A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. | One who gossips reveals secrets, but a trustworthy man keeps things hidden. |
So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” | Therefore, we can say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” |
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For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. | For we will become partners with Christ only if we maintain firmly until the end the confidence we originally had. |
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. | It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to place your trust in mortals. |
Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. | Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we can approach God with confidence and receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do whatever is pleasing to him. |
And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. | And thus we can have confidence in him that if we ask anything that is in accordance with his will, he hears us. |
And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. | And now, dear children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming. |
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. | Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace when we are in need of help. |
Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways. Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly. | Do not envy a violent man or choose to emulate any of his ways. For the perverse man is an abomination to the Lord whose friendship is bestowed only upon the upright. |
I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. | I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love so that they may grow rich in their complete understanding as they come to the knowledge of the mystery of God, that is, Christ. |
But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. | Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. They will be like a tree planted by the water that spreads out its roots to the stream. When the heat comes, it does not fear; its leaves stay green. It is not concerned in a year of drought, and it never fails to bear fruit. |
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. | Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the conviction about things that cannot be seen. |
Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. | When things are going well, be grateful for your blessings, and in times of adversity consider this: God has made both of them, so that we cannot predict with confidence what the future holds. |