked to the doctor about his concern he spoke to the doctor
directly and the doctor carried on a conversation with him directly, not going
through the boy's mother as is typically seen. That child reasons and negotiates
and jokes with adults, including his parents. Lower class children don’t
interact with adults in this way and haven’t been taught a sense of entitlement
that will help them succeed.
Do you want
your children to be assertive and have confidence in themselves? Deliberately
teach them to speak up and stand up for themselves. Encourage them to question
what is going on around them—at school, church, and in your neighborhood or community.
Help them by role-playing situations in which they may initially feel
uncomfortable. This may be useful for getting them ready for the first day of
school, first day in a new school if you have moved, visiting the doctor,
dentist, or anytime they have to get up in front of others, like a dance
recital or giving a speech. Encouragement with a gentle tone, not badgering
them to make them do something perfectly. Perfect isn’t as important as them
learning to take control of the situation or just feeling comfortable in a new
environment. Encourage—encourage—encourage. That is the key to healthy
confident children who want to seek the Lord for themselves.
Lord – As it says in Proverbs 14:26…In
the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and his children will have
refuge. Give us refuge from the persecution that may be around and before us
and give us the boldness of Peter to speak Your words of salvation to others
for salvation in Christ is the most important thing in this world.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
© 2013 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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