UNBELIEF CAN HINDER YOU

Unbelief is a product of walking by sight. It is a mindset that only accepts what is logically or humanly possible. Such mindset is very restrictive. It is one of the major reasons why many people (including God's own children) often fail to see any miraculous evidence from God. Unbelief is the power of the mind that operates in the negative and doubts the supernatural.

Reference: Mark 6:4-5 Living Bible (TLB)

'Then Jesus told them, ''A prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown and among his relatives and by his own family.'' And because of their unbelief he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.'

Jesus went to a place where people were so familiar with Him and because of that, they never believed in Him. They knew Him too well to endorse His ability to perform signs and wonders. The Bible says, 'He couldn't do any mighty work there'. The rendering was 'he couldn't, not 'He wouldn't'. This means that He wanted to, but to His surprise, He was hindered by their unbelief. Even the Scripture, John 1:11 (NIV) noted, 'He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.'

Some people definitely need a miracle from God but this one thing has kept them from positioning themselves rightly to receive anything from Him. Their unbelief makes it difficult for God to do anything in their lives. They easily question the Word of God and resist the power thereof, to no effect in their lives. The main reason for unbelief in the life of an unbeliever is the devil. The Bible says, 'In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God' (2 Corinthians 4:4 ISV). That's the reason why sometimes, when the seed of the Word is planted in their path and they hear it, the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved (Luke 8:12 NIV).

As for Christians who walk in unbelief, this is usually due to familiarity and low expectations, especially when their love for the Lord has grown cold. Remember the Lord Jesus said that in the last days, "the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12 NKJV). This does not happen in just the blink of an eye. It takes a gradual process when their faith is tested by many things they face in life.

Indeed, It is hard to believe that the power of God can be restrained by unbelief. Though God is the most powerful, the power of both belief and unbelief in our lives can influence His performance. Its not that God is unwilling to demonstrate His power, its just that we are unwilling to believe and trust Him enough. Therefore, we have to be careful never to allow unbelief to short circuit the flow of God's power in our lives.

The best way to handle and do away with unbelief is to study the Word, believe the Word, meditate on the Word, speak the Word and act on the Word. When you train yourself to do all of these, you condition your spirit and position yourself rightly to receive from God.

Scripture Reading - John 8:45; John 12:37; Acts 28:23-24; Hebrews 4:2;Titus 1:15.

Exuberant Declaration: I believe in the Word of God and I have the power of God flowing through me uninterrupted. Unbelief has no place in my life. I walk by faith and my faith is rooted and grounded in God's love because I'm born of God. Thus, I'm a tree firmly planted by streams of living water, refreshed in my soul and enjoying the godly way of life. Hallelujah!