So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV
I knew, after 30 years of youth pastor, how to acquire things. I knew I might need those table decorations for another banquet. I knew I might need that cardboard or plywood. I wasn’t throwing away perfectly good stuff I could recycle for another event.
Now, I was no pack rat, per se (depends who you asked) but I knew what to keep and what to throw away, and knew that one thing could never be thrown away, that is my confidence.
Confidence is the youth workers one resources that should never be shelved or stuffed in a closet for later. Confidence should be a part of the very fabric your youth ministry in five areas.
In your students. They all don’t act right, believe right or even look right, sometimes. But don’t throw away your confidence in the them, God hasn’t. God will bring some of them around if you persevere. Those who are slackers today could be your leaders tomorrow or in a few years because of your investment.
In your volunteers. Leading a team is no walk in the park. There are some volunteers you recruited and some you inherited. Both need your leadership, influence and prayers. Be faithful to train and encourage them and either they will step up or they will step out.
In your church. For some of you this may be hard to do because you feel like you’re on different pages in different books. Be faithful with what God has given you and serve well. Humble yourself and, in due season, God will raise you up.
In yourself. This might be the hardest of all for some you. Whether you are a volunteer or bi-vocational, part time or full time, you have to have confidence in yourself. God has brought you to where ever you are because you have the talent, love and skills your group needs. God believes in you, that’s a given, but you have to keep believing in yourself.
In God. We all have dark days; days were we think God has left us to our own devices, nothing could be further from the truth. We are not experiencing anything the saints of scripture did no experience from Elijah to Paul and from Joseph to Jesus. He is with you, because he said He would never leave you or forsake you. Hang on to the promises
You will be richly rewarded – God is not stingy. The pay off for not throwing your confidence is big. You won’t get to determine the season of your reward, but God’s timing is perfect.
You cannot overlook a key phrase in the verse: you need to persevere. Anything worth anything is worth persevering for. You have to persevere to see what God has promised. Too many youth workers quit too soon and miss what God was trying to do in them and through them.
doing the will of God isn’t as hard as you might think. The specifics often elude us, but we can be assured that loving God and loving others is God’s will as well as praying, seeking wisdom and serving. Take care of the big things and the small things will take care of themselves.
You will receive what He has promised is the best promise. It’s coming. It’s on its way. It’s guaranteed like two day shipping from Amazon Prime. Take confidence that God’s promise is on its way. Receive it now in your hearts and God promise will show up on our doorstep and no thief can steal it.
Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all. – Norman Vincent Peale