Believe God! - Norma Gail Thurston Holtman

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” James 1:6-8

Do you ever doubt God? Everything is so different when I face circumstances believing without wavering or doubting. In Galatians, Paul says Abraham believed God “and it was credited to Him as righteousness.”

The father of the boy possessed by an evil spirit pleaded with Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” Believing in God is accepting the fact of His existence. Believing God is giving oneself completely over to His sovereignty, trusting He is Who He says, believing His word is infallible, and acknowledging He is capable and faithful to do what He says. God wants my complete trust—like that of a child for a loving parent.

When my children were young, their grandparents had a backyard pool. One of their favorite games was “Jump!” They would stand on the edge while an adult in the water held out their arms. They never doubted they would be caught and held in loving arms.

Many times this world calls on us to jump into the unknown. Testing develops faith and refines it like gold. The times of testing, whether for a moment or a lifetime, are well within the control of our heavenly Father. I must believe Him or be paralyzed in fear and doubt. Job says trusting when God tests enables us to come forth like gold.

Each trial requires me to trust God to catch me and never let go. If I can’t, I must pray the simple prayer of the father in Mark for God’s help to overcome unbelief.

I must choose to not just believe in God—but to believe every word He has spoken is trustworthy. Only then can I receive what God has for me and experience the blessing. Like the joy of a child held safely in the arms of a loving parent, I will learn the leap of faith enables me to trust even more.

So I must face each challenge in life with a conscious decision not to be double-minded and doubting but single-minded in my trust for God. He has the ability to keep me safe, not only for this lifetime but for all eternity. What could be more comforting than that? 

Jump—He will catch you!

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams—set in Scotland and New Mexico, released in April 2014. She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 19 years. Her devotionals and poetry have appeared at Christian Devotions, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 38 years. They have two adult children.

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