confidence – Me From the Inside Out

Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Promised Messiah

I Know He Lives

Posted on December 8, 2023December 9, 2025 by

As for me I know that my Redeemer lives and that as the last he will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:25

Whenever I read this verse, I am reminded that while the Church is a collective body of believers, we are also individual believers, invited into a personal relationship with God, the Father, Son, and Spirit. Why is this important? Because, like Job, we must know the One on whom we have believed. We must know what we believe and why – so that we do not blindly follow others or buy into their lies and false accusations against ourselves or our God.

Listen again to the words of Job: “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives …” It’s almost as if I can hear the emphasis and inflection as he voices them. I can hear that not only is Job confident that God lives, but he believes with all his heart that God will one day appear to vindicate him from the charges his friends have lodged against him. You see, after Job’s tragic losses, three of his friends told him that his suffering was the result of his sin. Then they basically hounded him to repent so that God would bless Him again. Nice friends, right? Job’s confidence wasn’t that he was a perfect man but that he was innocent of the charges they had applied to him – he was equally confident that God was not punishing him for something he had done. Just in case we ourselves are wondering if their accusations could be true, consider the words at the beginning of the book, where Job was described as “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” Gotquestions.org offers this explanation of the verse: “There is a difference between being sinless, which no one is, and being a person of integrity who genuinely wants to please God.” We can, like Job, rest assured that our God is not a vindictive or mean God. He is loving and kind, full of mercy and grace, and long-suffering. Lest we doubt this at anytime – may He help us to remember that even when we were sinners, enemies of God, Christ died for us – then rose again from the grave – so that, like Job said of God -we can confidently say of Christ –I know that my Redeemer lives and that as the last he will stand upon the earth.

Spoiler Alert: In JOB 42, God not only made clear His anger at the three friends, but he also spared them greater consequences for their words of accusation because of His respect for Job. Not only did He vindicate Job (just as Job had declared would happen), but God also blessed Job exceedingly, abundantly with more than he could have ever asked or even imagined. –

So the Lord restored what Job had lost after he prayed for his friends, and the Lord doubled all that had belonged to Job. ¹¹So they came to him, all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they dined with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled him for all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver^[w] and a gold ring.
¹²So the Lord blessed the second part of Job’s life more than the first. He had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. ¹³And he also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-Happuch. ¹⁵Nowhere in all the land could women be found who were as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance alongside their brothers.
¹⁶After this Job lived 140 years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. ¹⁷And so Job died, old and full of days.
Job 42: 10-17

Clearly, reading through the book of Job, it is evident that God was living and active in Job’s life – and we have every reason to share in the confidence that He is living and active in our lives as well.

Colossians 1:13-14 … Matthew 20:28 … Mark 10:45 … Rev 1:5 … 1 Peter 3:18 and 2:24 … Romans 3:23-24 … Hebrews 9:15 … Titus 3:3-5

These are just a handful of verses that attest to this truth and should fill us with the confidence to say – My Redeemer lives, I do not walk alone, I do not face the challenges of this life alone … and one day I know He will return!

Going Further

Check out this beautiful devotion that was in my inbox the morning I studied this passage. Oh, how I love His personal involvement in my life – from the timing to the sentiment – He knew I needed the renewed assurance and courage that comes from knowing that the Creator of all is my ally.

Worship in Response to the Word

I do not own the rights to this video –

Know These Truths

If you would like to know my Redeemer, please visit the following link – I would love to introduce you to Him. 🦋

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/

Bible study, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Thanksgiving

Asking for Help

Posted on November 19, 2023November 19, 2023 by

Happy Monday Friends! Let’s look to the Lord for the help we need today💜 For we know that God will hear us when we pray and we can be confident that just as He saved us from our sins He will rescue us from our troubles or walk with us through them.

Today’s Verse comes from Micah 7:7 which says:

It seems like everyday (sometimes every hour or minute) has something that we need help with – something we are crying out to God for. Whether it is health … provision … wisdom … strength … peace … or a myriad of other needs that arise – God is able. Whether it is us or someone else we know that is in need, God tells us to cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us, (1 Peter 5:7). From the least to the greatest of the cares He has invited us to bring them all to Him. So what is it you need to look to God for today? He’s ready and always listening – so let Him know and then wait confidently for His help.

