Remember how I mentioned making a list of beliefs to review and remember about important things in my life? Now I’m asking you to do the same – what do you believe?
When you take stock of your life, your work, your opportunities, your dreams – what do you believe? And then to borrow from Norman Vincent Peale, do you really believe what you believe?
This isn’t some word game I’m trying to play, but rather, I’m trying to help strengthen your faith, your confidence in believing God for what He has placed on your heart. It is important to believe fiercely for something while also holding the specifics loosely and leaving the details of it to God. He works in mysterious ways and at the same time He has an amazing purpose He is accomplishing!
God Is Who He Says He Is
Do you believe that God is who He says He is? I imagine you have answered a resounding yes to that. No pauses, no hesitation. How can a Christian even wonder! Now, do you believe what He says? He holds you in the palm of His hands, He has plans for you, a hope and a future, He is your shepherd and will guide you, He will rescue you from trouble and pain when you seek after Him, etc.
We can’t believe one half of that without believing the other half. And yet when we spend time worrying and fretting about life and all the things that is demonstrating that we don’t really believe what He says.
So next time doubts and worries start, ask yourself what you believe. Cancel out each of those arguments with a truth you know about God. Take some time today to ponder what is weighing on your heart. Identify your fears and frustrations. Then find truths that you can counter them with from God’s Word. Literally make a list of what the Bible says in answer to your concerns and then make it part of your day to get alone and proclaim these truths verbally. Say – and find a way to delve in and really eternalize – that you believe each of these truths.
Then as the days go on and things come up that you may have used to further the negative narrative before, take those and flip the narrative by proclaiming the truth you have found! Spin absolutely everything to working in your favor as part of God’s perfect plan for you. Because the truth of the matter is when we live for Him, He works all things together for our good!
Proclaim it and believe it and watch your attitude toward life dramatically improve!
The Gospels
I have been reading through the Gospels lately and it amazes me how many times Christ says, if you would believe or even because of your belief you will receive. I don’t remember seeing that so much before! And yet at the same time I’ve been praying for God to reveal new dimensions in my relationship with Him – I think this must be what He is showing me!
When Jesus healed the ten lepers He sent them to wash and the Bible says they went on their way before they were healed. Think about that! They finally get to meet Jesus and their faith in Him is strong enough to see Him and then leave to follow His directions before seeing any results! That blows my mind!
Maybe it’s just me or the society I’ve grown up in but I can’t help but ponder if I would have received my healing? Or would doubts have crept in on my way to wash off in the river? That’s a sobering thought and it sounds like my faith, my beliefs, need some strengthening! I want to have the faith and to sincerely believe and proclaim that God will do what He says He will do!
In developing this level of believing, I think it is important to not try to fit God’s direction and blessings in too tight a box. When we believe for healing, we may get in our mind that it will come in one way when God has a completely unrelated plan to bring it together. I think perhaps we need to hold loosely to the how, and just know that those details are up to God, however He intends to bring them together. We’re not God so we don’t need to try to get Him organized inline with our human understanding, but rather believe that He will bring it together. All we have to do is believe and follow His lead!
What Do You Believe?
What do you believe? Are you willing to put in the work to see the results? God has incredible plans for His people and it is our duty to get up every day and give Him our best! Here is a thought I have found interesting lately:
Is God able to _____? Fill in the blank with whatever is on your heart – provide a home, heal a relationship, bring a man into your life, help you pay off your debts, heal your illness, etc. And the answer is most likely yes, He is able. He’s God, He can do anything. But the truth of the matter is, just because He can doesn’t mean He will. And sometimes that is a hard truth to swallow.
But don’t get me wrong, this is actually a good thing! There is a saying that is super simple, but I think it helps make the point: God doesn’t give you a shovel and expect you to pray for a hole. Think about that! Could He dig that hole for you? Absolutely, without a doubt! But He has an assignment for you and He has equipped you for it, so start digging!
Keep this in mind as you go about life. Lean in, seek God and His plans for you, and then take each step He places in front of you. Believe – and I mean truly believe – that He can place you exactly where He needs you. Believe that He has plans for you, a hope and a future. Be certain that the dreams He has placed in your heart are there for a reason. Truly, the difference in believing this and listening to your fears is like night and day! As Stonewall Jackson said, never take counsel of your fears.
What do you believe?
Hope.
PS. Keep reading: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2024/07/24/never-take-counsel-of-your-fears/