“He is who he says He is and He can do what He says He will do” is one of my favorite affirmations too! When we wear these words in our hearts, we begin to feel more confident, secure and loved by our glorious Father God. Thanks for sharing Catie!

yes there are times that i have relilzed that i had unbelief that may have been at work and that i at the time did not believe that God could do what he says he will do. i have come it by confessing to him that i do beileve and just like the father who said i do believe help me overcome my unbelief i prayed the same prayer to god asking him to help me believe. i have since then started to believe that he is who he says he is and he can do what he says he will do. i choose each day to believe him even when it may not be easy. it is a process that keeps going and sometime we need to look back and see where he had taken us from and what he has done for us.

Yes I sure have come face to face with unbelief in my walk of faith. I have 2 girls with major medical problems and then 1 of my girls not so much as ever even having an earache. I took care of myself the same with all 3 but 2 came out in trouble. Why??? Im not sure why. All I do know is I have never stopped believing that they will get healed. Maybe not here on earth but 1 day when they are face to face with Jesus 1 will SING to Him and the other will raise BOTH hands in praise to Jesus.

I though of Laya also and as you read during this week, you’ll see how my life has been touched by a few children. The hardest struggle for me was a few days after a Celebration of Life for a baby girl, when I was in church and felt anger at God. As we sang a worship song, I heard a small voice in my heart tell me to get my arms up in praise, give thanks to the Lord and trust Him, even after the death of this baby. With tears down my face, I put my hands up and praised Him. That moment was very special for me…even in a crowd of more than 3,000 people at church!

The past few weeks I have been following Layla Grace’s story. I found myself weeping and crying out to the Lord to heal her and stop her suffering. I watched in disbelief as I read her updates and could not help wonder why? It was so painful to watch and my heart broke as she got worse and worse. To be honest, I was mad with God, still am struggling to understand what the purpose of her pain was. How could He let his happen? What did she every do? They say, she’ll go to heaven, maybe I’m selfish but I wanted her to stay here with her mommy and daddy! So today, I struggle with unbelief because of my lack of understanding. I try hard to trust in what happens after we die, but I still question it. Lord, your ways are so much better than my own. Only you will be able to answer all the questions we we meet you in the clouds. It hurts now, but it will soon pass. Help me trust you and believe you had the best planned for little Layla and her family. Help me to believe she is in heaven and safe with you, don’t let me doubt! Help me with my unbelief Lord. I was reading in 2 Timothy and found some verses that is helping me to understand suffering, death and the after-life. Has anyone every struggled with this before??

2 Timothy 2:10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

2 Timothy 2:12 This is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

Thank you for sharing Carlyn, I’m going to share in your prayer too! Psalm 139 has many of these words etched between the verses-I’ll use it to guide me in prayer. Will post it for the study under “Session Four” post.

Ok … I am a week behind. This past week was an awful week for me in the pain department. Today, I have some time ALONE and I am trying to catch up …

Unbelief is such a strong word that brings much consequence with it. Have I ever been in “unbelief”? Many times.

My senior year of college, the guy I dated for 2 years left me for my best friend. My response: “God, help me believe you know what is best.” God’s response: “My grace is sufficient”

After itching for 2 solid years, experiencing a horrendous pregnancy (my doctor’s words), and then hearing the word “Cancer” come out of the same doctor’s mouth. My response: “God, heal me.” God’s response: “My grace is sufficient.”

3 years later (2 years ago), more back problems (had 2 herniated disks at the end of that horrendous pregnancy) and more surgery. Diagnosis of Degenerative Lumbar Disease, which will turn into Degenerative Disk Disease. (which means I live in pain every day of my life) My response: “God, I can’t live in pain.” God’s response: “My grace is sufficient.”

God’s grace is sufficient. That grace will carry me through whatever we face in life. Right now, our financial situation is as bad as it could be with one of us working. But, God ensures we have enough to carry us through. Somehow.

With our church, we just finished a series called “Livin on a Prayer” (and yes, we played the Bon Jovi song). It was a 3 week series … Search Me, Break Me, Use Me. I am adding those prayers to this study as I walk through it. “Search me and know me, God. Know where I have unbelief. Break me. Break apart my pride, my selfishness, and my unbelief. And Use me the way You planned. Use me to love on others the way You have loved on others.”

I’m with you on this one Christy. Today I heard Joyce Meyer speak as she said “we need to stop asking God to ‘bless me, bless me, bless me’ and ask Him to “break me.” Like Jesus broke the bread-he broke it-so we can be healed. Break me Lord, show me the areas of weakness in my life, reveal when I am in disbelief and embrace me with healing.

Yes, I agree Theresa! Thank you!
This is a toughie! I have been sitting here for some time trying to figure out if I believe. I know I believe in God. Like the father who brought the son to Jesus. He knew who to go to. He just wasn’t sure what Christ would be able to do for him or his son. So he basically told Jesus that. If you are able. I go through life in the “if you are able” category. The I believe in You, but help my unbelief in your actually doing something in the here and now.
I think what I have decided after thinking about this for awhile, is that it boils down to something as simple as choice. I can either choose to believe, or choose not to believe, as Christine pointed out in the beginning. Believing is the far better option. It is so tied into trust that I find it hard to pull them apart. The more I start trusting the greater my belief in Him, and vice versa. I think it grows as we do, but can be as simple as a child’s faith…. and maybe that’s just how He wants it…”unless you become as a child, you cannot enter the kingdome of God” simple child like faith, belief, trust…

Ok, I’m going to tread softly here, but in my walk I have had to learn what truth is. It has not been easy. I hear that in what you are saying. The world tells us one thing, churches, even religious sounding leaders tell us things, but what is it we are to believe?
For me the scripture “Sanctify them by truth, my Word is truth” was the answer. It sounds like you believe this as well. I test what I hear against Scripture. I also test it against fellow Christians whom I have found to be comitted and strong in the Lord. I respect them, I seek their advice, but even then make sure it is true to the Word.
Questioning is not a problem, but at some point we need to realize and trust in the truth of God’s Word, and ask Him for more of His Holy Spirit’s discernment if there are questionable areas. Then believe. It is a trust issue as well as a belief issue. Gradually start trusting what you believe, and ask God to correct you if your belief is wrong. He will show you, trust in His guidance, that will help you from fearing your own mistakes. And inconsistencies in other people happen because we area as you said “human”. Look to God, look to strong Christians, and trust God to show you. It’s ok to lean on Him for answers, remember “fear not!” and “come unto me all who are weary” It gets wearisome trying to figure things out all the time…rest in Him for awhile. He loves you and is capable of keeping you from falling, or believing wrong things. God is not the author of confusion, but a sound mind! and I think you have a very sound mind, just relax it for awhile, and rest in Him. He’ll show you!, cuz He loves you!!!