What about this verse can you thank God for today?
How can I pray for you? Share a request in the comments or private message me at my email or facebook account –
- mryelnb@aol.com (please put prayer in the subject line
- @facebook/ MaryEllen Black
How have you seen God answer recently? Give Him praise and let it be a reminder that you can trust Him and a catalyst to continue looking to Him for help.

You are loved and prayed for 💕💜

-Me from the insideout 🦋

Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Don’t Throw It Away!

Posted on July 10, 2023July 11, 2023 by

based on the LGG Study, Enduring Hope / w5d2

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 10:32-39; 1 Peter 5:5-11 / SOAP: Hebrews 10:35-36

Scripture/Observations/Application

straight from the pages of my journal –

Faith – A Spiritual Preservative

I found verse thirty-nine a wonderful reminder of the power of our faith. While most translations render the verse – “whose souls will be saved“, the NET version translates it like this: “But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith ‘and preserve their souls.’ “ I love this! It means the same thing, of course, as the other translations but it jumped off the page at me with the emphasis of faith’s longevity. Faith is a spiritual preservative – so powerful of a preservative – it will never expire.

Faith is a spiritual preservative – so powerful of a preservative – it will never expire.
MefromtheNsideout

Going Deeper

A Message of Hope and Assurance

Posted on May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 by

Today’s Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:1-8; SOAP / Deuteronomy 31:6

Instruction and Encouragement and the Commission

A Promise that Builds Confidence

I don’t know about you but there is nothing that brings me more comfort and confidence than knowing that God is with me. This is exactly the message that God was sending His children through Moses. Yes, they were being called to go into the unknown and to do it without Moses but they were given assurance that God would not fail them or abandon them. They were told to be strong and courageous, not only because God would be with them but because He would hand their enemies over to them. On top of these two encouraging promises He appointed Joshua as their new leader and pledged the same promises to Him. –

A Prayer of Thanksgiving – Giving credit where credit is due

Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study, The Importance of Prayer

Boldly Approaching God

Posted on January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 by

The Importance of Prayer, w1d2

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-16; SOAP: Hebrews 4:16

¹⁴So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. ¹⁵This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. ¹⁶So 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.

Today’s Observation:

There are many key words in these verses. We are SOAPing verse 16 but verses 14 and 15 have some words that help make sense of verse 16, such as, “high priest” (Jesus), “weaknesses (tendency to sin),” and “without sin” (sinless) . In a nutshell, this verse is a reminder that Jesus, who was without sin, is our Great High Priest who understands our weaknesses. He understands them because He has “faced all of the same testings we do – with one big difference – He never sinned. How do these truths affect our boldness? Because, we will not pray to or draw near to God if we do not have confidence in Jesus, we will certainly not approach God’s throne with boldness, if we do not know and trust the sinless character of our Great High Priest. Again, simply put, we will not request something we don’t deserve [grace] or ask that a punishment, that we do deserve, be withheld [mercy] when we do not understand God’s character, which is full of mercy, abundant in grace, and abounding in love. Boldness typically comes from confidence and confidence comes with trust and trust is built through relationship and established over time . However, when we know the God who sits on the throne and Jesus, the Great High Priest, and when we know our weaknesses, compared to His sinless life – His desire, hope, and invitation is that we will boldly, draw near to Him and find, as promised, His mercy and grace.

