“Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day Christ Jesus returns.”
Philippians 1:6
Those who are truly perceptive observe with all their senses. Some would call this “tuning in” to the environment surrounding us. Being attuned is more about what is going on beneath the surface than in what we see. There is a difference between sensing and seeing.
Every circumstance has a sound. Difficult problems, people and circumstances clamor for attention. However, there is always another sound at work. It’s the sound of God. The sound that is the loudest is the sound we give our attention to. Funnily the noise of our circumstances has a way of drowning out the sound of the Spirit, at least initially. But, everything changes when we remember and declare the language of confidence:
I am absolutely convinced
the Father is utterly incapable of
losing sight of me, ignoring me or abandoning me;
nor is He capable of leaving me unfinished.
The sound of God’s voice is often a whisper. It shows up in your inner being as a thought, an inclination, even as a gut feeling. This is why you must learn to be a perceptive observer with all your senses. The best way to do this is to step out of your circumstances by closing your eyes momentarily and consciously listening up to God; or by removing yourself altogether from the situation. When you do this a good practice is to bring to your memory words of worship focusing on the nature of God such as, “God you are faithful.” You may want to quote scripture or sing through a worship song. Worship has a way of displacing the noise of circumstances and replacing it with settled peaceful confidence and divine wisdom.
To Ponder
The outworking of Jesus in you requires you to be in tune with him. In your journey to completion what practice might you engage in to become a skilled perceptive observer just like Jesus? Perhaps a trusted friend can add helpful insights as you ponder.
To Pray
Lord Jesus, teach me your way of observing as I go about my day today. As my day gets noisy I will withdraw to a quiet place just like you did knowing your peace and wisdom will surface there. Thank you. In your presence Lord confidence rises. Let it rise. Let it rise! Amen!
*Thanks to Graham Cook for his thoughts on confidence in his book – Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior.