What Are You Not Believing?

...without faith it is impossible to please Him..." (Hebrews 11:6)

 Today God used a friend of mine and Scripture to show me the unbelief currently residing in my heart. As I studied unbelief, I was reminded again, of the seriousness of this particular sin. "Lord I believe, help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)

What are you not believing?
What is it holding you back these days? Which of His promises have you let go of? What lie are you currently believing?

In Hebrews 11:6 we are told what it is we should believe:

 "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."

When we believe God, it not only pleases Him, but it is counted as righteousness!
"...just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness'...it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham."

In Hebrews 3:12 we are warned to, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God."

That is a serious warning!

In Matthew Henry's commentary on Hebrews 3:12 he says,"An evil heart of unbelief is at the bottom of all our sinful departures from God; it is a leading step to apostasy; if once we allow ourselves to distrust God, we may soon desert Him."

I want to encourage you to examine your heart and trade in unbelief for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! Here are some wonderful truths to stand on and to believe in with all of your heart!

Salvation:
~"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
~"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)~"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Sanctification:
~"He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
~"...for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
God's Power:
~"I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2)
~"for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
~"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Truths to Give us Hope:
~"the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (Romans 8:26)
~Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! (Romans 8:35-39)
~"I will not leave you or forsake you." (Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5)
~"For everyone who has been born of God overomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4,5)

Feel free to leave your favorite promises or passages you stand on in the comments below!

Bonus Material for your Encouragement:
1)
youtube.com/watch?v=dLKSYUJ9ysY

I Would Sink Too

"O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" -Matthew 14:31b

Sometimes, I'm a "stay-in-the-boat" kinda girl when it comes to stepping out in faith. The riskier the endeavor, the tighter I cling to the rail. There are many reasons for this, namely, I'm a sinner! God has been revealing to me that part of this lack of faith, is rooted in pride.

I keep walking up to the edge of the boat, peering through the rain, out at Jesus...and sinking Peter. I say to myself, "Nah, I'm not gonna be THAT guy!". If I just stay here in the boat, I won't sink into the waves. I won't have to hear Jesus say, "O you of little faith" or hear those on the boat say, "I can't believe Sam didn't trust Jesus!". I don't want to "fail". I don't want the shame. I rather stay "safe" and rest in my pride. (Well, atleast my flesh does.)

But God's spirit within me, longs to trust in the Lord with all of my heart and not lean on my own understanding. To not measure the depth of the water or the height of each wave. What I'm beginning to see is that if I stay here on the deck as a bystander, I won't experience Jesus reaching out His hand and taking hold of me (so-to-speak).

"Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him." - Matthew 14:31a

And I know that this is just what the Lord does in these situations. I have trusted the Lord before, laying aside inhibitions and He has "reached out His hand to me" when I began to sink with doubt. God is a kind Father. (Psalm 103)

I need to let go of my pride. Whether I stay "safe" or step out and people see my weakness, I am a sinner. That fact remains the same. But I am a forgiven sinner. My life has been redeemed! "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."-2 Corinthians 5:17 All my boast and hope are in Christ!

So, in the times when "playing it safe" is a blatant refusal to obey the Lord, I need to jump off the boat and get a little wet! If I trust Jesus and walk to Him confidently without fear- glory be to the Lord! And if I become afraid and disappear into the waves, Jesus will uphold me- glory be to the Lord! "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God..." 2 Corinthians 3:5

Starting this Blog has been on my mind for a while and I just kept clinging to the side of the boat. I felt like maybe God wanted me to use my time & writing to encourage others,...but oh, the doubts and fears! My Husband was more than an encourager to me to "jump"...he kinda pushed me in (with a big grin on his face!). :-) He bought me a new computer and told me to write! So, if you are reading this and have been encouraged, praise God...and thank Brian! :-)

-Sam

Bonus Material for your Encouragement:

1) Read Matthew14:22-33
2) Hillsong United's "Oceans"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw