Ripping Out Disbelief at the Root

“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13, ESV)

Have you ever received a word you knew was straight from God? And I’m not talking about kinda, sorta, maybe. I’m talking about a promise so without a doubt that it had to have come straight from the mouth of Jesus.

I received a word like that earlier this year. I came from a very close friend who was praying over me during a worship night. As she prayed, she became thoughtfully silent, and then looked at me and said, “I don’t know why Jesus wants me to say this. I don’t really know where it’s coming from either, but He wants you to know that your heart will never be broken again.”

And my entire soul was caught so off guard by the purity and the healing that flooded my heart at those words, that I started to sob. Somehow, God had used this precious friend to address a worry that was so deep in my heart that even I couldn’t see it was always there. I had just learned to live with it.

As months passed, I would have off days where I would forget the sweet promise that Jesus had given me, that my heart would never be broken again. And strangely enough, when I couldn’t remember the integrity of Jesus’ promise to me, He would send other people or reminders to encourage me to hold onto what He already said to me.

Just this week, I found myself at a breaking point. I have been fervently praying constantly over one specific thing in my life; a desire I so badly wanted a release for. I was frustrated that it wasn’t coming and God seemed to be silent on all fronts. Finally, I stopped filling the atmosphere with my own words and asked Him to tell me why I was struggling so much over hearing His voice.

And that’s when He pointed out my own disbelief. “Why are you still worried about your broken heart, daughter? Did I not tell you that it would never be broken again? Was that not a promise I gave you? Since when do I ever break my word?”

That’s when I realized: My fear was the evidence of disbelief. I was so afraid to be heartbroken that I was actually blocking the Lord from doing His work. I was so twisted up over my own worry that I was missing the point. My own disbelief was keeping me from a blessing. All those months ago, I had heard the promise from Jesus, but I never reached out and received it fully in my heart.

We all do this. We hear from Jesus and proceed to disqualify ourselves from partaking in what He has for us. We allow our restless fear and worry to become so well-acquainted with us that we don’t realize it’s taken up residence in our hearts and is stopping us up from hearing or receiving other things from Jesus.

Here’s the truth, dear friend. When Jesus gives us a promise, he doesn’t go back on it. When the Lord gives a gift and wants to pour out a blessing or His power, the only possible thing that could withhold it is your own disbelief. No power of hell, no earthly thing, and no failure could intercept it or snatch it from you. The Lord gives, but not a moment before you are ready, and you have to hold onto the belief that God is so good and so merciful, that His word is already the manifestation of your promise.

For me, the root of my disbelief was my fear. There is no fear in love. If a promise was given to me from the very mouth of love, then my fear in the face of that promise points out the weakness in my own faith. But because Jesus is so wonderful, that word was still available to me, all I had to do was tell Him that I believe He will do what He said He would do.

So here’s your encouragement for today: God doesn’t go back on what He’s said. If you are waiting on the fruition of a promise He’s spoken, then perhaps there is disbelief in you that needs to be addressed. Find its root: fear, worry, anger, bitterness– any emotion that is not a part of God’s character. Once you find it, give it to God and tell Him that you believe His word and that He has the power to breathe it into reality.

We are called Believers, after all, so let’s not allow our own disbelief to block us from what God has for us.

Pops, help me to pinpoint where my disbelief comes from. I don’t want anything to hold me back from your master plan, so help me to take it out at its source. I believe in you, and I believe that you are Truth itself. I believe that you have never told me a lie, and I believe that you have the power to fund your promises. Help me to refocus my trust in you today. Thank you for all you do. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.