Today we are going to look at how unbelief can be a toxin that neutralises our faith and stops us from moving forward in our faith enjoying everything that God has for us

So last week we looked at the topic of ‘when God doesn’t heal’ and we touched on the topic of unbelief. Today I want to share with you a story from my own life and a powerful example from the word that helped me overcome and move forward in trusting the Lord

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines unbelief as ‘incredulity or skepticism especially in the matters of religious faith’

So being sceptical or cynical in areas of faith… doesn’t sound sooo bad, but many people don’t realise how sneaky and deadly unbelief can be.

Unbelief is actually a sin. Jesus said in John 16 8-9 that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin and righteousness, sin because they do not believe in me , in who I AM, (they do not trust in , rely on and stick to me – amp)

Hebrews 3 and 4 warn us not to be like the Israelites who tested God and grieved him and angered him, all because of unbelief.

Let me read a few examples to you

Hebrews 3: 9

‘There your fathers tested me and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles[p] for forty years they still doubted me!’

Jumping down to verse 16

16 The same people who were delivered from bondage and brought out of Egypt by Moses, were the ones who heard and still rebelled. 17 They grieved God for forty years[aa] by sinning in their unbelief, until they dropped dead in the desert. 18 So God swore an oath

that they would never enter into his calming place of rest all because they disobeyed him. 19 It is clear that they could not enter into their inheritance because they wrapped their hearts in unbelief.

So its clear from those scriptures that unbelief is deadly, its a sin that really offends God, and it stops you from stepping into and enjoying all that He has for you – your destiny and inheritance.

Do you know, Jesus rebuked his disciples for unbelief more than any other thing.

There are many awesome books and teachings out there on faith, and they are wonderful and valid! Everything in the kingdom is accessed by faith. But sometime we look at things that are not happening in our lives and we think “I need more faith” ‘God please give me more faith!’ ‘How do I get more faith?’ But what if that’s not the issue, what if it’s not that you don’t have faith, or even too little faith… A mustard seed can move a mountain! Romans 12:3 says we’ve all been given a measure of faith.

What if the issue is that we’ve allowed unbelief, doubt, skepticism or cynicism to wrap around our hearts and neutralise our faith?

You see in the story of the epileptic boy that Dave spoke on last week, ( Mark 9: 17- 29) the father brings his son to Jesus and says please if you can do anything, have compassion and heal him. Jesus says ‘If? All things are possible to him who believe’ and the man cries out “Lord I believe, help my unbelief’

That shows us that unbelief and faith can co-exist in the same person… in one who believes. But that unbelief is like a toxin that neutralises our faith and stops us from seeing breakthrough.

Let me use an illustration. If I have a glass of water and its filled to the brim and that represents my faith, if I just take 1 little drop of food colouring and add it to the water, what happens? It affects the whole substance. In fact this water isn’t even strictly water now, its not straight H20… its got something else mixed in. The only way to get back to pure H20 would be to remove the added substance … the only way to walk in pure faith is to get rid of unbelief.

So how does this insidious toxin creep into our lives? I believe it’s through disappointment. Times when we haven’t seen our prayers answered or the things we hoped for come to pass. And those little seeds of doubt creep in and bring scepticism or cynicism that eventually paralyse our faith.

I have 2 amazing children, but before I fell pregnant with my eldest daughter, I had an early miscarriage. The disappointment and grief I felt after that brought a doubt and fear into my heart, so when I fell pregnant with my daughter, I was anxious and couldn’t enjoy the pregnancy like I should, every time I wanted to celebrate, I had a niggling doubt in my heart. I couldn’t enter into rest. But the Lord led me to that scripture in Mark 9:24 and it became my daily cry. I took it very literally… In fact my amplified translation says the man spoke in a loud cry with tears, so when I was driving around in my car, and I knew no one could hear me and think I was crazy, I literally would shout out ‘Lord I believe, Help my unbelief’. Little by little, the fear went away and here I am with my 2 gorgeous healthy children

I’m so grateful that that scripture is in the bible. I’m so grateful for what the Holy Spirit graciously shows us in that story; that we can have faith to come to Jesus but yet our hearts harbour unbelief at the same time. But… if we simply confess that to Him, he forgives us of the sin of unbelief and does help us. Jesus answered the father’s cry and delivered the little boy

For me this was a fantastic tool in the grace of God, to move forward into trusting Him who is faithful!

I want to end with this scripture today and its a call to action It says in Hebrews 3:12

12 So search your hearts every day,[s] my brothers and sisters, and make sure that none of you has evil or unbelief hiding within you.

For it will lead you astray,[t] and make you unresponsive to the living God.

Do you see how he is addressing believers here… let’s not be unbelieving believers. I want to encourage you today, if you find you have some skepticism or cynicism in believing God and his word in an area, confess it to the Lord, and simply cry out with a sincere heart,

Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

God bless you today and may nothing hold you back from your glorious destiny and the magnificence of all that God has for you

Amen!