#unbelief in Scripture

[pastorhogg]

When Familiarity Blinds Faith

A Day in the Life of Jesus Scripture: Mark 6:1–6 (also in Matthew 13:53–58) There’s a unique sting to being underestimated by those who should know you best. That’s exactly what Jesus encountered in His own hometown. After a powerful season of teaching and miracles in other towns, He returned to Nazareth, accompanied by His disciples. But rather than celebration or open arms, He was met with…

[thewordfortheday]

It’s the story of a father whose son was possessed by a spirit that threw him into violent seizures. Though the father’s faith was wavering, he still turned to Jesus. “I believe,” the father cried. “Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). In the same breath, this man professed his faith and confessed his doubt. Haven’t we all been there? We believe in Jesus’ power, yet we have a hard time believing He can come through in our particular situation. That’s okay. With the little faith we have, God wants us to go to Him. Just like how this father did. Jesus raised this man’s son to life and health, God will raise us out of our unbelief and show us that He is able to handle anything that we are battling with, today.

[aniah-who]

Note to the unbeliever ~

Be careful, friend. You may very well mess around and find yourself overtaken by God’s unconditional love and begin to walk in your purpose in accordance to His will. Remember, Paul (formerly Saul) was on his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians when Jesus had abruptly interrupted his plan by forever changing his life, ultimately transforming Paul into one of the most devout followers and believers of Jesus Christ. Again, mess around and find out, and be very very careful. Respectfully.

[thinkingonscripture]

The Spiritual Life and the Walk of Faith

The spiritual life is inseparably connected to the walk of faith, for to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5:16) is to “walk by faith” (2 Cor 5:7). The former assumes the latter. God the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21), ensuring the written text is God’s authoritative revelation, the very “Word of God, which performs its work in you who believe” (1 Th 2:13b). It follows…

[rolainisblessed81]

Believe First

God wants you and me to believe in Him wholeheartedly. He wants us to trust that He will do what He has said He will do. I have been challenged in this lately. I have been challenged to trust Him wholeheartedly even though there is no evidence of breakthrough in sight, even when the circumstances around me are saying the total opposite of what He promised. I have been challenged to not let the…

[biblebloodhound]

To Believe, or Not (Mark 16:9-18)

There are some who may search for evidence their entire lives, never to find it, because they want confirmation by means of their own mentally contrived and culturally conditioned constructs.

The risen Jesus appears to his disciples, by Unknown Italian artist, 1476 [Note: The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.] When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that…

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Lord My God by Ray Comfort

Study closely the biblical phrase, "The Lord your God." Throughout the thousands of years of Scripture, it doesn't change. God is the Lord, our God. That is, He is the supreme authoritythe Lord. But even though He is the God of all humanity, their Creator, He's not their Lord until they yield to His Lordship. But the phrase suddenly changes when Thomas sees the risen Savior. He cries "My Lord and My God." The transformation comes when blind, willful unbelief yields to saving faith in Jesus. The world acknowledges that God is their Creator, but to be saved, they must yield to Him as Lord, and the way to have them do that is to introduce their blind and unbelieving hearts to the risen Savior.

There goes another minute. Gone forever. Go share your faith while you still have time.

[traumacatholic]

Please can I ask for some prayers? I think I'm having a crisis of faith

Of course!

Some things that you might find helpful:

Hallow have a collection of Scripture and prayers for strength during difficult times.

Likewise they have a collection of Scripture and prayers for hope during difficult times

This prayer may also be of benefit to you:

Heavenly Father, in this moment of confusion, I seek Your light to illuminate my path. As I navigate through the shadows of doubt, I ask that You enlighten me with the brightness of Your inner light. May Your divine presence dispel the darkness that clouds my mind and heart, guiding me toward the truth and clarity I so desperately need. I pray for a safe and promising journey, trusting that You will keep me in Your care. Like the desperate father, I cry out "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" I acknowledge that I cannot carry the weight of my worries alone Lord, “Greater is Thy care for me than all the care which I am able to take for myself”. I turn to You, asking for the strength to endure the challenges I face. I trust that You, to whom I commend myself, will render help. Grant me the fortitude to persevere, knowing that Your support is unwavering. I choose to place my trust in You, O Lord. Help me to embrace the unknown with faith, believing that Your plan is unfolding in my life, even when the way forward is unclear. May I always trust without hesitation in Your fatherly providence, confident that You are guiding me through every trial and tribulation. I reaffirm my faith in Your guidance, dear Lord. “Thou art my hope and my refuge in the day of my trouble”. I remain open to Your presence, trusting that You will lead me out of this darkness. I hold fast to the promise that You never abandon those that seek You (Ps. 9:10). Amen.

