Read: Psalm 106:21-48
[Click the reference to read online or open up your Bible today.]
Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.
Psalm 106:24
Complaints against God.
Fear of the unknown.
Turning to the ways of the world for solutions.
This is what happens when we have no faith in His promises.
Unbelief. That's what we'll call it today. That's what it is. Do you have some in your life?
I lived with large areas of unbelief for a very long time. My unbelief led me to fear, anxiety, and truly, a despising of the "pleasant land" He had placed me.
Because I didn't believe He truly was sovereign, didn't believe He loved me and all those I love, didn't believe He was always working for my good, my family's good, and His glory, I was a wreck. I made everyone around me miserable with "what if"s, nagging, and rules which made life narrower and narrower, because I didn't believe. Fear of foods, fear of driving, fear of filling up the car with gas! All because I didn't believe His promises.
Unbelief moves us to despise the blessings He's given us.
Unbelief moves us to sin, idolatry, seeking alternative means of comfort, security, and escape.
Unbelief moves us to fear, which drives wedges in relationships.
Take it from me. One who lived a life of unbelief for a really long time. Receive His promises. He cannot lie. He is always faithful to everything He says. And begin with this promise.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1John 1:9 ESV
In my journey toward belief, believing His promises, I found past sin was keeping me bound up in fear and anxiety. And it wasn't that He hadn't forgiven me. He had. But He led me through a process of confessions to loved ones from whom I'd hidden my sin.
You see, I didn't believe they would love me if they knew. I didn't believe God could bring healing to these relationships or work grace through others. This was an unbelief I didn't even recognize I had until I walked through what He called me to do.
I found freedom and full acceptance of the truth that He makes the way before us for all He calls us to do. We can obey without fear.
In the freedom of believing His promises I've found new joys in the land where He has planted me. And it is a pleasant place.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Psalm 16:6 ESV
Father God, reveal unbelief in my heart. Show me how lack of faith in Your promises has led me astray. Bless me with the faith and obedience to believe Your every Word.
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