Do you believe God?
“Abram believed the Lord, and [God] credited it to him as righteousness.”
— Genesis 15:6
Do you believe God?
Sit with that for a moment. Do you believe God?
I’m not asking if you believe in Him. I’m not asking if you’re a Christian. I’m not asking if you read your Bible, if you pray, if you go to church.
I’m asking if you believe God.
Do you believe God’s way of life for you is best?
Do you believe God has promises waiting for you in His Word?
Do you believe God answers prayer?
Do you believe God is for you?
Do you believe God is with you?
Do you believe what God says is true?
Do you believe God has a purpose for your life?
Do you believe God has plans to use you in His Kingdom?
Do you believe God wants to set a culture in your workplace or school through you?
My bet is you and I both would answer “yes” to every one of those questions. But should we answer so quickly?
Do we actually believe God?
If we actually believe God’s way of life is best for us then why do we get hung up and bitter over not getting the promotion we thought we should get?
If we actually believe God has promises waiting for us in His Word why do we so rarely open the Bible?
If we actually believe God answers prayer why do we so infrequently spend time in prayer?
Do I need to continue? I’ll address one more from the list above because it’s reflective of what God is doing in my life.
If we actually believe God has a purpose for our lives why do we waste so much time on things that don’t go along with that purpose?
That’s the question I’ve been hit with over the last while. I say I believe God, but in reality, I don’t. I believe the idea of God and His life for me is a good idea - that is until an easier way of life comes along.
I’ve sat across the table from people and asked them questions about their life and spiritual life and something often becomes evident quickly.
This person doesn’t believe God. They don’t believe God answers prayer. They don’t believe God has promises and purposes for their life. They don’t believe God can change their circumstances.
Most of the time these are well meaning Christ followers who have just been knocked off the wagon a little bit because of the difficulty of life. We’ve all been there.
Let me remind you of Satan’s plan for your life. “To steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10a) That’s it. That’s his agenda for you. To steal your belief, to kill any hopes of believing God, and to destroy your relationship with Him. So it makes sense that when life gets hard our first reaction may be to stop believing God.
But we can’t.
We can’t give up.
In Genesis 15 it had been some time since God initially told Abram that he and Sarai would have a child. Month after month, nothing. Abram says, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless… Behold, you have given me no offspring.”
Yet God speaks a Word, “…your very own son shall be your heir. Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them, so shall your offspring be.”
And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted it to him as righteousness.
Maybe you don’t believe God anymore.
Maybe you’re cool with doing the religious stuff but you’ve given up on experiencing anything more than your Sunday to Sunday routine.
Abram was almost there.
But then God spoke.
God can speak to you today. Will you believe Him? Call out to Him and ask for a Word. Our lives with Christ depend on it. Our belief depends on a Word from Him. Let me explain with a personal story.
2021 was a year of transitions for us. We left North Carolina for Arkansas and I took on a new leadership position as a BCM Director. I loved and still love everything about the position.
However, in that first 6 months it seemed like every flaw I had was being exposed. As a leader, husband, and as a Christ Follower. I know this is natural but I was discouraged and tired heading into 2022.
On January 2nd, 2022, God spoke.
I read Psalm 2, 32, 62, and 92. I was planning on reading Psalm 122 but the Lord stopped me with this section of scripture…
“But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!”
— Psalms 92:12-15 NLT
Here I was, struggling, and in steps the Lord with a Word. “You’re going to flourish.”
He confirmed this Word to me the next morning during worship at our home church.
And do you know what happened over the course of 2022? I learned to flourish. Spiritually, mentally, emotionally, relationally, physically. I grew stronger than I had ever been in many areas. It was a life I would have never imagined in December of 2021. But God spoke a Word and everything changed.
Do you believe He can speak a Word to you?
Maybe your best prayer might be the one of the father was begging for a healing for his demon possessed son…
“I believe, help my unbelief.”
God will meet you where you are.
See you next Wednesday.
—Brandon