“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:14,17).
Believing is a result of hearing. Once you hear the Word, you have the ability and the capacity to believe it, but you still have to choose what you will believe. I’ve seen people hear and hear and hear the Word. But then when the pressure was on, they believed their symptoms instead of what God says.
In John 20, the resurrected Jesus had already appeared to His disciples at a time when one disciple, Thomas, wasn’t present. Before His death, Jesus had told His disciples over and over again that He would be raised from the dead. After He appeared to the other disciples, they all told Thomas, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
So Thomas had the capacity to believe in Jesus’ resurrection because he’d already heard about it from Jesus and the other disciples. But Thomas made his choice. He said, “Except I shall see in his hand the print of the nails, and put my finger in the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).
Thomas wasn’t alone in his unbelief. That’s often where we get in trouble as well. We hear the Word but then choose to believe the natural circumstances. As a result, we don’t receive the blessings God wants to give us.
Don’t make that mistake. As soon as you hear the Word, just make the quality decision to believe what you hear. That’s how you keep God’s blessings flowing into your life!
Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. I hear the Word, so I have the capacity to believe it, even when I face adverse circumstances or painful symptoms. I choose to believe the Bible and walk in the fullness of His blessings!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.