I have good news.

Sometimes we think of faith as something static: Either we have it, or we don’t. When we hear about God’s promises, we might think, “I wish I could believe that,” as though our current level of faith is unchangeable.

The truth is, your faith can grow.

Yes, God gives each person “a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3)—but like everything God gives us, faith is a treasure to be stewarded, and God expects a return on His investment.

For one thing, faith isn’t a giant blanket that somehow touches every part of me. As the desperate parent coming to Jesus exclaimed, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Part of me believes, the man was confessing, while part of me doesn’t.

Part of me believes God is a good Provider; part of me doesn’t. Part of me believes God is a Healer; part of me doesn’t. Or sometimes, the part of me that believes God heals struggles to believe God will provide.

My point is this, and the Lord longs for you to hear it:

The parts of you that don’t believe aren’t doomed to stay that way.

Praise God!

The word faith and believe in the New Testament mean “to be persuaded.” So the parts of me that believe God for a particular thing have been persuaded to trust Him in that arena. The parts that don’t aren’t persuaded yet—but the Holy Spirit is guiding me into all truth. There are things I believe today that I didn’t yesterday.

How can we cooperate with this sacred work? The desperate father we met earlier shows us how: He asks God for help! “I believe; help my unbelief!” In other words,

“Lord, persuade me.” 

I’m struggling to trust You with this sickness; persuade me. I’m terrified of the future and what it holds; persuade me. I want to believe You love me; persuade me. His answer will always be YES.

Just as desperate dad discovered, God will help us with our unbelief. Jesus cast out the demon afflicting the child, and the man’s faith-box blew up… until the next thing.

The same will be true of us. Are you doubting that it’s this simple?

Pray the prayer: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! Persuade me!”

What stood out to you about this post? Do you agree? Disagree? Comment below. 🙂