Bible Reading: Job 7-9; Acts 7:44-60
“The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” – John 20:25
In life, what you believe ultimately determines whether you are in faith or fear? Faith and fear eventually will determine the things that appear in your life and the quality of life that you live. You need to know that what you believe is also a matter of choice. Doubt and unbelief are not what the devil puts or drops on you anytime.
Understand that God gave us our minds and with our minds, we can make decisions. This is why we are free moral beings with the ability to choose. We can choose what to believe. Thomas chose not to believe the Words of the other disciples concerning Jesus resurrection. Like a realist, facts seemed to appeal more to him. He said, “…Except I SHALL SEE in his hands the print of the nails, and PUT MY FINGER into the print of the nails, and THRUST MY HAND into his side, I WILL NOT BELIEVE.” Notice that it was a conscious and deliberate decision that Thomas made not to believe!
You might say, “Well Thomas is not to be blamed because seeing is believing!” That is not all true because there are things in life that we have not seen but believe. For instance we have never seen the air we breathe yet we simply chose to believe it’s there. In the same way, I might not have been there the day that Jesus rose from the dead but I ‘choose’ to believe that He did it for me. 1 Peter 1:8 says, “whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
When Jesus appeared to Thomas, He said, “…because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: BLESSED ARE THEY THAT HAVE NOT SEEN, and YET have BELIEVED.” – John 20:29. When you make a deliberate choice to believe that Jesus is alive, you experience the blessing of God manifest and work in your life.
Even if the situations around your life today look negative, I want to encourage you to choose to believe that Jesus is alive and you will witness that same resurrection power turn every area of your life around in Jesus’ powerful name!
Prayer: Father, engrace me to believe your Word with all my heart in Jesus Name!
Pastor Alfred Samuel