Faithless thinking doesn’t really exist because there is no such thing as an absolute absence of belief in life. Put any of us in any situation and we will begin to draw conclusions about our circumstances based on what we see. We will evaluate our situation and mentally predict how things are going to unfold as times progresses. In other words, we will come to believe that we know what our future will hold.
Those beliefs become our faith system. Once it is established, it becomes very hard to think outside the walls of expectation we have built around ourselves. We box ourselves in by our limited thinking, which developed through a human assessment of the details of our lives at a given moment in time.
Then, as we function from a negative faith, we begin to look for evidence in our circumstances to validate that our initial analysis of the situation was right. “See, I knew it!” we affirm when visible evidence tends to support our negative perspective.
The trap tightens its grip on us as we affirm again and again that “this is just the way things are” and as we appropriate hopelessness that things can ever change. Our faith, negative faith, grows by leaps and bounds. Every day seems to take us further from hope that things will ever change.
I’ve heard people say that we shouldn’t put God in a box. “Let Him out of the box!” they’ll challenge their listeners. Let me tell you something: It’s not God who is in the box. It’s us. God is too big and too powerful to let our puny negative faith box Him in.
“I had God is a box,” a friend said to me about his circumstances. “No,” you had yourself in a box,” I reminded Him “and God was wanting to bring you out.” Let’s not flatter ourselves by thinking that we are squelching God. “Come out of your box and believe Me and I’ll do “great and mighty things like you can’t imagine,” says our Father of grace. (See Jeremiah 33:3)
Your day has come because God is faithful to His promises. “Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside!” wrote the writer of the great hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” If you will believe in your Father’s goodness and in His desire to lead you into an abundant lifestyle, your life can change. Will you appropriate the good news of God’s blessings on your life because of what Jesus has done? (See Ephesians 1:3)
This devotional is an excerpt from Steve McVey’s new five session conference entitled “Live Your Dreams.” Call our office at 1-800-472-2311 for information on this teaching.
MORE Devotional
