Believing In God and Believing God: What I'm Learning Is the Difference

Do you ever have a time in your life when you are sensing a theme that God is trying to get across to you and He is using every avenue to do so? Well, that is what I have experienced over the last several weeks. God has been trying to show me that there is a huge difference in believing "in" Him and believing Him. What does that mean exactly, well as a Christian I believe in God. I know He is The Almighty, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. He created Heaven and Earth, but do I believe Him? The answer I believe comes through my prayer life. When I have a problem, do I go to my best friend on the phone or do I pray to God? When I find out great news, do I always send out a shout of praise and thank God? The answer is sometimes but not always. The other question I have to ask myself is, do I always believe that He hears my prayer and do I believe Him to answer that prayer? Through our 360 series at church and the bible study I do with some of my closest friends on Wednesday mornings, God is most definitely showing me a theme. He wants me to do more than just believe "in" Him. He wants me to believe Him. If it says in the bible, " Ask and you will receive..." believe it! That doesn't mean that everything I ask I will receive, another thing I am learning is that He answers in different ways, immediately, delayed, or differently. He knows what we need before we even ask it so He may have a different or better plan or even a delayed plan. Sometimes He may even say " No" because He knows the plans that He has for us. He declares that for us. But, I do know that I have to ask with a believing heart. Like the man in Mark 9:223-24, Jesus says to him, Everthing is possible for him who believes, and he responds, " I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief." My prayer is that God would continue to grow in me a pure heart that is full of faith. That no matter what that if I pray and ask with a pure heart,earnestly ask it in God's will and asking it in Jesus Name that one way or the other God will answer my prayer. There are two specific strongholds in my life that I am circling with prayer and believing God to give me insight and freedom from at this time in my life. What is it that you need to believe God for? It is one thing to believe "in" God and another to believe God. Ask him and believe that he will answer you. It may be immediately, delayed or differently but I believe He will answer me and He will answer you if we only believe...