“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NAS
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NAS
Believing is a confident conviction, truth we trust with steadfastness in our soul that not only directs but compels us in how we live. It is not a mere thought we entertain, not an acknowledgment we periodically ponder in passing, but a steadfast foundation and saturation in what we think, feel, say and do and an unwavering absolute in how we live for the God we believe and believe in throughout every moment and in every area of our lives.
To go deeper, this confident conviction is the state being convinced, it is not an option we weigh or opinion we consider, but an unequivocally anchoring and activating power that we hold to with holy fervor and faith beyond earthly measure. It is an understanding that causes us to be upright of heart; to rejoice always and live in peace that surpasses understanding. This full and overflowing joy and peace is ours, a gift from God to experience and express every day as we believe. As we pour out our praise, our confession, our thankfulness, intercession for others and prayers for ourselves, our faithful Heavenly Father fills us with all we need; courage, confidence, comfort, compassion, forgiveness, abilities, opportunities as we believe He is Sovereign, our Savior, Source, Shield. ALL He is, every attribute, His authority, His abilities, His affection, ALL of this and more than we can ask or imagine fills the lives of His children when we believe in Him, and we believe Him, for His will and glory.
Just as Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6) When we first believed in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we received His righteousness, and in His righteousness, we are now children of our Everlasting Father through the grace introduced to us through Jesus on which we now stand reconciled and redeemed. In believing in the One who has gifted us with this eternal abundant life that began the moment we confessed our sin and professed our faith in Him, we now abide in Him and His Word and Holy Spirit dwells in us, and fruitfulness fills and flows from us as we continue to walk in believing.
Have you ever paused to ponder what you really believe? When challenges and crisis come what do you believe about God and does it align with what Scripture tells us and His faithfulness has revealed to you?
In our triumphs, the greatest of days do you praise and thank God, do you believe He brought you to that moment and through the hard decisions, hard work, and hard times to get to that victory? What do you believe?
I invite you to pause now, and in the days to come, to ponder and pour out to God what you believe. Ask God to reveal and heal any areas of unbelief in your life.
This believing produces hope and, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…”(Hebrews 6:19) and His name is Jesus.
Heavenly Father, we pour out our praise, fully believing every unchanging attribute You reveal about Yourself to us in Your Word. You are our Creator of all, You are all-powerful and all-knowing, infinite, our Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor. You are love, perfect, wise, faithful, and good. We pour out our confession of our sin, without excuse, we humbly ask for Your forgiveness that makes us pure and whole. We pour out our thankfulness for Your gift of salvation, grace, mercy, provision, and love; for every breath in our lungs and the calling on our lives for Your purpose and glory. Thank You for allowing us to be a part of Your eternal plans. We confess our belief in You, in all You are, in all Your promises, in Your Sovereignty and Supremacy in heaven and on earth. If there is any unbelief in us, we ask for Your holy healing. Please fill us, we submit every thought, feeling, word, action, relationship, decision; everything You have given us to steward for Your glory, all that we are and have belongs to You. You have given us life and we desire to live in a way that gives it back to You. We pray in the mighty name of the One You sent to save us from our sins, in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen!
Serving Him with gladness,
Kathy Branzell
President