Charles Spurgeon once said, “Unbelief can destroy the best of us, while faith can save the worst of us.”. Another writer said, “Unbelief starves the soul, while faith finds food in famine.” It actually all boils down to the choices we make. We can either choose to embrace what is in front of us or ignore it. Sometimes it can be rather challenging when things become difficult.
3 of the 4 Gospels document the miracle of Jesus healing the boy with an unclean spirit. We see it in Matthew 17:14-20, Mark 9:14-29 and Luke 9:37-43. Here we see a young boy who had a demonic possession. When we read all 3 accounts, we are able to see how people in such situations react. The Bible describes it as being manifested in different ways such as falling into the fire, falling into the water, loss of speech, seizures, being thrown to the ground, foaming of the mouth, gnashing of teeth, convulsions, rolling around and even screaming. It is important to note that such manifestations can be real or at times a person can just be acting. We should never assume that it is one or the other.
So, what happened in this situation? Firstly, it was real and the father brings his young boy to the disciples but they are unable to do anything to help him. As such this affected the level of belief in the father, having not seen the results that he expected, doubt began to set in. The father then brings his son to Jesus and I would like to highlight to you Mark 9:21-24:
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
The very word “if” used by the father was a clear indication of the unbelief that had set in and that is why Jesus calls it out. How many of us do the exact same thing? When we do not get the type of results we want, faith escapes and doubt takes its place. So, what exactly is unbelief? It is believing something other than what God has said about a situation. This father was not the only one who struggled with unbelief. We see it countless times in the Bible. There were places Jesus went and He could not perform any miracles because of unbelief (Mt 13:58). Despite walking with Jesus for 3 years in ministry and witnessing all the miracles, the disciples themselves had unbelief as we see in Mark 16:14 and also with Thomas in John 20:27. One minute Peter could walk on water and the next minute he was sinking because of unbelief and fear (Matthew 14:30). The people in the synagogue had strong unbelief to all that Paul shared with them in Acts 19:9.
There are actually two types of unbelief. The first is a doubt with a desire to believe. This is what we see with the father of this young boy. It is much easier to handle people like this and to counsel and bring them back to the truth. On the other hand, there is another category of people who are more challenging and that is those who have an obstinate, hard-hearted refusal to believe. Their hearts have become hard and cold. It is not impossible but it surely is more difficult than the former.
Does the Bible constantly warn us about other people who had unbelief and what led to it? Yes, it does. Sometimes when you mix with the wrong people and your inner circle of friends are those who have unbelief it can rub off on you. Paul warns those in Thessalonica about this in 2 Thes 3:2 when he says, “And pray that we may be delivered from evil and wicked people, for not everyone has faith.” Paul again warns Timothy about those who may abandon their faith in 1 Tim 1:19 when he tells Timothy, “Hold firmly to the faith and good conscience, which some have rejected and so suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.” There are also others who have taken it to another level after having tasted the goodness of God. They forget all of it and turn to Satan. 1 Tim 5:15 says, “Some have turned aside and followed Satan.” This is apparent not just in Bible times but also in the world today.
So why do people fall into this trap of unbelief? I believe it has got to do with the heart. The Bible clearly says that what comes out of the mouth is what fills the heart. Let me quickly outline to you 3 types of hearts that can lead to unbelief. The first is a sinful heart that decides to turn away from God. A person gives room to sin rather than place a strong trust in God (Heb. 3:12). The second is a slowness of heart, where people tend to not take things seriously and see the urgency of the matter. They tend to procrastinate and push it to later (Luke 24:25). The third and final one is the hardness of the heart (Mk 16:14) where people have a stubborn refusal not to believe. If you are wondering how a person with unbelief would behave, well here are some simple symptoms. They reject Christ, miracles that happen and they even reject the Word. They tend to question everything that happens and eventually leave the faith.
If you know of someone who may be in this predicament and you are wondering what you can do to help them get out of this trap, well perhaps this could be a starting point. In order to overcome any trap of the enemy, the first step is to look at our daily spiritual exercise. 1 Tim 4:7 of the NIV says. “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly”. However, I like the MSG version better that says, “Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God – no spiritual flabbiness, please!”
Once we get our spiritual walk right with God, regardless of what happens around us, we are still able to cling to the author and finisher of our faith. The great paralysis of our heart is unbelief, so let us not give room for it.
About the Ryans: Ps. Justin Ryan & his wife Ps. Jacquie are the founders of One Voice Ministries, established in 2008. It is a missions and training ministry focused on reaching the 10/40 Window. To date they have ministered in 9 nations, teaching and training pastors and leaders as well as evangelising many of the unreached peoples groups. Here in Malaysia, One Voice has an established work with the Orang Asli.
In 2013, the Lord has led them to found Issachar Academy where they provide training specifically for missions in a hospitable environment. Through the academy, the Ryans also help Christians recognise and move in their seasons with God.For more details please visit them at www.onevm.net
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