"Confidence To Obey"

Another golf analogy: what comes first, the confidence to make the put, or making the puts? This I heard yesterday while listening to the World Championship on my XM radio on my way to church. Then I believe the Holy Spirit spoke to me, saying, What comes first, the confidence to be obedient, or the act of obedience? So I quickly wrote that question down in my iphone memo pad, and dwelt on it for a moment. After getting to church, worshipping for at least 40 minutes, and then being instructed by Pastor Gene to open to 2 Peter 1:16, I remembered what it was that came first: it is the confidence! "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never fail: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10 & 11) Thinking back to when I first accepted Christ into my heart, if I felt the desire to share Christ with someone, there was no thought of my ability to share, but only the concern for their willingness to accept what I was going to say. Not once do I remember doubting what I was going to say to anyone, because everything that I was speaking was from my heart, and powered by the Holy Spirit that was now living inside of me. The same power was made available in me to overcome sin; immediately after receiving Christ into my heart, I had the desire to sin no more. I can remember instantly stopping those things which I had been doing which would be considered sin; only to pick some of them back up later in my walk. But the point of what happened, it was not me that cleansed me of those things, it was Jesus Christ who washed me, and then filled me with His Spirit, giving me the desire for holiness!!! I can recall the voice inside of me, as though it was yesterday; as I would proceed to something that was not okay for my new creation, there was a voice that said, No!; just like a mother telling her new baby No! to those things which are not good for them to do, and that can cause them harm. After telling us to turn to 2 Peter 1:16, Pastor Gene went on to instruct us in the background of this Scripture; giving the situation of the church at that time, and how that everyone was a New Believer, given that the church had just begun. Yet, no matter the age of the new creature that is created in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit that dwells within them is eternal... "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain into Life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3 & 4)