BELIEVING IS MEDITATING

03/12/2024

"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name..." (Mark 16:17)

There is a reason why you stand out from the rest of the world. The Bible says, "And He [Jesus] said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’"

You have everything you would ever need in your life, now. The rest of the world, on the other hand, have to beg, borrow, steal, or work for everything they will ever need, but not you. This is why when you look with envy or try to copy the people of the world, the Lord is so bewildered that His only recourse is to send you more teaching from His word. Mark 6:6 says, "And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching."

Now, all through the scriptures, we find words alluding to believing as a precursor to faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." 

Nevertheless, what does it mean to believe? The Greek word, believe, is “pisteuon” taken from the root word, “pistis” which means “trust.” And so, all through the Bible, whether in Hebrew or Greek, belief and trust are interchangeably connected to having confidence in God. The significance here is that faith and trust are not the same thing. But to have faith in God you must first trust God. 

Many times throughout the Gospels, Jesus uses the phrase, "He that believes" to qualify different types of divine experiences. If adequate attention is given to this usage by the Master, one starts to get the idea that belief is an active word. It entails doing something rather than a mental acceptance of certain statements as truth. As a matter of fact, we get a better picture of what it means to trust or believe God when we place Jeremiah 17:7-8 and Psalm 1:1-3, side by side:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit."

"Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper."

Trusting or believing God is tantamount to meditating on the Word of God. Notice that the one who trusts and the one who mediates day and night have the same outcome. They bring forth fruit in due season.

If you don’t meditate, your thoughts, words, and actions will have no foundation and, as such, will be mere expressions of the flesh. However, if you meditate, your words, thoughts and deeds will take on expressions of the Word of God so much so that your “outstandingness” will be undeniable.

This year, as you study the Bible, replace the words “believes,” “believing,” and “belief” with meditates, meditating, and meditation. The outcomes will be exactly the same.

There should be no ambiguity as to what it means to believe. It means to meditate until you are executing the things that you are meditating about in the Word of God.

Have a great day.

Faith-Filled Confession

Because the Kingdom of God works by seed time and harvest, I have the unique advantage of bringing about every outcome related to my assignment from God. Nothing shall be impossible for me this year. Rather, I bring forth everything that I conceive through the Holy Spirit by the seed of God's Word. Hallelujah!

Prayer Points

• Pray that God will birth and ignite in us an unquenchable passion for the lost.

• Pray that our ministry will be received by those to whom we are sent. Romans 15:30-31

• Let’s Continue to Pray that God’s people will live revived, broken, and awaken to God’s will, grace, instruction, and correction in righteousness.

• Let’s continue to pray that God’s people will live undistracted by the pleasures of this world. Also, pray that none of us will yield to the demand of the flesh and the devil.

One-Year Bible Reading Plan: Deuteronomy 17-19; Mark 14:1-25