Experiencing God's Presence #167 - The One Year Experiencing God's Presence Devotional
Experiencing God's Presence #167
And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?”
Numbers 14:11
Just as fear is treated as rebellion against God, unbelief is treated as rejection of Him and even contempt for Him. It, too, makes our hearts hostile territory for His truth and blocks our sense of His Presence. God speaks good plans and purposes over us; He sees our destiny in full. And when we entertain unbelief and let it sink in and affect us, we become rocky soil for His seeds. We unintentionally go to battle against His calling.
Belief cooperates with God. It agrees with who He says He is and what He has said He will do. Unbelief, on the other hand, contradicts who He says He is and what He has said He will do. Belief draws us close to Him while unbelief separates us from Him. One causes us to beat with His heartbeat; the other weakens our pulse completely.
One negative thought of unbelief can be the catalyst for a downward spiral of discouragement and depression. Just as faith feeds faith, unbelief feeds unbelief. When we allow our minds to begin going down a hopeless path, we find ourselves on a very slippery slope, and it’s hard to climb back up. We have to learn to cut off unbelief when it first appears.
Hear God’s encouragement: “In a fallen world separated from My visible Presence, faith is the only way to connect with Me. And My heart longs for you to connect with Me. So believe—every word I speak, every direction I lead, every promise I give. Entertain no contradicting voices. My voice is absolute. I will accomplish the things I have spoken. If you believe them, I will honor your faith by showing Myself to you.”
Lord, I confess that I tend to live by sight, not by faith. Please help me reverse that tendency. I choose to hang on to Your truth, even when it contradicts my visible world. I want to be a believer—in every way.
