I want to ask you what may seem like a simple question. But honestly, it’s a very hard question for many people.
What do you believe?
Think about it carefully. What do you really believe about God? About answered prayers? About Jesus?
It’s one thing to say you believe in God. It’s another to really believe with all of your heart–to the point where you act out what you believe. When you pray and ask God for something–peace, strength, courage, healing–do you really believe he will answer? Or, do you just hope he answers?
Quick Greek lesson: the words faith and believe in the New Testament are translated from the same root word. Faith comes from “pistis” and believe comes from “pisteuo”. Both are the same exact word, except one is a noun and one is a verb. When you read the New Testament and you see the word faith, it’s simply the noun form of believe.
What does that mean? Take Hebrews 11:6 for example. It says, “Without faith, it’s impossible to please God.” You can know read this scripture as follows, “Without believing, it’s impossible to please God.”
Simply put, you must believe God to please God. God is pleased with our belief.
Over the years, here’s what I’ve found. It’s really easy to say what you believe. It’s really hard to respond to what you believe.
Do you believe God will give you strength and peace during a panic attack or fearful moment? Then, believe he will by not responding the way you typically do. You can rest through an attack by believing God is there with you. I know you can, because I’ve done it. And in not responding to the fear, you take away all its power. That’s how I found freedom from fear–by believing God is with me and not responding to the fear.
Think about salvation. You can pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart, go to church, read your Bible everyday, and even confess that Jesus is Lord, but still go to hell. Why? Because the scriptures makes it clear: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
You must believe to be saved. And here’s the wonderful news. According to Romans 12:3, God has given everyone a “measure of faith”, or a measure of belief. You have within you the power to believe!
Prayer: Lord, give me the wisdom and understanding on how to believe. I trust you. Today, I choose to believe.
