Jesus spoke in John chapter 14:
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe[confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.” AMPL
How can we believe if we do not have knowledge of FATHER’S Word? How can we trust FATHER if we are not aware of HIS promises? The issue is quite simple even though our minds would draw us unto complexity thus steering us away from simple belief and trust. The basis of our belief and trust in FATHER must be grounded on the revelation of Agape Love. Our Heavenly Father always has our best interest at heart and as we trust in that reality, we will walk in peace and joy.
When I became sick unto death on two different occasions, FATHER told me that I was “void” of HIS Word. I had allowed the “world” to enter into my thinking and had not been meditating on HIS Word in the area of healing for some time. Unbelief can creep into our hearts as we are constantly exposed to man’s ways and doctrines and without keeping FATHER’S Word before us in those same areas of focus. We become dull of hearing. We become spiritually “out of shape” and can no longer run the race set before us. Our primary focus must be kept on FATHER’S promises so that our faith IN HIM will remain strong.
Jesus spoke:
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
In the Old Covenant, the children of Israel had to perform in order to satisfy the requirements of the Law and blessing. Jesus tells us in the New Covenant, “If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it.” Our trust and belief must be on Jesus’ ability to perform on our behalf, not our ability. We don’t need to perform in order for FATHER to heal us, only believe. Unbelief in our hearts must be dealt with in order to bring forth the fullness of what FATHER wants to do in our lives. In response to FATHER’S Word to me concerning the “void”, I focused on HIS Word each day in order to remove any unbelief found in my heart preventing me from receiving HIS healing power in my life. My hope was reignited.
Hope is the expectation of FATHER’S Word to manifest in our lives. Wisdom wrote in Proverbs chapter 13:
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
As we focus on FATHER’S Word in the area of our need, our expectation grows into full expectation that HE will perform HIS Word on our behalf. Why? Because HE Loves us and has our best interest in mind at all times. As our expectation increases, our trust in the expected outcome increases. This expectation roots out the unbelief found in our hearts. We understand that our faith is based on HIS willingness to act, not our ability or actions. Did FATHER tell me to read and dwell on HIS Word for a certain number of days then HE would heal me? No, the issue was related to the unbelief which had entered in because of lack of focus in that area. I was not going to be healed by works but by reestablishing HIS Truth in my heart in the area of healing. When we constantly hear other doctrines and methods of healing by the world, we begin to trust in those methods rather than FATHER’S Word. Our belief in the world’s inferior methods increases and our trust in FATHER’S superior methods decrease. We become reliant on our sense knowledge at the expense of our Spiritual knowledge and understanding. Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 17:
14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief. Faith must be developed in order to tackle those overwhelming events confronting each of us at various times in our lives. The key is to replace unbelief with belief in FATHER and the work Jesus did on the cross for you and me. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. FATHER is willing to cure us completely, resolve every issue confronting us, and minister peace and joy in our hearts. Our responsibility is to believe!