DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE?

When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

Mark 16:11 NIV

Imagine how disappointed you would be after telling the people closest to you that you were going to college and when it is time for you to graduate they are all surprised as if they did not know you were going to school for the last four years. Not only were they shocked about you going to school you graduated with honours, why surprised? This must have been the way Jesus felt when he appeared to the disciples and they did not believe. He rebuked them for their lack of faith.

Have you lost faith? No longer waiting and believing in God for answers, praying empty prayers.

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. -James 4:3

When I pray and do not get answers I never imagined that it was because of me, most times I would blame it all on God. Offended and upset at God for not answering but it could be because I had the wrong motives.

I remember when I someone I was interested in broke up with me I had so many bad intentions that I carried to God in prayer. From the person being hurt to never having anything good. I know the Lord was looking down t me like "Girl, I love him just as much as I love you. He is also my child". Or praying prayers for increase and benefits to show off. There was a time that material things like cars and outfits mattered deeply to me and I wanted people to see how well I was doing without them and praying to be able to show them how much better I am doing without them in my life, but those prayers cannot be answered by the Lord.

The enemy does give the short-term financial increase, bargains and counterfeits. Whatever God has planned for our lives the enemy sends a fake to derail God's plans, it looks good and comes easy but comes with consequences beyond what we can see initially.

Why were people always able to worship other gods and yet still cry out to the one true and living God? There is a knowing.

We know that the Lord answers prayers, we know he came to save and deliver us but the waiting is what sidetracks us. I have learned that after we have sinned yes the Lord forgives us but depending on how far off track we went some things that were meant for us can take months and even years even when we have gotten back on track.

Do you believe that the Lord will answer your prayer?

Doubting God is lacking confidence in Him, in His word; you are uncertain.

Why do we have more confidence in ourselves rather than in the Lord? Why is it so easy to not believe rather than to believe? What has caused you to no longer believe?

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 NIV

It does not matter how long we take to surrender there is no other way to the Father but through Christ Jesus. The attempts every other way is meaningless and a waste of time. The cool thing is we have a patient Father one that does not frustrate easily (but He does get upset), one that loves us in spite of our wrongs. One that does not need us to fix ourselves before seeking Him he is gracious enough to help us with those things.