Caught Between Belief and Unbelief

Ever find yourself caught between “Lord I believe” and “help my unbelief?” Unbelief is a strange realm. It’s not doubt, exactly, it’s a timidity to jump off the tree limb into the awaiting arms of our dad. Remember that? We believed he would catch us while at the same time were afraid to risk letting go.

When I believe God, I exercise absolute faith to trust He is in control and working all things together for good. When I unbelieve I refuse to trust and my faith then becomes relative. I go from “yes, He can,” to “maybe He can,” to “I’m not sure,” to “probably He won’t.” By not trusting I have gradually disintegrated my respect for God’s reputation.

Unbelieving is a choice that causes us to discount God’s faithfulness and ability. By unbelief, I am refusing to acknowledge who He is, all He has done in the past and all He is capable of doing now. I am lowering my estimation of His value in my life in general and to my situation specifically. Unbelief adds caution where abandon is expected. It creates needless friction from the resistance between my spirit wishing to obey and my flesh preferring to oppose.

Never is it a matter of having enough faith. Faith is not a measurable commodity. We have sufficient faith at all times. Only when we refuse to allow that faith to become a dominant force do we find something to measure. Unbelief weighs more than belief. When we choose unbelief, we add to our lives burdens we not supposed to carry. This added heaviness is because we aren’t trusting God.

By yielding to God the right to operate in my life, without my interference, I am helping to diminish the shadow cast on my heart by my circumstances. By believing, I am granting Him my confidence. If I deny Him that right, I have taken responsibility for things that are not my responsibility. I have cast burdens upon my soul that are supposed to be cast upon Him.

If God said He would complete the work He began in you and things are not in the state of completion, He’s not done.