Help My Unbelief: How to Overcome Doubt and Increase Faith预览

Day 1: Introduction

A few years ago, the Lord showed me that I was living as a Christian, but not as a believer. Having met the Lord at the age of five and served Him for many years through multiple ministries and short-term mission experiences, this was a revelation from the Holy Spirit that convicted me.

I was in year ten or so of what I called “my cave.” A period where the visions and plans I thought God had given me were confronted with radically different circumstances that seemed to contradict what I had understood as His purposes for my life. This was impacting many areas of my life, particularly as it related to believing God. It affected the way I approached Him in prayer. My attitude was almost like I was begging for mercy or anything good He could spare for me, instead of seeing prayer as an honest conversation with my Loving, Heavenly Father, where I was willing to accept His Will as the best for me.

I realized I needed to Reconsider what I was letting my heart believe, Refocus on the Truths of His Word, and Remember all the ways the Lord had shown Himself Powerful and Faithful throughout my life.

This has been a years-long journey. Shortly after that realization, I faced the greatest challenge of my life. Often, I felt like I was inside a maze where my futile attempts to understand what was happening just led me down dead-end corridors and I couldn’t find a way out. I kept revisiting David’s story and the twists and turns he went through for roughly 15 years after being anointed as king of Israel and the day he was finally crowned.

I thought of Joseph, waiting 13 years for an answer to his “Why?” after being sold into slavery by his brothers, and that life-changing day when things fell into place in a way that only God could have orchestrated.

Reading these stories in the Bible, listening to sermons, praying, being prayed for, and the Presence of the Holy Spirit, kept me going on days when my belief and hope seemed to fade and waver.

Through valleys and brokenness, the Lord has taught me Truths that, if applied, have the power to see me through these challenging times and allow me to live, not just as a Christian who prays, goes to church, listens to Christian music, and does the typical Christian things, but as a believer who takes God at His Word, always, and as a person who lives as though she truly believes everything God has said is true and dependable. Part of those Truths address how God sees unbelief and how we can deal with it in our lives.

This devotional encourages us to Reconsider, Refocus, and Remember: three practices and tools God gives us to help stir up our faith to grow and endure when we face valleys, instead of allowing them to distance us from our Savior. It does not mean we will understand everything, but these lessons can help us view things through a Biblical lens, instead of our distorted lens of limited reasoning and perspective.

Together, we’ll look at what the Scriptures teach about unbelief and open our hearts to the Lord confidently, however we feel. We can always come to Him knowing He welcomes us despite our doubts and weaknesses. It is there, dependent upon His Grace, that His Power is made Perfect in our weakness.

Meditate

• Am I living life as a Christian or as a believer?
• In which areas am I struggling to believe God?
• Can I determine what is causing my unbelief? For example: A delayed response to prayer, pain, anxiety, etc.

Prayer

Father, as I begin this devotional, I ask that You speak to my heart and show me if there are any areas where I am harboring unbelief. Holy Spirit, I ask that You speak to me. Let Your Word encourage and strengthen me to believe what You have said and that You are always Faithful. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.