Some christians have faith and unbelief operating in them at the same time but as christians we ought to believe only.It has become common today in Christedom that many peoples faith though tried by fire - by the tough times and hardship of life is still impure and corrupt by unbelief, doubt and fear.Many believers know fully well that they have enough faith in them but they cannot see the manifestations of their faith.
There have been moments in my life when I knew that faith was present but the answer to the request wasn’t coming forth. Not as though God didn’t answer, He did. But the faith to receive the blessings was corrupt with fear, doubt and unbelief. Many believers have indulge themselves in no good prayer asking the Lord to increase their faith but have failed to look at the major problem hindering their faith from manifesting and yeilding positive results.
This illustration will bring about an understanding of what it means to have faith and unbelief operating at the same time in ones life. Take for example a weight of 50kg was placed on the left side of a balance scale and 10kg on the right side of the balance scale science have proved that the balance scale will bend in the direction of the heavier mass or object but if the same amount of weight is place on a balance scale say 1000kg each, no matter the weight and the force exerted the output or result will be zero as the balance scale will refuse to bend to any given direction in particular. So it is when unbelief, fear and doubt counter or corrupt the faith we have. No matter the amount of faith released , the result will be zero or of no effect as long as unbelief, fear and doubt is mixed with the faith.
I will give a scriptural illustration of these immediately I highlight some scriptures that prove that one can operate both in faith and unbelief at the same time.
James 1:6-8 " But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the
sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive
any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
My emphasy on this scripture is on verse 8 that says "a double minded man...". So one can be double minded, believing but yet not believing at the same time, as it is written " he is unstable", unsure in all his ways.
Another scripture can be properly looked into Mark 11:24 "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever
shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be
thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his
heart, but shall believe that those things which he
saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he
saith."
So we can really see that one can speak out in faith and yet doubt in his heart because Jesus said "if you say and do not doubt", so it is very possible to say it and doubt it at the sametime and many believers have been operating in that realm.
1 pet 1:7 "That the trial of your faith, being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it
be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"
Here our faith is compared to gold as in when it
passes through a fire. Men have said that "gold in
it’s natural is impure, undesirable and corrupt but
after prufication it glitters". So every man needs to
purify his faith by purging away every atom of
unbelief.
In Matt 17:14-21 , the story was told about a man whose
son had a demon spirit troubling him and the disciples
of Jesus couldn’t cast the demons out. So when Jesus
arrived he was told and he got annoyed so he called
them men of little faith. He expected them to cast out
this demon spirit and that is why he asked "how long
will I be with you". Later on they went to Jesus and
asked why they couldn’t cast out this demon and he
told them it was because of their unbelief.
Matt 10:1
And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples,
he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast
them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all
manner of disease.
This was before matt 17 and Jesus already gave them
power over every sickness, diseases and demonic
spirits and in Luke’s account they testified how the
demons bow to them in Christ name. So they have seen
the power in operation but this time around nothing
seems to be happening. And they ask Jesus why is it so
and if you read verse 19-21 "19 Then came the
disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we
cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your
unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith
as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall
remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
Jesus told them it was because of their unbelief. Now
the next verse says that except by fasting and prayer
such things don’t go , I want to say that Jesus didn’t
mean that there are some demons that will not be
casted away but by fasting and prayer because many
churches has made doctrine out of this, the name of
Jesus spoken by faith without doubt will cast out
every satan irrespective of what they are. There is no
special demon that needs fasting and prayer attached
to the name of Jesus before it bows.
So their problem was unbelief attached to their faith,
they couldn’t see the same power at work because of
unbelief.
Lastly, Jesus told Jarius "But when Jesus heard it, he
answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she
shall be made whole.
Now what we have to do is to "BELIEVE ONLY" we are
believers and we need to believe only. Our believe
must not be mixed up with fear, doubt or unbelief
because Jairus was afriad that the woman with the
issue of blood has taken away the healing power of
christ and that his daughter was now dead. And Jesus
reassured him saying "do not allow fear to corrupt
your faith, "believe only".
Now it was Jairus that first got to Jesus with his request and Jesus honoured him and they went ahead to his house but along the line there was a woman that had one thing in mind, she "believed only". For she said if only I can just touch the garment of Jesus I believe I will be healed of my infirmity. And she pressed through the crowds and got closer and closer to and miracle and yet without doubt she touched his garment and was healed of her infirmity.
Now the situation is this, there were many other persons with infirmities along side Jesus - for the crowd was much and pressing around him. Now Jesus turned around and said who touched me for I feel healing power go out of me and his disciples were amazed and said Master, how can you ask such a question for look at all this crowd and Jesus said it was a special touch - the touch of a woman that believe only- the touch of a woman who had faith that was not combined with unbelief, fear and doubt. Then Jesus said to her go thy faith has made thee whole.
So afer receiving news from servants Jarius became very much afraid for his daughter had died and he combined his faith with fear and saw impossibility thinking that the woman with the issue of blood had taken all the power that would have healed his daughter. So Jesus said to him why do you mix your faith with fear, have faith in God and believe only.
Brethern this is one of the greatest comparison ever made in the bible on how faith was exercised. Is there anything we are have been believing for, we ought to believe only. let us keep our faith pure and remain steadfast in our believing him. He can do exceedingly abundantly above what we even think or imagine.
Maranatha.
God bless.
Emmanuel.
