Believe to receive

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” —Mark 11:24

Today on my way to work, I saw a bumper sticker that read: “Believe to receive.” What a wonderful message!

I have experienced, when it comes to prayer and faith, the “believe” part gets left behind a lot. Someone once told me that a prayer without faith, is like a gun without a bullet—you can't expect a prayer to be answered if there is no faith in the desired outcome (Matthew 21:22).

Belief is the verb form of the noun faith, which ultimately means that an action (believing) is required—you cannot receive if you don’t believe.

Jesus told a very distraught father in Mark 9:23 that “all things are possible for one who believes”, and after the father had started to believe, he experienced a miracle—his son was healed.

All things are possible for those who believe. Take comfort in this, and know that even if it seems impossible, for God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Be still

 

“Be still, and know that I am God…” — Psalm 46:10

Today, somebody asked me why God allows so much evil in the world. It is a question I have often struggled with myself.

What I have learned is that God didn’t create evil—God created perfection (Genesis 1:31). Evil and sin entered the world through free will—when Eve chose to listen to Satan. All the bad things people do to each other, they choose to do to each other. I don’t know why God allows these things to happen to the innocent, or why God allows people to get sick and suffer. What I do know, is that God is powerful and that He is more than able to turn something negative into something positive (Ephesians 3:20). All that we have to do is to ask and to believe.

Someone once told me that “faith is seeing light with your heart when all your eyes see is darkness”. Take comfort in the knowing, that all things are possible through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). It might be stormy now, but it can’t rain forever.

Don't be afraid

 

“Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, ‘don’t be afraid; just believe.’” —Mark 5:36

I was diagnosed with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) in my early twenties. GAD is a psychological disorder characterized by excessive or disproportionate anxiety about several aspects of life, and has symptoms that are similar to panic disorder.

It is a tough disorder to battle, and I use to be afraid of a lot of things. I use to worry so much that I would get stomach ulcers, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t make my fears go away.

One day a friend invited me to a gospel event. After the show I spoke to one of the performers and he told me something that I would never forget. According to him fear is one of the weapons the devil uses to keep us from God, because if we constantly have fear and worries in our hearts, there is no place left for God’s peace and light. His final words to me were to “just let go and let God”.

God tells us in Psalm 91:11 that He will command His angels to guard us in all our ways, and that the very hairs of our heads are all numbered (Luke 12:7). Isn’t it amazing to know that we matter so much to God that we need to have no fear because God is always with us and will always strengthen and help us (Isaiah 41:10)?

Yes, dark and uncertain moments will always be a part of life, but isn’t absolutely wonderful to know that we have a powerful Father that will always rescue and protect us (Jeremiah 1:8)? Take comfort in the knowing that you are never alone (Joshua 1:9) and that God will always be there to help you fight darkness and fear—just let go and let God!

Loving God

 

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” — Matthew 22:37-38

I once read a powerful poem about the freeing power of loving God. There was one phrase in the poem that really caught my eye. It read: “Darkness once had its claws clasped around me, making me blind to the light, unable to see—all the love and hope surrounding me. Then God came into my life, and suddenly I was free…”

The poem reminded me about how absolutely freeing God’s love can be, not just God’s love for us, but our love for God too.

For me that is what faith is all about—truly loving God.

I know that some people believe that faith and religion consist out of nothing more than dogma and strict rules. I believe, though, that there is more to faith than simply adhering to strict rules and being punished for not being perfect.

Yes, God is just and fair (Deuteronomy 32:4), but God is also kind and compassionate (Galatians 5:22). According to Psalm 130:7 there is steadfast love and plentiful redemption with the Lord. In fact, God loved us so much that He sacrificed His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

See, God’s love for us and our love for God is freeing. It set us free from sin and guilt, free from darkness and hate, and free from hopelessness and despair. Loving God is freeing! Take comfort in that love and know “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).

“Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” — Ephesians 6:24

Don’t lose hope

 

“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” — Psalm 39:7

Sometimes in life things go absolutely wrong. When doors keep closing all around us and disappointment keeps rearing its ugly head, it gets tough not to lose hope and to stop believing.

The Lord tells us in Mark 5:36 not to be afraid, but to believe, because He has the ability to turn a valley of trouble into a door of hope (Hosea 2:15).

Hope is essential to the believer and critical to have. Without hope there can be no faith, no joy, and no inner peace.

For the believer, hope is a feeling of trust—a sure certainty that what God has promised in the Word is true. In Isaiah 41:10 God says: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

As believers with hope we should take these words to heart, because hope and faith is closely intertwined and true faith cannot be moved by circumstances or what the eyes see. Romans 8:24 says it best: “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?”

In life we will experience difficult circumstances—trial periods that will test our faith and endurance. But, please, don’t lose hope in God. Things will get better—God is always in control (Proverbs 19:21). If we stay strong and don’t let go of God’s hand, He will make our dreams and hopes come to pass (Jeremiah 29:11).