[albertfinch]

LIFTING OUR VISION UP

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever." - Ephesians 3:20-21

Our very best days are right before us, not behind us!

Consider the Message Bible's version of this Scripture:

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us."

God can do anything. And what's more, our mighty King has outstanding plans for each and every one of us, plans that are more wonderful and sure than we could "ever imagine or guess or request" as we ask, seek, and knock until we understand and implement His calling on our life. The Lord assures us in 1 Corinthians 2:9 that, "No man has ever seen, heard or even imagined the wonderful things God has in store for those who love the Lord."

BELIEVE FOR A STRONGER ANOINTING

No matter what trial you are experiencing in your health, finances, marriage, children or with your loved ones, God has unimaginably great blessings in store for you as you pursue your calling in Christ. All of Heaven and earth may pass away, but God's Word never fails us as we seek to advance His Kingdom in the earth.

God desires to take us to new levels of victory in every area of our life. The Lord Jesus Christ wants to give us more of His wisdom so we can make better decisions (James 1:5). He longs to give us a stronger anointing so we can advance in His purpose for our life (our DESTINY in Christ) (Psalm 92:10). The Lord also wants to bless us financially so we can be a blessing to others (2 Corinthians 9:6-8) – also so we do not have to spend our time focusing on money so we can direct our attention on advancing His Kingdom.

LIFT OUR VISION UP

We need to avoid the old ruts of fear and unbelief. Submit to the God of peace, resist these demons and they will flee from you (James 4:7). Instead of receiving fear and unbelief, receive His precious promises as rock-solid truths and begin to act accordingly, CONFESSING OUT LOUD and giving thanks that your Father is certainly doing "exceedingly more" than you can even imagine.

The Lord Jesus Christ is inviting us to lift our vision up, above our circumstances and situations, to fix our eyes on Him and His Word. As we do this we can expect to see the glory of God fill our lives and those who we disciple into their Christ identity so they can be effective in fruit bearing that remains for His Kingdom.

We accept His invitation to come up higher (Revelation 4:1-2) by focusing on our Christ identity. God has new frontiers of the spirit for us to explore and higher mountains of faith for us to climb as we move forward the Great Commission.

There is so much more to life in Christ than we can ever imagine! In His Presence we find true fulfillment,lasting joy (Psalm 16:11 and our next assignment.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[jesus-freak1]

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will NOT depart from it

James 5:13-15 Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.

Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

And the prayer of FAITH shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he committed sins, they SHALL be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availed much.

Eccl 4:10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to the one who is alone when he falleth; for he hath no one to lift him up. ( we need each other in our battles)

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart; and lean not to thine own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Micah 7: 7-8 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; ; I will WAIT for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

Rejoice not against me, O mine enem: when I fall, I shall arise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.

Hebrew 4:9-12 There remaineth Therefore a REST to the people of God. Fir he that entered into his REST, he has ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us Therefore to enter into that REST, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Fir the word of God is quick, powerful and sharper then any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

14 hold fast the profession of your faith

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall NOT return to me void, but it SHALL ACCOMPLISH that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing wherefore to I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

I don't know what's going on, not my business. But God does. You have been faithful and He is faithful. The gates of hell cannot prevail. God bless you my friend. I love you. Prayers

I only intended to post 1 scripture but got carried away. Rest in Him Sister. 🖤

[thewordfortheday]

We are told that Jesus is the Light of the world, “that everyone might believe” (John 1:7). Yet, we read, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it … He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:5, 11).

Unbelief has always grieved the heart of Jesus. When He came to earth in the flesh, He brought great Light into the world that was meant to open the eyes of men. Yet, in spite of this, Scripture speaks of examples of unbelief.  This Christmas season, would you follow the Light of the world, Jesus Christ, and put your hope and faith in Him afresh? 

Pray: God Almighty, help my unbelief and and help me trust You more, and follow the Light of the world, Jesus my Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen 

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for November 18, 2024

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 28:13-14 (KJV): 13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. 14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. Proverbs 28:13-14 (AMP): 13 He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy. 14 Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who reverently and worshipfully fears (the Lord) at all times (regardless of circumstances), but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Thought for the Day

Verse 13 - Anyone who thinks he has not sinned is deceived. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of God's glory. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:23-25). By His death, Jesus made atonement for the sins of all mankind. Anyone can be pardoned if he turns to Christ and repents. When two Christians cannot fellowship, it is because one or both of them are walking in darkness in some area of their lives. "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (John 1:5-10).

We can have fellowship with Christ only by dealing with our sins. When we sin, we are not to hide, ignore, or excuse it. We are to confess and turn from it. Only then will we be cleansed from our unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus.

