Believe Big, Believe Him

"'If you can?' said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes. Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:23-24 NIV)

"'Have faith in God,' Jesus answered. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:22-24 NIV)

"Only believe, only believe. All things are possible; only believe." The Power of Faith, Smith Wigglesworth

I woke up at 4:30 this morning after another nightmare. I've been having them for over a month now, actually from the day my beloved cat, PC died. I have had horrible dreams that start out sweet and end up horribly. I have prayed to God to inhabit my dreams and as He always does, He answered my prayers.

My church began the Daniel Fast this week and I decided I wanted breakthrough in many areas of my life. As always, God has other plans as to what He wants us to learn when we choose obedience! Today is only the fourth day of the fast, but God has so spoken to my heart about my unbelief. During my prayer time, He showed me all of the dreams and desires I had prayed for as I was writing in my prayer journal. I was listing what I hoped to receive from Him in fasting and now realize that we don't always get what we want out of a fast or any type of obedience. If we are faithful and pray, we will get what God wants. What's so wonderful about my journey with Him is that I learn what He wants of me. In the past four days I have learned that He wants me to believe big which means I must really believe Him!

I look back over my attempts at success and yes, there are some successes, but they are not long lived and boy, are there some mistakes! I don't like the word "failure" because it means we have quit, but I can now see why my successes didn't last long and my mistakes were so big and painful - because I didn't believe that I could have what I dreamed of having. Even though I have quoted Scripture and recited affirmations, deep down inside I didn't believe that I could achieve my dreams and desires. I believed and still do that I will sabotage them or that they will be taken from me. I have lost loved ones in the past and I believe that through my dreams, the enemy is trying to tell me that he will take away everything that I love and want. Oh, but God loves me! He has shown me His Word,

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust...
He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday." (Psalm 91:1-2,4-6 NIV)

With God, life is a partnership and all that I do and must do for Him comes by His power not mine. That takes all the pressure off if you let it! God has given me great visions for my future, visions that are huge, overwhelming and in some cases frightening. But I must believe Him and in Him, not just to receive from Him, but also to live each day. I must believe His Word and His promises. The only way I know how to do that is to ask Him for help just as the father did in Mark 9:23-24.

Believing in God takes trust and courage. That too, comes from Him. What's great for us is that He has all that we need; we just have to believe. How do we believe? I am learning that it is through prayer, asking God for help and stepping out despite my fear. Studying His Word has given me confidence and I find that all my confidence really must be in Him because I am human and am afraid I will sabotage His blessings. The enemy does not want us to succeed and I must be so close to or already standing in my promised land for him to keep messing with my dreams. Through belief in God, I know I need not be afraid. My desire is for me to have the greatest faith possible and for God's children to have the same.

Lord, I ask you to help me overcome my unbelief. Please comfort all of Your children and remove their unbelief as well. We are Your called and predestined children. In order for us to be who You created us to be, we must believe. Help our unbelief!