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On the journey as a child of God, would you evaluate your posture as one of courage and confidence towards the mission that God has personally assigned to you? Or do the voices of doubt and insecurity crouch at the door, waiting to influence you away from obedience and into doubtful disobedience? To walk confidently in the mission, we must look back and forward at our Saviour.

Four ways looking back bolsters confidence for the journey ahead:

1. Past provision bolsters confidence for future provision (12-17)

- Moses reminds the people of the ways that God has provided for them through land both generally and specifically (12-17)
- Moses helps the people sharpen close-up and distance vision to better see God’s provision in their lives
- God’s faithful provision in the past bolsters our confidence on the mission that He will continue to provide as He’s promised

What are your stories? How can you sharpen both your close-up and distance vision to better see God’s past provision and be more confident in His future provision on the journey?

2. Past direction bolsters confidence for future direction (18-20)

- God gives specific direction (18)
- God gives caring direction (19)
- God gives victorious direction (20)
- When we feel lost in confusion rather than overwhelmed by direction, we must make sure we’re focusing on the right priorities and seeking the right places for direction

Ask yourself – am I focusing on something that is distracting me from what God has been clear on and has assigned to me? Have I sought God’s Word, God through prayer, and Godly counsel in my life?

3. Past leadership bolsters confidence for future leadership (21-22)

- Direction lies in what’s been given to do, leadership lies with who has given the direction
- God provides Earthly leadership (21)
- God Himself provides perfect leadership (22)

When distracted by the flaws of Earthly leaders, do we forget about the perfection of our Heavenly leader? When doubting the confidence we should have in the mission ahead, are we tempted to look to the left and the right and be distracted by the imperfections and oddities of the leaders around us?

4. Past grace bolsters confidence for future grace (23-29)

- There is hope, even in the face of personal failure for future grace (23-29)
- God was merciful towards Moses, even in the face of his complaining to God about His judgment against him
- We too are undeserving of grace, yet God is merciful towards us
- Hope for future grace is not grounds for future, willful sinfulness, but rather hope for future obedience

What ways can you look back and see how God has been gracious to you, multiplying your discipleship efforts, forgiving your sinfulness, never leaving or forsaking you - so that you may have bolstered confidence in His continued grace to you as you journey along the mission He has assigned to you?

Now fully aware of our courage and confidence that is only found in God, can you say that you are feeling excited and full of hope, confident and courageous in the mission that God has personally and specifically assigned to you?

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