In this present time and through the past we find an array of motivational speakers. The purpose and intent of a motivational speaker is to encourage you so that he/she can start to change the way that you think. By changing the way people think about an issue or themselves means that their confidence level will also change. As the confidence level changes so do the things around you. In the following verse we will see true confidence. This confidence is not the type of confidence that the world has to offer. In the world we find confidence within ourselves but in the word of God we find that true confidence is with our Lord.

Paul, as we find in his greeting, writes to the Philippians and mentions his gratitude for remembering them through his prayers.

Philippians 1:3-4, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,...”

Take notice as to what Paul is thankful for.

Philippians 1:5, “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;...”

Paul is thankful for their fellowship (a practice in something) in the gospel (good news). In other words he is mentioning that he is thankful for their salvation and participation in the good news of Christ. We have to remember that a fellowship with the Lord can only come by way of a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. An example of relationship is through marriage. A husband and wife can not have true practice of a marriage (fellowship) without first having a relationship with one another. The same is true with the believers in Philippi, they had fellowship in the gospel because of what the Lord had already done to them, He saved them. The fellowship in the gospel is a by-product of what God had already done in their heart. This is important to know so that as we look into the next verse we will see why Paul was encouraging the people to have confidence.

Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:...”

Paul takes time to encourage the Philippians and lets them know that they can be confident (persuaded) in this one thing, “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Isn’t God’s word great? In this scripture we see Paul encouraging the believers in something that even people struggle with here today. Sometimes we feel as though God has left us. Sometimes we feel as though we have been left to our own demise. However, the truth of the matter is that God never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5, “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”). God will never turn His back to the ones that He has saved and brought into the light. In other words, as Paul stated it, God has started a good work in you and He will continue until the coming of Christ. You see, you are a work in progress. God has not saved you just so that He can say that He has saved another. No, God has a definite purpose for us and He will continue to push us to get where He wants us.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

So here is the confidence that we can have. First, we can hold fast to the fact that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. Second, God’s purpose for us to grow and become all that He needs us to be so that He will be glorified. Be confident in all that the Lord will and can do for you. Remember that God is the source of our confidence. Don’t be confident in what we can do for ourselves because in that we will falter and fail.