When it comes to belief the most important thing is to find a way to get the word of God so rooted and grounded inside of us that we cannot be shaken. This supersedes everything. We have to come to an understanding of God’s Mind concerning us and the world around us.
It’s not enough to just get the word inside of you though, you must train the word of God in you by putting it into practice! The word removes deception when we work out the word! If you want the word to work in you then you must first of all believe the word for yourself. You have to apply the word to your own life and circumstances.
Jeremiah 23:29 NASB ““Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”” The word of God has power, it does something. It’s interesting to note that here the word of the Lord is not described as a pretty picture or an accessory but like a “fire” and a “hammer.” With fire and a hammer one can shape a plowshare into a sword or a sword into a plowshare. Likewise the word of the Lord is an active agent of change.
Isa 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” The word of the Lord accomplishes something. In the beginning God created and God made. He did this by the Word.
John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
These things are the essence of establishing the integrity of the truth of the word. All things are possible to those who believe. Our belief must be grounded in the word.
Heb 11:1 NKJV “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is substance. The word becomes flesh by faith. Your belief is a force. What you believe carries energy to manifest your belief. This is why belief is so important.
2 Corinthians 4:18 “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” We look at that which is unseen. Belief is the tool that lets us see what is unseen in order to lay hold of what is eternal.
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” To us (believers) God has revealed these things by his Spirit.
What we believe will drastically set the course of our life and control our reach. If we believe that we are indeed made in the image and likeness of God then we will live differently from those who merely believe that they are the product of happenstance or human will. When we believe that we originate from God we learn to see our lives according to his divine perspective. Mundane existence becomes something of the past as we live from the divine perspective of eternity. Likewise we come to the place where we don’t just see our lives in light of eternity, but also the lives of those around us. Belief is too great a force to neglect! What you believe matters!
Just as faith is the authentic force in the Kingdom of God, the world has illegitimate forces that seek to work against belief. Ungodly passion, lust, envy, greed, and other carnal impulses seek to drown out faith and to undermine belief.
Faith is a force. Belief is a force. Faith’s force is related to “epistes” which is ‘trust.’ We as believers are defined by our trust in God and God’s opinion.
Hebrews 11:6 NASB “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” God is a rewarder. Many sins spring forth from the idea (belief) that you must bring about your own reward, your own satisfaction in life. Instead of waiting on the Lord to reward you, the world says you have to look out for yourself.
This runs against the wisdom of God that says reward comes when we do the right thing and not give up. Galatians 6:8-10 NASB “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Belief is a powerful force. What you believe is vital in setting the course of your life. In particular what you believe about the gospel. The gospel is the power of salvation to every one who believes.
I encourage you today to get yourself grounded in God’s word and opinion! You need to know what God thinks about you and your life. Put the word of God in your mouth and meditate on it until it becomes a powerful force of strength and belief. The word will work for you! The forces of a recreated-spirit produce powerful results, God’s spirit inside of you willing and doing the work of God!