Dangerous Disbelief

The concept of disbelief is quite dangerous.

This has been going on since Jesus's earthly ministry....

^{John 10:22-30}

Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Ouch!

The scenario unfolds like this: Jesus is getting ready to party at one of the many festivals that took place during his time on Earth. He is approached by several Jewish folks whom are questioning if he is the Messiah. Jesus gets right to the point by telling them that he already told them that he is the Messiah and they did not believe. Jesus then tells his crowd that they are not his sheep because they do not follow him.

Disbelief of what Jesus can do is perhaps one of the most crippling things that can happen in the life of a Christian. The life (and joy) that a Christian has access to in a relationship with Jesus is often overlooked when we get stressed or suffer a spiritual setback. As human beings, it is easy to rationalize why this event is taking place or why we feel a certain way about something. As HUMANS, we forget to look at the bigger picture in dealing with everyday issues of our journey.

"No one will snatch them out of my hand or my Father's hand"--Jesus.

Jesus continues to explain the awesomeness of the Good Shepherd and then he drops a mic. People cannot be taken from Jesus's hand or God's hand! Suffering will continue to be a part of our time here on Earth but this suffering is temporary. The Enemy (Satan) can tempt us and lead us into sin but God is right there fighting for our hearts, minds, and souls. Disbelief is dangerous because it opens us up to accepting whatever cool mantra is currently floating around in the cultural abyss.

The Enemy will lead us to a life of temporary fun; however, Jesus will lead us to a life of fullness and contentedness. Let's be honest here: sin is fun and that is where the Enemy gets us. We get so wrapped up in the moment that we do not think about the long-term consequences of our actions. We do what makes us feel good and then we move on (or so we think). It is in these times of being foolish that we give our hearts over to disbelief in God. We allowed the Enemy to plant disbelief into the wounds of our hearts. Our disbelief is often subtle but just disruptive enough that it knocks many of our usual spiritual practices out of balance.

[Tweet "Dangerous disbelief will hit us where we often find life, notes @JavaandJesus"]

Dangerous disbelief will hit us where we often find life. If you enjoy going to church, then dangerous disbelief will have you going through the motions. If you find wisdom in reading the Bible or other readings, then you will suddenly be too busy to read anything but silly posts on Facebook. When life does not go as planned, dangerous disbelief will creep up into your life like weeds through sidewalk cracks.

You are right here.....right now....in God's hands. God wants to offer you a life of fullness and this requires belief. Yes, you will go through trails and suffering but God's love for you is unconditional and he just needs a "yes" from us. Yes, we do not know why we are going through (insert a situation) but God is still present and we are still His children. We might have hit a brick wall but God is not done with us. We may have strayed so far away from God that the thought of talking to Him is quite scary (and indeed awkward) but God is still present.

Believe it.