You Have to Believe

While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
-Mark 5:35-36 (NIV)

In the Christian faith, believing is the key to so much. We are asked by God to believe in Him, to believe in His Son Jesus, to believe that His way is what is right for our lives, to believe that we need His reconciliation, to believe that we have the power to overcome our sins, to believe that God will work out all things, etc. Much of what the Christian faith is about is based on belief and unless we have belief, we will never understand it, comprehend it or benefit from it. It is impossible to follow God and not believe in Him.

Belief leads to action. If we truly believe God's way is best, we won't go our own way. If we truly believe that God loves us, then we won't live our lives as if He doesn't. If we believe that what God says is sin is indeed sin, then we won't be attributing things to God that are sinful. If we believe that Jesus is truly the only way to God, then we won't be welcoming other ways that the rest of the world are using to try and reach God. I can continue on but a solid belief is what leads to action representing that belief. A Christian who fully believes in and trusts in God will reflect that in his or her life. And if it isn't reflected, then we have to go back to the drawing board and check and see where our belief status lies in regards to Him.

I see the idea of belief in our everyday lives. Think about people who believe in themselves to accomplish tasks versus others who are trying to accomplish the same tasks but have no belief. What you will see is that the person who has the belief will more likely be more successful in accomplishing the tasks. Meanwhile, the person with no belief is already defeated from the very beginning and not only won't be successful in accomplishing the tasks, they may have trouble even getting started. We can see with our own eyes that there is a difference in the world between those who have belief versus those who don't.

Whether you are a Christian or not, belief plays a very important role in the life of every human being. When you believe in something, you are more likely to give your all, continue to push even in the face of failure, hope against all hope and will not stop until you accomplish what you've set out to do. Your life will reflect that belief. When you don't believe in something, your enthusiasm about it is lacking or completely missing, you are more than likely not going to see it through and are more likely to give up the moment things get tough.

When we look at people who are successful in a worldly sense, whether for better or for worse, do you notice that all of them have a strong belief in themselves and what they do? Many times we get stuck looking at all of the breaks and perks these people have gotten along the way, which do make a difference, but the fact of the matter is without the individual belief and drive associated with that belief, none of these people's efforts would amount to anything. This is a truth in the Christian faith and just is a truth in the way life works.

So are there things that you want to accomplish and things that you really have your heart set on but you don't even begin the journey because you're afraid of failing or coming up short? Or maybe you've started the journey but you stopped because the difficulties along the way discouraged you? Stop and ask yourself where your belief is. What is stopping you from believing? Many times, it is fear that prevents you from having the belief you need to reach your goals. Belief and fear can not work together. One will always win out over the other.

Don't be afraid, just believe.

-Jesus

Jesus is telling his audience here to overcome their fear with belief. Being that we are human beings, we are naturally going to feel fear at times in our lives. The question is whether we allow ourselves to be overcome by fear or do we turn the tables on our fear and replace it with belief. As in most things, the choice is ours.

Just maybe, turning that fear into belief may turn everything around in your life. Are you willing to take the leap of faith?

Always believing,

LandoRigs