Today’s Application: Making it Personal

Have you ever had one of those moments when you drive a very familiar path to a very familiar destination – such as home to work or work to home – but when you arrive you wonder how? Like you don’t really remember anything from point A to point B. You safely went through the routine drive but you can’t remember seeing the river that you love to look at or if there was a beautifully painted sky along the way. I have done it often, and as I began journaling some thoughts of application on today’s passage- I was prodded to question if I am guilty of this in prayer. For instance, “when I pray do I even consider Jesus, the one who bridges the gap? Am I consciously aware of Him who made it possible for me to even approach God in prayer or am I just going through the routine of praying? I don’t want to deflect from the message of coming boldly before God’s throne, which is the writer’s point, but it made me wonder just how often I begin praying – approaching God’s throne, without even considering Jesus – not that I don’t consider Him within the context of the prayer – and close the prayer in His name – but it struck me in reading these verses today, that the only way to truly approach God with such boldness is to be consciously aware of Jesus from beginning to end. To remember how He taught us [His disciples] to pray … “Our Father, in Heaven, hallowed be Your name”, is a reminder that we are coming before a holy God. and can only do so through Jesus, our Redeemer, who sits at the Father’s right hand pleading for us, (Romans 8:34). This conviction/question/realization that came to mind isn’t necessarily that I need to change the words that I pray and certainly not that I need to pray the same words every time, but that when I pray – it should never be just a routine prayer, instead it should flow out of a conscious awareness of being in conversation with God. It should never be just an awareness of my needs and requests but of God’s (Father, Son, and Spirit) presence, His promises, His Word, His provisions, His teachings, His guidance, His will, His perfection, His goodness … holiness … trustworthiness … and all that we know Him to be. Without such an awareness I wonder if we will ever have the bold confidence that Hebrew’s teaches.

So how about you? When you pray, do you pray boldly? Do you trust Jesus, your High Priest, to intercede on your behalf according to His understanding of who you are. weaknesses and all? Do you draw near to God with boldness, believing that Jesus was tempted in every way like you have been but remained sinless and having offered Himself up on your behalf is there interceding for you now? If not, ask yourself what’s holding you back. Ask God to give you a fuller understanding of these truths and to help you hold firmly to what you believe.

Today’s Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, thank You for the reminder of why I can come boldly before Your throne. How often do I just run into Your presence without thought to the privilege and the reason I can stand before You! Help me to not aimlessly nor without thought enter into Your presence. For surely, when I am purposeful to consider Your gift of Christ -I will come boldly as You have invited. Thank You for Your promise of grace and mercy – and for the confidence such knowledge gives me!

Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Posted on February 2, 2022February 2, 2022 by

Pray with Confidence

Read: Ephesians 3:1-13; SOAP: Ephesians 3:12

¹²Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
Ephesians 3:12 (NLT)

Much like we discovered in looking at 1 John 5:13-15 praying with confidence is a privilege of our faith that God gives us through Jesus Christ. John wrote that when we (those who believe in Jesus) pray according to the will of God that we can pray with confidence – knowing that God will hear us and answer accordingly; and in today’s passage Paul teaches that because of the Gospel of Christ, God’s power to save, we can not only come confidently but boldly into the very presence of God. In both situations the privilege is attached to our belief in the son of God.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16 NET

Reflection question: Why do you think it’s important that we pray with confidence? (see James 1:6) Share your thoughts in the comment bar below –

Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

We Depend on our God

Posted on January 1, 2021January 1, 2021 by

Prayer is an amazing weapon of warfare for the Christian, whether we are on the actual battlefield or on our knees at home – or for that matter in a car or at the sink doing dishes. It has been said in some commentaries that this prayer may have been prompted by David’s battle against the Ammonites in 2 Samuel 10. Whatever the battle and the circumstances – before David and his men strategized and fought the fight his people were praying. They prayed for protection and help. They asked for God to remember David’s sacrifices and grant him the success he desired – and they believed God would deliver. Their prayer bears witness to their expectation –

“Then we will shout for joy over your victory; we will rejoice in the name of our God. -”
Psalm 20:5

Not to go all grammar lesson – but don’t miss the plural pronouns in verse-5, “we will shout for joy”, “we will rejoice’, “of our God”. They prayed as a community of faith and it became an encouragement to David. David seems to remember God’s promises of victory and rest from his enemies and responds with an affirmation of his people’s confidence – with a statement of assurance that God will deliver. We can’t miss the reason – and if you will – the lesson he conveys for such confidence. It’s one of my favorite go-to-passages, a life-line so many times in both the big and the small battles of my life^[1}. Perhaps, just as they were leaving for battle – maybe, just when the courage of his men was waning – David declares that their victory will come, not because they are stronger or their “weapons” mightier but because they depend on God.

Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we depend on the LORD our God^[1]. They will fall down but we will stand firm. The LORD will deliver the king; He will answer us when we call to Him for help!
Psalm 20:7-9

What about you? Do you depend on “chariots and horses’, ie ‘money and power’, ‘home and possessions’, ‘friends and family’? Or do you depend on God? Are you praying for our leaders and others – expectantly? Are we preparing to shout for joy when He gives the victory – ready to give Him the honor due His name? These can be daunting questions but if we want to walk in confidence, if we want to be an encouragement to others we must remember wars aren’t just won by the warriors on the battlefields but by those who pray. This is how we gain the victory and find ourselves standing firm when the battle ceases!

Me – from the Insideout

Bible study, LGG Study

Bridge to Shame Breaker, Wk. 2 January 1, 2021

Posted on January 1, 2021March 11, 2026 by

Today’s Scripture: Psalm 19-20; (S.O.A.P. Psalm 20:4-5)

Psalm 19 For the choir director: A psalm of David.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
²Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
³They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.^[a]
⁴Yet their message has gone throughout the earth
    and their words to all the world. Read More

Psalm 20 For the choir director: A psalm of David.

In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
²May he send you help from his sanctuary
    and strengthen you from Jerusalem.^[a]
³May he remember all your gifts
    and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude

May he grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
⁵May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

⁶Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.
    He will answer him from his holy heaven
    and rescue him by his great power.
⁷Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
    but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
⁸Those nations will fall down and collapse,
    but we will rise up and stand firm.

⁹Give victory to our king, O Lord!
Answer our cry for help.

InSIDEOUT Blog post

From the Insideout, LGG Study

Bridge to Shame Breaker Wk 2 December 31, 2020

Posted on December 31, 2020December 31, 2020 by

One of the things I love about God is His Faithfulness. Trust is hard for me but with God I don’t have to worry about whether or not I can trust Him. It isn’t simply that there are verses that declare Him to be faithful; don’t get me wrong, since we walk by faith and not by sight this would be enough, but His actions bear witness to His Word. Or, as our verse says – “He ACTS in a faithful manner -“. Because He does I know that He is reliable. He is a dependable REFUGE. And, there is truly NO ONE on earth or in heaven like Him. No wonder David wrote in Psalm 16:8 – “I constantly trust in the LORD; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” As we head out of one very challenging year and into all the unforeseen of another – may David’s bold and confident statement become our mantra. May it define us and become our strength both day and night, on our mountain-tops and in our valleys. May it be a light of encouragement to those who are watching. When troubles come and they see that we aren’t shaken perhaps they will ask why – and may we be ready with an answer – like David – for the HOPE that is within us! The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. Psalm 18:2

Me – from the Insideout

The one true God acts in a faithful manner;
the Lord’s promise is reliable.
He is a shield to all who take shelter in him.
³¹Indeed, who is God besides the Lord?
Who is a protector besides our God?
Psalm 18:30-31

Today’s Scripture: Psalm 17 and 18; (S.O.A.P. Psalm 18:30-31)

Psalm 17 A prayer of David.

¹O Lord, hear my plea for justice.
    Listen to my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer,
    for it comes from honest lips.
²Declare me innocent,
    for you see those who do right.

³You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.
    You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong.
    I am determined not to sin in what I say.
⁴I have followed your commands,
    which keep me from following cruel and evil people.
⁵My steps have stayed on your path;
    I have not wavered from following you.

⁶I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray. Read More

Psalm 18 For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang:

I love you, Lord;
    you are my strength.
²The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.
³I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and he saved me from my enemies.

⁴The ropes of death entangled me;
    floods of destruction swept over me.
⁵The grave^[a] wrapped its ropes around me;
    death laid a trap in my path.
⁶But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
    yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
    my cry to him reached his ears. Read More

LGG Study

“Know Love”: Week 3 – Thursday

Posted on September 3, 2020September 3, 2020 by

John wanted believers to be confident in coming before God. What reason does he give for this confidence? Share your answer or a comment on today’s reading in the reply box at the bottom of the page.

Today’s Scripture: 1 John 5:13-21 (S.O.A.P. 1 John 5 14-15)

That You May Know¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to his will He hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. ¹⁷All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

¹⁸We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

¹⁹We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ²¹Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Today’s LGG BLOG

pRAYER FOCUS – CHALLENGE 3 – MEMORY VERSE