What you know vs. what you believe

      I once heard a counseling friend of mine say that the majority of the cases she deals with are rooted in the sin of unbelief.  I am not talking about refusal to come to Jesus for salvation.  That carries a set of very serious problems all its own.  No, I am speaking of born-again, saved believers who sin through unbelief.  It seems to be an oxymoron to say unbelieving believers, but that is precisely what is evidenced in the lives of many Christians today. 

Let's look at an example.  Deut. 7:9 says "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."  Deut 32:4 says, "A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he."   Psalm 25:10 "All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of the covenant." Psalm 33:4 "For the word of the Lord is right and true, he is faithful in all he does."   Those are just 4 verses that speak of God's faithfulness.  So the question is "Is God trustworthy?" Can you trust God?  If the answer is yes, then why do you worry?  Why do you live with fear?  Why do you get depressed when you consider your circumstances? In other words, if you KNOW that God is trustworthy, but live with fear, anxiety, depression, or worry, you are saying by your very actions that you do NOT BELIEVE that God is what He says He is, that is trustworthy.  That is evidenced over and over among Christians today. 

      I am by no means claiming that I am free from this sin myself.  I personally was challenged in this regard many years ago.  When I was asked how trustworthy God was, I immediately began to respond with my quick and ready answer when my friend stopped me.  She said, "You are answering me from your head, I want you to answer me from your heart."  So I sat and pondered the question at length.  I realized that my very actions denied my belief that God was trustworthy.  That was a real eye-opening experience for me.  When we fail to live in truth we deny its validity in our lives.  We essentially live as if it were not true. 

John 8:32 "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Diane