Verse 14 - The reverential fear of God brings blessing, but a hard heart brings ruin. If we do not respond to God in obedience when He speaks to us, our hearts will begin to harden. Each time we refuse to obey God, our hearts become a little harder. A person who continues resisting the Holy Spirit will make their hearts insensitive to God, and they will have no rest in their souls.

"Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So, I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called to day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end" (Hebrews 3:7-14).

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, we are grateful that we can always come to You and confess our sins, and You will never turn us away, but will always extend mercy to us and deliver us from evil. Father, may we always be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings, and obey You when You tell us to do something. We never want any hardness in our hearts toward the things of God. May we always stand before You with a reverential fear, knowing that You are all powerful and all wise. Lord, we declare, we will have no fear of what man can do to us, because our faith and trust are in You. We are grateful we can call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Father. Amen.

[hiswordsarekisses]

All of scripture made so much more sense to me when I learned that “unbelief” is the same exact thing as “disobedience.” 💥

[orthodoxadventure]

Do you ever fear gods not real? Its my biggest fear in life. Do you have any prayers for a deeper faith?

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - Mark 9:23-24

Doubt does not in itself signify lack of faith. It may mean the opposite – that our faith is alive and growing. For faith implies not complacency but taking risks, not shutting ourselves off from the unknown but advancing boldly to meet it. -- Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way

Because faith is not logical certainty but a personal relationship, and because this personal relationship is as yet very incomplete in each of us and needs continually to develop further, it is by no means impossible for faith to coexist with doubt. The two are not mutually exclusive. Perhaps there are some who by God’s grace retain throughout their life the faith of a little child, enabling them to accept without question all that they have been taught. For most of those living in the West today, however, such an attitude is simply not possible. We have to make our own the cry, ‘Lord, I believe: help my unbelief’ (Mark 9:24). For very many of us this will remain our constant prayer right up to the very gates of death. – Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way

Certainly, I have (and do) struggle with the faith. But we must understand faith is not just a state of being, but an action. When we have struggles with our faith, there can be a tendency to let our faith life falter: perhaps we stop attending Church, perhaps we begin neglecting our prayers or our reading of Scripture. When really, what we need to be doing during those periods, is revitalising those aspects and clinging onto them. And in the act of doing so, we can find ourselves also uniting our state of being with faith.

The very act of asking for prayers to strengthen or deepen your faith, is an act of faith itself. Although it might not feel like that. The act of wanting to believe in God, is very much an act of believing in God. I would very much recommend speaking to your Priest, and speaking about some of your struggles with the faith. Perhaps its dryness in prayer, perhaps its not feeling the benefit of attending Church. Often, our doubt comes from particular aspects of the faith that we aren't feeling a positive outcome from. When our prayer life feels very dry (for example), and though we are just repeating or saying words to no benefit, then we can attribute this to the distancing of God or that God perhaps isn't real. But in reality, we just aren't seeing the visible fruits of prayer in a way that we would like. Your perseverance with prayer, is in a lot of ways, of great benefit to you. I know you asked for prayers, but I would also recommend the book 'Beginning to Pray' by Anthony Bloom. It often talks about feeling distant from God and so on, and perhaps it can be of some benefit to you. Speak also, of your struggles with believing in God to God. Talk to Him. You don't need to hide anything from Him. It's perfectly okay to admit you are struggling to Him.

As for prayers, I would recommend the 'Lord I believe, help my unbelief'. Pray it often, especially at the start of any spiritual task like other prayers, attending Church, or reading Scripture. The Creed also would be a good prayer to incorporate into your daily prayer life if it's not a part of it already.

Something I would also recommend is the praying of the Psalms. Both because the Psalms are of immense strength and comfort to us, but it will also tie in with the encouragement and perseverance of reading Scripture.

If you don't have a prayer rule already, then I would recommend adopting the prayer rule of Saint Seraphim of Sarov:

“Let any Christian, upon arising from sleep stand before the holy icons, and read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” thrice, in honor of the Most-holy Trinity, then the hymn to the Theotokos “O Theotokos and Virgin, rejoice…” three times as well, and finally, the Symbol of Our Faith once. Having completed this rule, let each one attend to the tasks to which he was appointed or to which he is called.

“Going to bed, let any Christian again read the above-mentioned morning rule. Thereafter, let him go to sleep, having protected himself with the sign of the Cross.” Fr. Seraphim said “Keeping this rule, it is possible, to reach Christian perfection, for the three prayers indicated are the foundation of Christianity. The first, as the payer given [to us] by Christ Himself, is the model for all prayers. The second was brought from Heaven by the Archangel to greet the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Our Lord. The Symbol [of our faith] contains in brief all of the salvific dogmas of the Christian Faith.” [source, along with each of the prayers]

Hopefully some of this will be of some benefit to you. May God bless, strength, and comfort you!

[rolainisblessed81]

Stay the Course!

