What’s the Lie Behind Your Unbelief?

“’Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully.’” (Mark 12:14a NLT)

You can know something is true without following Jesus, but you can’t follow Jesus without knowing Truth. The Pharisee’s had insight into the fact that Jesus taught what was true, but they completely missed the fact that He was the embodiment of all Truth.

In much the same way that unbelievers in Jesus can recognize and even know some things to be true, we, as Jesus followers, can know the Truth, but still harbor pockets of unbelief that can cripple our growth in Christ. How so?

One very common issue is projecting onto God beliefs we have concerning our earthly father. Our first thoughts of God as Father are largely based on our ideas about our earthly father. For example, if my dad was loving, kind, caring, a good provider, etc., I find it very easy to see God in a very positive, loving way. But if my dad was mean, a drunkard, vulgar, unfaithful, and I was afraid and never sought him out or desired to be in his presence, it’s understandable that I would have reservations about trusting God or seeing Him as the loving Father that He is.

We formulate ideas and form opinions based on our experiences as a human being, and it’s common, whether we’re a believer or not, to project those ideas and opinions onto God and Jesus, thus making it harder to fully commit ourselves to that God, we perceive Him to be.

So, today I’d like us to look at some of the lies we’ve come to believe, whether we realize it or not, and begin to unmask them for what they are. Hopefully, as a result, we can see our gracious, good, loving, kind, and generous Father for who He is, in light of how the Bible paints Him.

A very common lie we often believe, especially if we grew up in a difficult environment, is that God isn’t good. Even as adults when we see how unfair the world is, how evil, how uncaring, and selfish, how violent, and cruel, it’s easy to stand back and judge God for “not doing anything about it!”

Yet, even in the garden, when life was perfect, God put humans in charge of the earth and everything on it. When mankind fell, disobeying God and displacing His priorities in our lives, evil gained a foothold and Satan began his reign of terror upon the earth and her inhabitants. It’s only getting worse in our day, but we can’t lose sight of how our good and gracious God has used His influence in the hearts and minds of His people across the ages to be the caregivers of civilization. Most of the hospitals, Universities, Orphanages, and other centers of provision for human need were established by believers.

We’re still the ones responsible for protecting the lives of the unborn, those being trafficked, low-income and the homeless. These kinds of needs can’t be “fixed” by throwing more money at them. The “cure” isn’t financial alone, it’s emotional, mental, physical, but most importantly, it’s spiritual. Not until we band together as the Body of Christ can we put a dent in the needs of our lost world.

It’s not like God is in heaven wringing His holy hands, uncertain as to what needs to happen. He’s in full control, so much so not a sparrow falls to the ground without His notice. He’s called and equipped people across the ages to step up, and He’s continuing to do that today. But there are so many distractions it’s getting harder and harder to hear His voice above the turmoil of our daily activities. It’s not that God doesn’t care or that He isn’t good, it’s more that we, as His favored creation, have gotten so self-centered, we’ve not only lost sight of Him, but of His creation over which we’ve been given authority.

We’ll continue to look at the lies behind our unbelief in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