April 02 2026

Thursday April 02

The Assurance that Brings Joy and Peace

Philippians 1:6

Welcome to Pastor’s Chat. Today we are going to finish our thoughts on Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing: that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We have talked about the different aspects of this verse. When we are dealing with our challenges in life, we can have confidence that our God will continue to work on our behalf because He is not finished with us yet!

As I have been thinking about this, I want us to finish with the thought today that our confidence is not in ourselves. Paul’s confidence was not in himself or even in the Philippians. His confidence was in God. That is so important. If your confidence is in yourself, you will always struggle with doubt, because you know your weaknesses and you know your failures. But when your confidence is in God, it changes everything.

God is not limited by our weaknesses. He is not surprised by our struggles. He is not discouraged by our failures. He knew everything about us before He saved us. Yet He still saved us, and He will keep us. I could not help but think about the prayers of the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament. The saints often began their prayers referring to the fact that God created everything.. For example, Psalm 121 says: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber.”

How powerful is that? God spoke the world—the universe—into existence by the power of His Word. If He could do that, do you not know He knows who you are? He knows every molecule, every atom in your body. He will take care of you, and He will keep you. Psalm 124 says almost the same thing in verse 8: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” The saints, as they prayed, knowing they needed help, referred to God as the Maker of heaven and earth. Why? Not because God needed to be told He made the heavens and the earth—He already knew that. I am convinced they said that because they were reminding themselves that their confidence was in a God who is so awesome, so powerful, who is the Creator.

Notice Psalm 146:5–6: “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.” Again, the person praying expressed his or her confidence in a creator God who is always working to take care of the needs of His creation.

Even in the New Testament, when the Apostle Peter and others were being persecuted by the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the religious rulers, they gathered together with their church group in the upper room and prayed. Acts 4:24 says that they began their prayer with acknowledging God’s awesome power in creation: “So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said, ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.’” And then they went on to make their request for boldness and protection. Their confidence was in the God who made everything.

My friend, your hope should not be in your ability to hold on to God. Your hope is in His ability to hold on to you. When we have this kind of confidence, it gives us something every believer needs, and that is assurance. When we are confident that He who began a good work will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ, we do not have to live in constant fear or uncertainty about our relationship with God.

Read Romans chapter 8:31-39. What can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord? There is nothing that can separate us. Our salvation is not fragile—it is secure because it rests in the hands of a faithful God. Let us live with confidence—not in ourselves, but in God. That confidence produces an assurance that brings peace. It brings stability. It brings joy.

You can rest in this truth today: God is not finished with you yet, and He never will be. Be assured, have confidence, and keep your eyes on God.

God bless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!