When Jesus was ministering in His own hometown, ‘He could do no mighty work there’, except to heal a few sick folks, because of the unbelief of the people. Without faith, the Bible tells us, it is impossible to please God. This also implies that without faith, Jesus can’t do all that He desires to do in our lives.
When the disciples asked why they were unable to cast out a devil, Jesus said that it was because of their unbelief. Our greatest affliction, oftentimes, is our unbelief in Christ’s love, mercy, grace, or power. Sadly, many people find salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ’s atonement, an ‘unbelievable’ message, ‘too good to be true.’ In fact, it was foretold how most people would respond to the gospel of the grace of God with unbelief.
Jesus Christ said, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Nobody, except Jesus of course, possesses perfect faith, but we should be developing a growing faith. I too cry along with the desperate father in Mark 9:24, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’
Evidently, unbelief and hardness of heart go hand in hand. What hardens our hearts? The deceitfulness of sin. In fact, unbelief is a sin issue of the heart. It robs us of the rest that Jesus offers to us. It robs us of the joy of seeing the miraculous take place. I have to wonder how many Christians do not even consider unbelief a sin issue.
Abraham ‘did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief.’ However, an example of how not to exercise faith in God would be the 10 spies. They could have received the very same blessings that Joshua and Caleb did, but they chose to walk by sight and not by faith.
May we draw near to Jesus today and grow in His love and truth. Let’s cling to God’s promises and commandments, and refuse to entertain doubt! Allow God’s Spirit to refresh your faith in Christ today through worship and hearing His word. As His perfect love ministers to your heart, doubt and anxiety will fade away and that mustard seed of faith will grow, and you will ‘Be not unbelieving, but believing.’
