I encourage you to read Matt. 14:22-33 carefully. This is the eyewitness account of when a mere mortal, the Apostle Peter, walked on water. He did it by faith - obedience to God’s Word, and his eyes fixed on Jesus. However, he got his eyes off Jesus and disregarded His Word. And the result? He started to sink. Too many of us Christians are sinking in the swill of the world around us. It’s high time we became water walkers. But how?
We must count unbelief and doubt what God counts it: Sin. No less. Unbelief is evil (Heb 3:12). It is sin (Rom 14:23). It does not please God at all (Heb 11:6). We need to hate it. We need to refuse to tolerate it in our lives. If you think of the biggest sins you can, then put unbelief right up there in the number. Don’t count it a small thing.
Faith is what pleases God. Those that simply believe - without having to see - are blessed (John 20:29). When you believe simply because God’s Word said it, without needing to see it, then you will see it. Believing is seeing.
God blesses faith and He rewards it (Heb 11:6, Mt. 9:22, 29, 15:28). We must believe He rewards us when we seek Him diligently. We will receive from Him according to our faith - not His willingness or ability. He is willing and able. Are we able to believe? Jesus said, “Let it be done unto us, according to our faith.”
God responds to faith, not to need. Everyone has needs. God responded to need when Jesus came! God has given us everything in Christ (Rom 8:32, Eph 1:3) by His grace. Whatever your need be, it is taken care of in Jesus. God gave us everything in Jesus! Every need is met in Christ. So what is the issue? Our faith - or lack thereof.
Christian, never pray for more faith! You do not need more faith. A little dab will do you. So it's not the quantity of faith that is the issue. It is the quality of faith. Is it pure, strong faith (1Tim 1:5, Rom 4:20)? Or is it weak, doubt filled, fear filled, double minded faith? (Jam 1:6-8, Mk 11:23). Doubt and unbelief are faith killers. Jesus, God in the flesh, could not do many miracles because of the unbelief of those in His home town. That’s how powerful unbelief is. It will hinder what God wants to do in your life. What goodness the Nazarenes could have received from Jesus, had they only believed!
This is where we win or lose. Right here. A tiny speck of pure faith can move mountains, but if there is doubt in the heart, it will remain powerless. We will not see the thing come to pass. How do we get rid of doubt and unbelief?
1. Don't focus on getting rid of doubt and unbelief! Focus on exercising and purifying faith. Walk in faith (2 Cor 5:7). Walk by the spirit, not the flesh (Rom 8:1, 4; Gal 5:16). Focus on being spiritually minded, not carnally minded (Rom 8:6).
We can’t “not think” on something. If you try to not think on doubt, you’re thinking on doubt. We must take the positive approach. “Do think” on the promises of God’s Word. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the more faith arises within you. It will drive out unbelief.
Instead of exercising faith muscles, many Christians exercise their doubt, fear and unbelief muscles. They have chiseled abs of unbelief, ripped pecs of doubt, and bulging biceps of fear. Yet they are fat, flabby and atrophied in faith. This must be reversed! We reverse this by thinking on good things (Philp 4:8). Things of faith. Things of God.
The phrase “think on” not only to means to meditate, weigh, and consider; it also means to reckon, pass to one's account, and impute. To build faith muscles, we impute God’s promises to ourselves. We make them personal. We apply His word to our lives. We acknowledge every good thing that is in us in Christ Jesus (Philm 6).
The word "good report" in Philp 4:8, (euphemos) means “good sayings,” uttering words of good omen (omen - an event believed to be a sign of a future occurrence). It means to speak auspiciously (auspicious - promising success, fortune, prosperity.) This is incredible! The Apostle Paul is saying that we are to impute to ourselves good words (God’s Word!) Stop letting the swill of the world fill your heart with unbelief! Praise God, get around some people that will speak good sayings of God’s word into your life, and cause faith to rise up within you!
Do you think this faith stuff is over the top? Jesus is never recorded as saying, “Oh ye of too much faith! Stop believing so much!” No, but it is often, “Oh ye of little faith!” I would rather stand before Jesus on judgment day, and be accused of exercising too much faith (if that is possible), than be accused of operating in too little faith. Why not believe God for the impossible? Isn’t He the God of the impossible? Yes, He is. Selah.
More from Focus on Faith.