"When is the last time you participated in a diet program that focused not only on eating behavior but the belief system driving the overeating?"
Every tangible behavior you act out day by day, whether bad habit, expression of love or angry words spoken, is sourced from a belief system deep within you. Trying to deal with behavior while ignoring faith is like cutting the bad fruit off a tree without dealing with the bad root. It will only result in frustration and failure. When is the last time you participated in a diet program that focused not only on eating behavior but the belief system driving the overeating? We need to go to the root: fear, (which is twisted faith), insecurity, loneliness, and root them out, replacing with the Living truth of God's Word. Now that's a diet program that will work, from the inside out!
In spite of faith’s intangibility, faith is a decision! For years, I struggled with doubting God’s existence and this resulted in all kinds of unstable behavior. I tried everything to overcome the continual battle that raged inside. I studied creation, science, Darwinism, archeology, but nothing helped. Some of the most fruitful times of my life were also the darkest. I would preach behind a pulpit and people would be blessed. Yet driving home from the church, I would be filled with doubt about the very existence of God, whether the Bible was the Word of God and that Jesus anything more than a man. I was unable to share this with my friends for fear of causing them to stumble and was deeply ashamed of the horrible thoughts that would cross my mind even when I tried to pray. It seemed this dark valley was an impossible place from which to escape.
One Sunday afternoon, I was watching Kenneth Copeland. He was preaching on faith and said something that changed my life. I have made a quality decision in my life. I believe that God is faithful. I believe that His word has power and authority. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that I have been made the righteousness of God. And Devil, you can take your doubt and go to hell because I have made a quality decision before the throne of God.
I never thought of deciding to have faith. That afternoon the Lord revealed that I had been so wrapped up in trying to overcome doubt instead of deciding to believe. I have the right to believe in God, doubt or no doubt. Excitement began to well up within.
I ran down into the basement, planted my feet firmly on the ground, and stubbornly proclaimed, before the throne of God, His angels and all the principalities of darkness, I make a quality decision. I don’t care if I doubt. I am going to believe that Jesus Christ is the living God with every breath that I take, every thought that I think, for the rest of my life!
A huge weight had been lifted from my heart. Every time I had a thought that God was a big illusion, I would stop and say, now wait a minute, I made a quality decision. Even when I had no faith to overcome the unbelief that raged within, I gritted my teeth and stood on the decision.
An amazing thing started to happen. God honored that decision by beginning to give me victory over doubt and unbelief. What He wanted from me was my heart-decision to believe in Him.
You have spiritual authority. You have the right to stand in faith. Make a decision! Don’t wait until all the doubt, unbelief and unanswered questions have been taken care of before you decide to put your trust in Him. That is not real faith anyway. Real faith is when your mind is raging with doubt, screaming with fear, the circumstances look hopeless and you feel like garbage—Satan looks fifty feet tall, you feel two inches tall and God feels a million miles away. But you, oh Warrior of God, with wobbly legs, stand up and whisper with a raspy voice, I have made a quality decision to put my faith in God. That's faith! A scene which is played out over and over again all through the Old and New Testament. Men and women, standing before impossible odds, feeling useless, overwhelmed with hopelessness, yet unwavering in their faith.
Often David would go through major bouts of depression. He spent years hiding in caves and holes in the ground after being anointed King of Israel. We can just picture him during one of those cold lonely nights in a cave trying to pray, feeling that God had forgotten him, wrestling with his thoughts, a heart filled with sorrow. He could feel death creeping into his soul. In spite of his great depression and suffering, he proclaims, but I trust in your unfailing love.
David had made a quality decision in his life. A decision that would stand solid against the fiery darts that Satan could throw at him. And God called him a man after My own heart.
Don’t run away from doubt, fear and unbelief. Face them head on with confidence that God will honor your quality decision.
Related Article: Childlike Faith