Believing God

And he [Abram] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

(Genesis 15:6 KJV)

Charles Spurgeon stated: “I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith, and is not good for much.” Clearly, Charles Spurgeon believed God.

A few years ago, in preparing to preach, I pondered what it means to believe God. Notice I did not say believe in God, nor am I writing in past tense—believing God is active and living (present active participle)—something that continues and does not stop. To believe God, is to believe Him in an active and on going way—present and future.

God expects our belief in Him to be active, not passive!

There is a difference, a huge difference; between believing in God and believing God…lets explore that difference.

What does it mean to believe God—to truly and completely believe what He says? What would we be able to accomplish if we truly believe God? In what areas of your life are you believing God?

Believing God is not for the faint of heart. It requires boldness! As the story of Abram indicates; we do not have to be perfect. God still is true to His Word to us—knowing that we can trust Him. 

Believing is stepping out in faith without knowing the final destination. Abram renamed Abraham did—an idol worshipper who became the father of all who have Jesus as Savior and Lord (the account of Abram’s call can be read in Genesis 12). 

To clarify, I am NOT talking about believing in God. Many people believe in God, yet they are not going to heaven when they die. In James 2:19, we read: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Simply believing in God does not say much, does it? Believing God is a deeper, bolder, life changing concept. It moves us out of comfort zones and keeping God in box and takes us to new places. Places we have never dreamed of—doing things we did not think were possible. According to Beth Moore in her study Believing God, there are five things we need to believe about God. Believing God is:

1.       Believing God is He is who He says He is.
2.       He can do what He says He can do.
3.       I am who God says I am.
4.       I can do all things through Christ.
5.       God’s Word is alive and active in me.

Acting in faith is key. God will reward that, even if we get things wrong. All we need to do is look at the story of Abraham. He did not always get things right—such as leaving his family behind when God first called him. Due to that, he was delayed in Haran until his father Terah died. Later on he lied twice about his wife, Sarai, saying that she was his sister. He lied to protect his life—a moment of not trusting God to bring about the promise of becoming a great nation.  However, in Genesis 15:6 we read, “And he [Abram] believed the LORD and he counted it to him for righteousness.” We see this again in the New Testament (in multiple places) as a testimony to Abraham’s faith. 

Like Abraham, we may falter from time to time in believing God. However, to falter does not mean that God is done with us. Be assured that God is still at work in each of His children’s lives bringing His plan to fruition. However, God does not always protect us from the consequences of our faltering. In Abraham’s case, we are still experiencing the consequences of his decision to take matters into his own hands (the birth of Ishmael and the current conflict in the Middle East).

In closing, consider the following questions:

How is God asking me to believe Him this week?

In what ways can I take some steps of faith in getting to where God is calling me?

Please join with me in prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the many examples in Your Word of what it means to believe You—not just believe in You. Empower us through the Holy Spirit to believe that You are who You say You are and that You have a special plan for each of our lives. Thank You for creating each one of us on purpose and for the plan that You have for each one of us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

To my readers: Be looking for additional posts in the future on the theme of believing God.