Guarding against The Evils of Unbelief

I do not choose topics to write on because I have conquered them. Often I choose them because of how much I need to/long to grow in them. This is definitely true with the evil of unbelief, or positively - the call to walk in full unwavering faith and trust in God.

Walking in unbelief is evil because God in His goodness and mercy has given us plenty of reason to walk in faith and trust. Unlike anyone we have ever known or heard of on this earth, our great God is utterly faithful and trustworthy. Walking in faith and childlike trust in our wonderful God and Father – especially for those of us who have known Him for a while - is the normal and expected path for every child of God. Walking in faith and childlike trust in our heavenly Father brings Him glory and makes His fragrance in us stronger and more compelling to those watching us.

But sadly unbelief is rife even among the saved, even among those who have seen God come through multiple times for them.  Such was the case for the people of Israel after God delivered them from the Egyptians. Their grievous failure to believe God and walk in faith is oft mentioned in Scripture as an example for us to avoid like the plague. Numbers 14 is one of many chapters that chronicle this. This is the chapter where the congregation/people of Israel, after hearing the fearful unbelieving report from 10 of the twelve spies (see Numbers 13:27-33), freaked out, forgot everything God had ever done for them, ignored Caleb and Joshua’s pleading with them to believe God and seize their inheritance, and rebelled against His good plan for them to inherit this land of “milk and honey”.

Moses, as he often did when Israel rebelled, stood in the gap and interceded for Israel (see 14:13-19). And thus God did not destroy them right then and there. God forgave them but promised none of those who rebelled and refused to listen to His voice and who “…put Me to the test these ten times…” would see or enter the land that He had in store for His (believing) people (see vs. 22,23). Interesting that twice in this chapter God calls His people Israel “evil” (vs. 27 & 35). Is this because they were murdering and raping people and committing marital adultery?  No, rather it was because they “spurned” Him (vs. 11 & vs. 23), and did not “…believe in” Him. Spurning God in this context seems to refer to their ignoring or making light of His promises for the land of promise, thinking that slavery in Egypt is better than the adversities and difficulties they were experiencing in the wilderness, and forgetting all of the wonderful things He had done for them in the past.

Making light of God’s glorious character and His “precious and magnificent promises” (II Peter 1:4), and His amazingly faithful track record with us, and allowing oneself to fall into unbelief and doubt and questioning God’s goodness is nothing short of evil. That’s why the writer of Hebrews strongly exhorts the believers He was writing to to, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12).  Based on this verse, intimacy with God can be thought of as an ongoing absolute refusal to entertain doubt and unbelief manifested by praise and thanksgiving and hope for the future despite our challenging circumstances. Falling away from God or a lack of intimacy with God (which many church attending folk experience) therefore can be thought of as an ongoing lifestyle of wavering and doubting God manifested by grumbling and complaining and “woe is me” thoughts and comments.

How can we avoid this grievous sin? Well first by “taking care” or being more alert on a daily basis of the kind of thoughts we are entertaining and the words that come out of our hearts. Another way is by heeding vs. 13, “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Oh how we all need this kind of ongoing encouragement!

One time a number of years ago I was sitting in my driveway in my car with a friend/member of our church after getting lunch or coffee together. The subject of the significant repairs my home needed came up and I said something like, “such and such needs done, but we do not have the funds to pay for it”, and he immediately corrected me – detecting unbelief behind what I said. It might have been true that the $$ in my bank account on that given day were not sufficient to accomplish all the needed work. But my provision was not limited to what was in my bank account on that day and my friend knew that. I received his correction and work on the house began in earnest not long after that.

I’m thrilled that a slow but sure increase of church folk in the U.S. are praying for revival. One of the ways we will know God is answering our prayers is when we like Abraham , “…did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform.” (Romans 4:20,21). And if we are wavering, we will see the evil of it, confess it for the sin that it is, and pursue fellowship with people who are standing on the promises and who can help us avoid unbelief like the plague.

Anne and I like many of you are facing various challenges to our faith in these days. We greatly appreciate your prayers for us to stay the course, being evermore strong in faith and useable in His hands. God bless each of you with great faith and guard you from unbelief for His glory in Jesus’s name, Amen.