Perfect Confidence
It is time to stop going around in circles. The letter to the Hebrews speaks to us plainly and without reservation: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:1-2). The apostle’s message is clear: the foundation has already been laid — stop rebuilding it over and over again. It is time to move forward.
We know how to go to our elders, ask for anointing with oil, confess our sins — and all of this is good and necessary. But if after twenty or thirty years of walking with God a person still needs someone to explain to them who Yeshua is, something has gone wrong. God looks upon us with the tender love of a Father — and there is beauty in that. But remaining children in the best sense of the word does not mean standing still in our spiritual development forever. Scripture tells us that by now you ought to be teachers.
Every believer passes through a breaking point in their faith — that moment when the simple answers no longer hold, when familiar formulas begin to crack and you are driven to seek God at a deeper level. If you have never been through such a crisis, you have not yet discovered the true depths of what faith can be. That breaking point is not the end of the road. It is the beginning. It is necessary.
There is a spiritual trap that is easy to fall into: do something — condemn yourself — do it again — condemn yourself again. This cycle is exhausting and it keeps you from moving forward. The first fall is bad enough. But the self-condemnation that follows it, again and again, is worse. The spirit needs to grow, and growth happens in very simple ways. The first and most fundamental of them is desire. Even God cannot help the person who does not want to be helped. He does not force us to know Him — but by His Spirit He reveals Himself to those who seek.
In Hebrew, two concepts are carefully distinguished: Emunah and Bitachon. Emunah is faith. Bitachon is confidence. These are not the same thing, and confusing them comes at a cost. The gift of faith is a specific gift, and it differs from person to person. But confidence is not something handed to you once at the moment of new birth. Confidence is built through an ongoing, living relationship with the One who is Love. It cannot be received once and kept forever — it must be cultivated, day after day.
It is precisely this kind of confidence to which the Lord calls us — a perfect confidence that it is not the enemy who controls our circumstances, but God. This is not a minor distinction. Satan is active in this world — that is true. But the one who abides in God stands on different ground. “They that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16) — so declares Scripture through the prophet Elisha to his terrified servant. The servant saw only the Syrian army surrounding the city. Elisha saw the chariots of fire. Both men looked at the same reality — but they saw entirely different things. And the question that stands before each of us is simply this: which set of eyes are we looking through?
That kind of sight does not come on its own. Young Samuel heard a voice and did not understand who was speaking to him — and that was entirely normal given his age and experience. But if a person has walked with God for years and still cannot discern His voice, it is time for an honest question: is there a living dialogue with God in my life? Is my prayer a conversation, or merely a ritual? Scripture says: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Where there is no desire to hear, faith does not come. And where faith does not come, a person remains exactly where they were.
Spiritual growth cannot happen in isolation. It requires an environment. It requires a community that is not paralyzed by fear and does not settle for empty talk, but genuinely invests in things of the Spirit. It requires a person — a mentor, an example, someone whose life you can study and follow. Without this, talk of growth remains just that — talk. And it requires humility. A humble person is not someone who thinks poorly of themselves. It is someone who is constantly in need of God — more than they need anything or anyone else. “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6) — these are not merely beautiful words. They describe the very condition on which growth becomes possible.
The letter to the Hebrews reminds us: “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10). The person who has reached spiritual maturity is the person who, in spite of their own circumstances and struggles, is still able to serve others. Not because they have no problems — but because they carry a confidence that is greater than their problems.
This is why the apostle urges each of us to show “the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end” (Hebrews 6:11). Unto the end — not until the first wave of exhaustion, not until the first disappointment. God is in control of the situation, whatever may come. He knows better than we do what we truly need. And for those who have come to Him, there is no Plan B — not because we are trapped, but because we have grown up. We have grown up enough to know: there is nowhere better to be than in His hands.
Pastor Oren Lev Ari