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 We know that God is faithful. We know that God loves us and will never leave us or forsake us. We know He is fighting for us and that we have victory because of Him. We know that He hears our prayers and answers them but despite all these powerful truths there are times we still doubt.…

[steveezekiel]

THE MIND

"FOR AS HE THINKS IN HIS HEART, SO IS HE. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you."

Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

"ABOVE ALL, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."

Ephesians 6:16 (NKJV)

• Your mind is the seat of thought and your thoughts determine your success. In other words, your winning in life is determined by the state of your mind.

- Your achievement is proportional to the state of your mind. Every person is a product of his or her thoughts. Battles of life are fought in the mind. It takes a mental discipline to win in life.

• Challenges of life

- To win you must renew and equip your mind with the Word of God. An empty mind produces empty results. A man who equips not his mind is bound to fail in life, when challenges of life come.

- If a man's faith fails in adversity, it shows that such does not have enough of God's Word to counter negative thoughts that are being sent by adversary—the devil.

- It is the amount of God's Word which you have filled your mind with that would make you stand against the wiles of devil (Ephesians 6:11). Wiles of the devil are evil thoughts sent by the devil to deceive you.

- Apostle Paul talks about the fiery darts of the enemy; he was referring to thoughts sent by the devil (Ephesians 6:16).

• Faith in the Word of God will shield you from the fiery darts of the devil (Ephesians 6:16).

- Ephesians 6:16 says we should take the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the devil. The Word of God produces faith. Faith comes by the hearing of the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

- You have to equip your mind with the Word of God to fortify your faith, and not what you hear being said or spoken by the people around.

- Your faith cannot be strong if all you are hearing is the word of human. Word of human is full of doubt, fear and unbelief, because it is a product of human senses.

- Senses are contrary to faith; If you live in the sense realm as a believer, it would be difficult to prevail over the challenges of life. If you are controlled by senses, as a believer, the devil would be given a chance to have a field day in your life.

- Faith is the answer to every problem and it comes through the Word of God. Thus, If you give no place to the Word in your heart, failure is inevitable.

- Feed your mind daily with the Word of life. The Scripture says man shall not live my bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

• Renew Your Mind (Romans 12:2).

- You have to renew your mind that you may know the perfect will of God for your life.

- You should align yourself with the possibility of God's Word. A single thought which you dwell on can change your destiny—positively or negatively. It depends on thoughts

- Physical advancement, progress and success in the physical stems from the maturity of your soul—mind (3 John 2).

- Defeat is never from outside, it is from within. When you allowed defeat in your thinking, that is, if you are defeated in your mind; It will show or manifest in your output—whatever you do.

• Upgrade your mind

- You have to renew your mind, preoccupies it with the Word of God, that the base things of life might not find any refuge there.

WHEN your mind is sound or high, your thoughts will be sound and high, and your judgement, your perspectives about issues of life would equally be sound and high (Philippines 2:5).

- When someone's thoughts are perverted, their expectations would be dashed. Strive that your expectations would not be cut off or be unfulfilled (Proverbs 24:14).

• Jesus had super mind. The excellent mind that produces godly thoughts that are in line with God's Will or Word:

“LET THIS MIND [mentality or thought] BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS” (Philippians 2:5 NKJV).

- Jesus had the mind to serve, the mind to sacrifice Himself for others, the mankind in general. That was the mind that made Him excel.

- Apostle Paul in that passage of the Bible, Philippians 2:5, says: we should endeavour to have such a mind or mindset or mentality which Jesus had that gave Him a name above every other name. This made Jesus excel in His earthly ministry.

- Jesus' secret was, He did allow His mind and thoughts to align with the thoughts of God the Father (Isaiah 55:8,9).

- To go higher in life, you would have to avoid the people whose minds and thoughts are not in line with the Word of God. Such people would want to bring you down to their level of mediocrity (Proverbs 13:20).

- When your thoughts are in line with God's Word, Will and Plan; you become fulfilled in life.

- Carefully choose the people you relate with, relationship is by choice, and not by force.

IF you relate with the people who have a debased mind, who's thinking are awkward, not in line with God's Word and plan; you may find it difficult to rise and fulfil purpose in life:

"HE WHO WALKS WITH WISE MEN WILL BE WISE, But the companion of fools will be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20 NKJV).

• Receive a sound mind in the mighty name of Jesus. Every negative congestion in your mind is flushed out by the blood of Jesus' Christ.

- Should there be any ailment in your body, be healed now in Jesus' name.

- You will not fail in the mighty name of Jesus.

Peace!

STEPS TO SALVATION

• Take notice of this:

IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).

a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).

b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).

c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

- If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based 1 in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!

Note:

a. I want you to follow us for more edifying content.

b. Endeavour to share this message. God bless you.