Assurance

Assurance: (Webster) "the state of being assured (I really hate it when they define a word by the word!); confidence of mind or manner : easy freedom from self-doubt or uncertainty...
Synonyms: assuredness, certainty, confidence, conviction, doubtlessness, sureness, surety,"

Personally, I believe the word is so much stronger and on a firmer foundation when defined scripturally. Hebrews definition:

  "Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has 
    [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son 
    of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously 
    to our absolute trust in Him as Savior]. For we do not have a High 
    Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses 
    and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly 
    how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without 
    [committing any] sin. Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the
    throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with
    confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy
    [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of 
    need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]."
    (Hebrews 4:14-16, AMP)

   "Therefore, believers, since we have confidence and full freedom
    to enter the Holy Place [the place where God dwells] by [means of] 
    the blood of Jesus, by this new and living way which He initiated and 
    opened for us through the veil [as in the Holy of Holies], that is, 
    through His flesh, and since we have a great and wonderful Priest 
    [Who rules] over the house of God, let us approach [God] with a 
    true and sincere heart in unqualified assurance of faith, having 
    had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies 
    washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22, AMP)

Assurance: with confidence and without fear, confidence and FULL freedom, in unqualified assurance of faith. In my world of definitions, assurance is foundational to successful and proactive action. It's a simple - if we don't believe in what we are saying and/or doing... then why do/say it? 

Those verses in Hebrew don't just TELL us what our assurance is and what it is built on, but it also indicates those areas in which we can stand. Example: He knows our temptations and what we face, He will help us overcome them. He has made a way for us to approach the Throne in order to receive help - when we bring our faith as the basis of our approach. 

Actually, when you look at what the Father asks of us, it is incredibly simple - faith. And yes, it is also incredibly difficult because we are so determined to prove ourselves. We don't need to. Jesus took care of that for us. Read Ephesians 2 again to see what has been done for us. If we first look at WHAT our assurance is built on, then our confidence has to soar. Our assurance is built upon Jesus - who He was, what He did and who and what He continues to be and do - our High Priest. 

After making the case for assurance, the only thing remaining is 'how'. How do we become assured?  I believe that this is a foundational quality, we can only 'act' this way so long if it isn't what we confidently stand on. One of the ways to be assured is to not be the opposite, Webster - "doubtful, dubious, uncertain, unsure, self-critical, self-reproachful, self-reproving". Being assured is also a process. As we grow in our assurance and recognize it, it becomes who we are.