Believe Only!

Have you ever heard the statement all things are possible if you believe? What does that really mean to you? Well to me, believing is everything. You cannot do anything in life without believing, whether your beliefs are positive or negative. Everything you do in life is based on what you believe. Some things we don’t think twice about before doing. We just simply act because we believe. We sit in a chair believing the chair will hold us. We turn on the faucet believing water will come out. We go to the grocery store believing we will come out with food. We go to the movie theatre believing that we will see a movie. You get the picture.

When I was a child, I accepted and believed in someone I couldn’t see or hear physically. I received Jesus (Romans 10:9-10). That has been the most valuable choice I’ve made, and my life has been made whole because of that one decision. For Christians, true believing is not based upon what you can see or hear physically. Believing is a knowing. Believing is trusting God. The choice in receiving Jesus has changed my thoughts, behavior, and actions. Believing in Jesus has changed my life.

You see, believing is a choice that is followed by action. I did not stop at just receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior. There were further steps (actions) I had to take to develop my relationship with God and to discover my identity (the Real Me!) in Christ. Thankfully, I was brought up in a home where we believed in the importance of being a part of a Bible-based church where you are fed the whole Word of God (not just bits and pieces). Actively being a part of children’s church helped me to grow spiritually. I learned how much Jesus loved me. I learned how Jesus went about doing good and healing the sick. I learned that the devil is the one who steals, kills, and destroys and that Jesus came so that we can have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Furthermore, I am grateful to have been brought up in a home where my parents modeled how to believe God for meeting all of their needs no matter how great or small. They could write a book about how God has provided for them. They depended on Jesus (not the church, parents, friends, etc.) for everything. They lived a lifestyle of faith and boy did God show up and show out every time! Faith is simply believing God’s Word. As you can see, your environment shapes your belief system. Being brought up in a Christian environment impacted the way I saw God. I saw the Father as Jehovah Jireh– the Lord God who sees and provides. The foundation set when I was young of simply believing God has equipped me to overcome obstacles and receive answers to prayers.

Over time, Jesus became more and more real to me and the Bible became more than just words on a page, especially as I developed a personal relationship with God and saw His goodness in my own life. To me, the best thing about believing God is not just the end result, but also the process and seeing how God watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). I am so thankful for the journey/the process and how it helps to build my faith. I remember when I was believing God for my first car. I researched and finally knew what type of car I wanted down to the details. I became fully persuaded (Romans 4:20-21) that God had answered my prayer to the point that I could see it before I actually had it. I knew it would show up in the natural at the right time. I remember seeing the model of the particular car that I wanted everywhere, which was a joyful reminder of what would soon be manifesting in my life. I want to pause for a moment to emphasize that there should be a joy on the inside that shows up on the outside when you are believing God. The Bible says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV). Faith is now, not tomorrow or someday. Faith is how you access the things hoped for but not yet seen in the natural. I love how my Pastor says it– Faith is the title deed! So, there is a joy that comes when you know God has heard and answered your prayer. When you know you got it, you are joyful before it shows up in the seen realm. My car did finally show up in the seen realm and boy did the process strengthen my faith. If God manifested my car, I knew he could manifest other desires of my heart.

I challenge you to taste and see God’s goodness in your life. God is faithful. He is not like a man that He should lie; if He said it, it shall come to past (Numbers 23:19). What is it that you are believing to manifest in your life? Is it a job? Wisdom to make sound decisions? Witty inventions? A prosperous business? Healing in your body (to include mental wholeness)? A spouse? A house? A baby? A car?  Restoration in your family? Whatever it is, God has already made provisions. He is Jehovah Jireh! I want to leave you with some encouraging Scriptures that will strengthen your faith. It is vital to pray and stand on the Word of God. Meditating on the Word is the foundation for living a life of faith. Remember believing requires a corresponding action. If you’re believing God for healing just receive, by faith, what Jesus already did for you on the cross and start acting like who you really are- healed! The Bible says Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and by His Stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5 NKJV). Do something that a healed person would do. If you are believing God for a spouse or a baby, start making preparations for your spouse or your baby. Faith is how you receive and access all that God has for you. Faith takes hold of what God’s Word says and brings the unseen into the seen (natural/physical) realm. Faith is knowing that you already got it before it manifests in the natural. Faith believes all things are possible. Faith does not waiver. Faith produces what you believe.

Scriptures:

Believe/Faith/Trust

• Mark 9:23
• Mark 11:22-24
• Hebrews 11:1-39
• James 2:22
• Luke 8:50
• Psalms 56:3-4
• Psalms 37:5
• Jeremiah 17:7
• Proverbs 3:5-8
• Philippians 4:13
• Psalms 56:3-4
• Psalms 18:1-2
• Psalms 28:7
• Ephesians 6:13
• Romans 4:20-21
• Jeremiah 1:12

Healing

• Mark 5:25-34
• Isaiah 53:4-5
• 1 Peter 2:24
• Matthew 8:16-17
• John 4:46-53
• John 5:1-9
• James 5:16
• Psalms 103:1-5
• Acts 10:38
• Matthew 9:35

Mind/Thoughts/Wisdom

• James 1:2-8
• Proverbs 2:6-7
• Proverbs 16:3
• Isaiah 26:3
• Isaiah 54:17
• Philippians 4:6-9, 13
• 1 Peter 5:6-7
• Romans 12:2

Provision

• 2 Peter 1:3
• Romans 8:32
• Joshua 1:8
• Matthew 6:33
• Jeremiah 29:11
• Philippians 4:19
• 2 Corinthians 12:9
• Psalms 23:1-6
• Hebrews 13:5-6
• Jeremiah 32:27
• John 21:1-6
• Genesis 22:1-18