Godlythinking         

Capacity To Believe

Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. "Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. Galatians 3:6-7

God has given man the right to become the architect of his own beliefs.  However, the normal man is inclined to believe what they know will actually work. To some man’s occupation is the most important line of work a man should be involved with. Even then the beliefs of the financier, the scientist and the lawyer are completely different from everyone else whether or not they are college educated. Still, man must consider that God created men and made it possible for every man to believe the possible, the feasible and the truth and a way to find anything that deviates from reality or truth.     

The thinking man needs a reason to believe and will not believe until the facts have convinced him of its reality. In other words, man must have a smidgen of trust and the hint of feasibility before he can believe anything. Ideas are often dismissed because they are not feasible or too impractical to be believed. When new ideas are presented to us, our mind immediately sorts through our memory to compare this idea with other ideas that have known to work. Within milliseconds we have information to determine whether the idea is feasible with what is known to be true.

Man solves his everyday problems with the knowledge he has. Most of us have heard the expression that a cat can be skinned nine different ways. While most problems can be solved in several ways, the only way you will solve your problems is the way you believe will work. Your experience gives you the confidence to know what you have done in the past will accomplish the same thing every time you do it.

Some say that seeing is believing. Children are amazed when the magician pulls the rabbit out of the empty hat. Magic is the sleight of hand for entertainment, but it is also very deceptive. The real art of the magician is to keep you focused on what you can see so the hidden object will be revealed at his command.

From this we should learn that all deception begins with what we perceive. We see a huge amount of things taking place during out lifetime that should not have been done. What’s worse we don’t always see what has been done to correct the issue. The biggest deception of the world involves hiding our disgrace, shame and the consequence of your faults or what we call sin. What you don’t see is more often the deceiving factor.

Man can be deceived to believe in absolute power and become so corrupted that they do hideous things to other men. What is more shocking than genocide, torture, and starving its people to death, was those who deliberately sacrificed their children in the fire of a non-existent god. God said it was

Something I did not command or do not mention, nor did it enter my mind. Jeremiah 19:5

God believed that man would learn to do worthwhile things and would do what is right to establish a life of worth. Led by deception Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and because they chose to sin against God, lost their right standing with God. The consequence of sin caused God to drive Adam and Eve from the Garden and subjected their lives with the harshness of decay in hope that man would regain right standing with God.

God revealed the truth when he said man is without excuse to believe that God exists.

Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20

The reason man has no excuse is that God made everything to glorify its creator. God created man to perceive what he created and gave him the ability to understand what he sees. With this knowledge, God knows that man is able to determine that an invisible God divine in nature exists.   In addition God’s word also says,

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Psalms 19:1-3

Regardless of where man lives in this world God has made his presence known. He is the reason every living thing produces a seed after its own kind. God created this world to have a prescribed order that like him would not change. The stars have a precise orbit around the sun and the moon has not left the earth’s side. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West and has done so ever since creation. There is nothing new under the sun and man’s environment has not changed. The habitat man lives in has instilled on man the common impression that a Supreme Being created everything for a purpose to support human life.

When Christians thinks about  God plans, lets consider that God has a plan for our future long after he gathers us home.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

The Christian understands this verse to be speaking of this world and the hereafter, which is a considerable amount of time.  At the same time let’s consider that God has a long list of characteristics that will not enter the Kingdom of God. Among them are the cowardly and the unbelieving (Revelation 21:8).

The unbelieving knows the promises of God, but is not willing to trust God to honor his word. The cowardly also knows the promises of God, but can not muster his strength to carry out God’s command. On the other hand, those who believe in Christ develop a love for God and learn to trust God with all his heart. His trust grows over time by taking God’s word to heart and then practicing its the principles.

The unbeliever rejects God and the principles of truth that God teaches. God is the last thing on his mind as he is filled with the concerns of his life and the problems the world throws at him. He is not interested in what God wants to do for him rather his concern is for the next paycheck and what it can do for him. The Believer chooses to believe.