Say What?!
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23
The Bible is not meant to be mysterious. God obviously wants us to understand what He is saying to us. We can’t live our lives based on what we don’t understand.
There are, I think, two things that work against our understanding. First, we tend to think of God’s declarations to us as complicated logic, when it’s the simplicity of it that we trip over. As teachers of scripture we should take what seems complicated and make it simple. Religion does the opposite – it takes the simple and makes it complicated.
Also working against our understanding of scripture is the fact that the original writings were penned in a time and language much different than ours. If Jesus were walking the shores of Lake George today, teaching the same principles as recorded on the shores of Galilee 2000 or so years ago, His illustrations would be different and the language would be English. The good news, though, is that there are study helps made available to us to open our minds to both the customs and languages of Bible times.
That said, let me define a few words out of this verse in Hebrews. The word “confession” means the acknowledgement of truth. Bible “hope” is a confident expectation with joy. “Without wavering” is literally without bending, that is, being firm and unmoved. Put it all together it would read “Hold fast to your acknowledgement of the truth that you’re confidently expecting, with joy.”
Now, let’s simplify that and say it like this: “Keep what you say in line with your joyful expectation of Bible truth.” Has God declared some things about you in His Word? Do you believe His Word is true? Then line up what you confess – what you say – with the joyful, confident expectation of those truths.
Over many years I’ve developed a list of things that I “confess” regularly. You don’t have to adopt my list, but take a look at it just to see if it challenges you to have a “confession list” of your own.
I am who God says I am. I have what God says I have. I can do what God says I can do.
I am a child of God, an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus. [Romans 8:16, 17]
I am born again and Spirit-filled. [Romans 10:9, 10; Acts 2:1-4]
I am forgiven and qualified for all the promises of God. [Colossians 2:13 & 1:12]
I am sanctified. [I Corinthians 6:11]
I am justified, made righteous with Jesus’ righteousness. [II Corinthians 5:21]
I’ve been made more than a conqueror. [Romans 8:37]
Nothing can separate me from God’s love. [Romans 8:38, 39]
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. [Philippians 4:13]
I can run through a troop and leap over a wall. [Psalm 18:29]
I’m strong in the Lord and the power of His might. [Ephesians 6:10]
This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:24]
I’ve been delivered from power of darkness and translated to the kingdom of God’s dear Son. [Colossians 1:13]
I’ve been given authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt me. [Luke 10:19]
God hasn’t given me a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind. [II Timothy 1:7]
I put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. [Isaiah 61:3]
I choose to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. [Galatians 5:16]
I don’t yield my members to unrighteousness, but only to righteousness. [Romans 6:13]
I continue on in my devotional time confessing some things that are specific to my life.
Our confession has one of two purposes in our lives. If we believe what we’re saying, it begins to come to pass. If we don’t (yet) believe what we’re declaring, we can use it to persuade ourselves of the truth. So, boldly say what the Bible says about you. And even (or maybe especially) in difficult times, don’t bend to the circumstances. Stay firm; don’t waver. Persuade yourself of the truth. You’ll be glad you did!