This next exercise in our spiritual shape up has to be worked over time to build spiritual muscles. We need to build our muscles of believing.
Here is the next key:
You have to believe God’s Word until the believing gets past your head and down into your spirit.
The title of this post poses an interesting question. Are you believing, or believing? After all, believing is believing, isn’t it? If I believe something, I believe it. Right?
Do You Believe Your Bible?
Most of us, as Christians, quickly attest that we believe the Bible. Since it is the infallible Word of God, every word within is true.
Consider the following portions of scripture and ask yourself for each one, “Do I believe this is true?”
- a speechless donkey spoke with human voice (2 Peter 2:16 referring to Numbers 22:21-34)
- the virgin shall conceive and bear a son (Matthew 1:23)
- Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water (Matthew 14:29)
What is your response to these verses? Do you believe these things to be true? Most all of us do believe them to be true. If it is in the Bible, I believe it! Simple as that!
A few problems arose for me in this area of believing. The first revealed itself during a family beach day. As I stood by that water, the Lord questioned me, “Do you believe Peter walked on the sea?” I walked in the water’s edge, noticing the total lack of resistance against my foot as I stepped in the surf’s water again and again. I tried to imagine the water supporting my weight. Hmm. I believed it was true of Peter because the Bible says it happened. But at that moment of walking in the ocean’s edge, I was forced to consider the physical nature of the question. A grown 200+ lb (likely) man stood on top of the water and it held his weight.
Brain Believing
When the Lord presents a question like that, He has a lesson in mind. He led me to understand that I had been believing with my head. It was human logic to conclude that, if the Bible says it, I am going to believe it. With my brain I was believing it based on a brain form of “knowing,” or head knowledge. If a = b and b = c, then a must = c. To believe that an actual human being can physically get out of a boat and walk in the middle of a sea staying dry from the ankles up – that was well beyond human believing or head knowledge. That takes a supernatural level of believing that only comes from the Spirit of God. It is a deeper level of “knowing” that only comes with full trust in God resulting in full trust in the truth and power of His Word.
My second challenge in the area of believing happened over time as I watched several people who were strongly believing God would heal them from serious illness. In each case, they believed the Bible is true and that God would heal them. Each was surrounded by people praying for their healing and each knew of many other cases when God had healed serious diseases. Yet, with these specific people, they died. They died believing for healing.
This time it was me posing the question to God. “Why did these people die? They believed your Word. Your Word says Jesus bore stripes for our healing. If your Word is true, why did they die?”
Oh the glory of our God! He loves us so much! If we will only listen, there is so much He wants to reveal! Do you remember when Jesus said to His disciples, “I have so much more to tell you, but you are not ready.” (John 16:12) Prepare yourself so that He can tell you more and more!
He was kind enough to answer my probing question.
Believing or Believing
Most people who are believing God for something like physical healing of the body have a passive sense of believing. They are sitting back, trusting God to take care of the situation. I have heard people say, “God’s got this!” or “God’s got it handled!” They know He has the power to heal and they deep inside are trusting that God will choose to heal. Sounds like they are believing God, doesn’t it?
The problem is that is a natural human form of believing. It’s a=b, b=c, so a=c all over again. All logical head knowledge – no power there.
There is another kind of believing, the kind that God is relying on us to have. This believing is an active form of believing, full of supernatural power. It transpires when your “believing” goes past your brain and gets down deep in your spirit.
Active believers resist the Devil with God’s Word at every turn. They take up the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit and wield it to stop Satan’s attacks. They have a deep abiding trust resulting from abiding in Him and know in their gut (not their head) that God’s Word will stop the schemes of the devil. Active believers do not just sit back and wait on God to do something. They know He already did it, sending His Son to conquer the enemy and make a triumph over him. Jesus took those stripes for healing, and carried your illness and bore your pains when he hung on that tree. Knowing God has done His part, active believers do their part, taking up that sword as warriors on the battlefield of life.
Active believers resist the devil in their bodies and in their minds using the Word of God.
Supernatural believers stand on the truth of God’s Word for every aspect of life, relying on the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to us who believe, (Ephesians 1:18) knowing God can do far more abundantly than we can ask or think according to His power at work within us. (Ephesians 4:20) (Emphasis mine). His power is made available, but we have to take that power and work it. He promises He watches over his Word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12) You wield His Word like a sword at the enemy, and He watches over it to perform it. You speak it out in faith, He does what He says in that spoken Word to overcome the enemy’s attack.
To walk in that power, you must believe God’s Word. If you only believe with your head, you will not be able to use the Word as a weapon against the enemy. Doubt and anxiety will arise with human believing. Nothing human has power over the enemy. Only God, His authority and Word has power over the enemy.
Perhaps you realize like I did that you have a little problem with your “believer.” Do not be discouraged. To the contrary, it’s time to get excited! Once you realize that you have not been truly believing like you thought you were, you have opened yourself to opportunities for God to reveal more of His truth to you. He wants you to move from passive believing to active believing and He will lead you there. Let Him challenge you with scriptures that test your “believer.” Once you break through your brain barrier and begin believing in your spirit, God’s power will begin to manifest in your life.
That’s some serious spiritual muscle!
Your Assignments
This key is so vital that the assignments are few, but must be exercised in order to build your spiritual muscles.
1) It is time to build on the last post’s lesson about the power of the spoken word. This week, pay close attention to the words you speak about yourself, both in your thoughts and out loud. Your words reveal what you really believe. Any time you catch yourself saying words that contradict Gods Word, stop at the moment and say God’s truth. Right then. Out loud.
2) Go back to the section of this lesson entitled, Do You Believe Your Bible and review the scriptures that were given. Use your imagination to picture this event actually happening. Allow God to reveal your true level of believing, then determine in your mind that you will not stop seeking God until your believing gets past your head and into your spirit no matter how long it takes.
3) Are you a passive believer or an active believer? Reread the section entitled Believing or Believing over and over until you begin to really see the difference. Then, add to assignment 1 above by noticing if your words and thoughts sound like a passive believer or an active believer. If you identify passive words, stop right then and speak active words instead.
Time to continue tot he next Key!
Return to the beginning of the teaching series
Becoming a Powerful Christian by Marjorie Lou, eBook and print version available – on Amazon or in the shop
Miracles and Healings by Marjorie Lou, print version only – available on Amazon or in the shop.
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