The Basics of Belief

Faith is a powerful motivator behind everything we do. Our belief ultimately influences our actions. However, if we want to succeed, we must know what to believe. When everything we expected and hoped for in the natural realm fails us, we can confidently pin our hopes on God’s promises.

Abraham was an example of someone who chose to believe God, even in the face of adverse circumstances. When God promised Abraham he and Sarah would have a son, that appeared impossible in the natural. Abraham believed he would be the father of many nations; despite his age, he wasn’t weak in faith. God’s promise manifested itself when Sarah gave birth to Isaac.

Having the kind of belief that Abraham had isn’t complicated; the key is to pay attention to God’s promises, not to the circumstances that contradict His Word. We may be tempted to look around and give more consideration to what we see and hear than to what God tells us. This was the mistake the disciples made when they tried unsuccessfully to cast out the demon from a boy. What they saw and heard caused unbelief.

The enemy uses whatever he can in the natural realm to create fear and cause us to abandon our belief. We overcome unbelief by thinking more about what God said than about the situation at hand. By His grace, God has given us authority over our thought lives. Authority is the right to command; using our authority to stand on His Word allows us to make our way prosperous and have good success.   

God has made many promises to us; when we have a problem, we can choose which promise to apply to our own lives. The temptation to consider the problem more than the promise will always exist, but we can’t be tempted by something we refuse to consider. We win in life by doggedly clinging to what God tells us, no matter what.

Prayer:

Lord, Your promises to us are numerous. Exercising our faith to focus on them, instead of on the situation, empowers us to succeed. Thank You for giving us the authority to do that. In Jesus’ name, amen.   

Scriptures:

Romans 4:17-19

Genesis 21:1-3

Matthew 17:14-20

Mark 9:17-27

Joshua 1:8