The Power of Belief

I love this story. So much so that the Lord gave me lyrics and melody to share it through worship and song. It tells of a man that understands the power of authority, belief, and words. He lived a life in which actions took place based on these attributes. He understood that what Jesus carried and spoke could be counted on to come to pass. After months and years of reading this story(also in Luke 7) I thought, “Do I believe like this?”

The honest answer was, “No.” In John 5, Jesus states that whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me will have eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life. If this is the truth (which Jesus said, Very truly I tell you) then why did I live a life full of fear, doubt, discouragement, and worry? I have already crossed over from death to life!!!

I had a dilemma on my hands. How come my life was so similar to those that had no relationship with the Almighty God? Shouldn’t mine be different? If a pagan man could receive from the King then I can receive from the King. How did he receive? He believed him at his word.

He knew, not in his head but in his heart, that what Jesus spoke had authority and would have action. There was no question on whether or not something would take place. “Say the word,” he stated. That was all he needed.

Now if you are excited in reading this, Great! Know that this also takes time to walk out in your life. There is a renewing of the mind that needs to take place, understanding the difference from our old carnal self to our new created being as a child of God. Look at the example of the disciples themselves. They walked with Jesus for three and a half years yet ran for their lives the night he was arrested. They stayed in hiding, fearful that they were next. It wasn’t until he resurrected and they were later filled with the Holy Spirit that they walked in this belief. And this is after they witnessed Jesus’ miracles and heard him teach over and over that you need to BELIEVE!!

It is truly wonderful news when we read through the word for we have so many promises from God. Promises for hope, an expected end, joy, a fulfilled life, health, wellness, peace, provision, self-control, salvation, deliverance, and so much more. However, a “must have” for us to receive from the Lord is to believe that he will fulfill these things now, in this life, not just some day, far away in heaven. I shared this a bit in the Power of the Gospel. We must believe to receive salvation, but we must believe in our hearts, not our heads, that God will also be faithful to fulfill his words of promise in our lives.

I currently live in the most expensive place to rent in the country, Santa Cruz County. Over the past few years our family of five has grown, changing from children to teenagers, and we quickly outgrew our home that the Lord blessed us with. My wife and I were on the search for a new place to rent but everything was way out of our price range, or too small, or too dilapidated, or too far outside the area. Our lease was coming to an end and we were unsure of what step to take. Do we sign another lease for our cramped 900 square foot home with 1 bathroom? Or do we trust God for something better?

We prayed, knowing from experience that He is trustworthy in leading us. During the stillness of prayer I heard him say, “Do not sign a lease.” That was it- no other instruction or guidance. Now, I had many scriptures that the Lord had shown me stating his promise to provide a home, land, safety, and provision. So, I had to make a choice: believe him at his word and not sign the lease or sign and stay another year? We chose to believe him at his word and start searching for new rentals even possibly purchasing a home. Our lease date came to an end without a word from our landlord. We paid the next month’s rent and continued to seek the region for a new home-trusting, waiting, seeking, hoping.

Month after month went by and the search became more and more difficult. Every home was unaffordable, and I do mean extremely unaffordable. Old homes going for thousands more than we could afford and they weren’t in good living condition for the prices. On top of it all, the housing market was(and still is) so limited that the possibilities were gone within a day or two after posting. From the natural, it seemed hopeless. Seven months into the search my landlord called me.

“We noticed that your lease is up and we want you to sign a new 12 month lease,” he said. Now was the moment of truth, do I stand on the word and believe or cave under the pressure?

“Well John, Jenny and I actually are looking for a new place and would rather not sign a lease. We believe it is time for us to move on.”

“Okaaay. When are you leaving?”

“I am unsure at the moment. We haven’t had any success in our search.”

“Well how long do you expect me to wait on you? I want a long term tenant.”

“I understand. I am doing my best and will communicate with you as we head into next month.”

That was it. Done. There was no turning back. We had no back up plan. I prayed aloud, “Lord, you said the upright will live in the land and the blameless will remain in it. You have me in this land. Jesus, You are my righteousness. I trust that you will make me dwell and abound here like you promised.”

The next month passed and every place we looked at fell through. My landlord was unhappy and wanted us out or to sign a lease. I requested a bit more time and he begrudgingly agreed. A few days later, late one night, my wife found a listing for a beautiful home. The price was high but in comparison was reasonable. We met the owner and toured the home- it was exceedingly, abundant of what we could ask for(Ephesians 3). “This has to be the one,” I told my wife as she hopped up and down in hopeful joy. We applied and prayed that all things would work out. And the rest is history! OF COURSE IT DID. God is faithful when we believe him.

Here’s a little snippet though. I had taken a part time position that the Lord prompted me to do and I started 4 months prior. When we applied for the new rental listing, the owner asked for 3 months of income. Guess what? I just received my third paycheck with the extra part time job income showing just enough to making the rental price. God’s timing is perfect! However, I had to believe. I had to believe when things didn’t work out, when people said it was impossible, when listings fell through, when all other options were unavailable. I had to believe for nearly 10 months that what God was telling me was true.

My encouragement to you is this: Believe God’s promises and it will be done as you believed it would.