And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

“The world is going to hell in a hand basket.”
“I just can’t take it anymore.”
“You’re terminal.”
“There’s no use.”
“It’s too late.”
“I give up.”

These are all popular phrases we hear day in and day out, even in our churches. Unbelief has become the popular mode of the day. Faith preachers are scorned, and “believers” are sometimes the most negative, faithless folks you will meet on any given day. People mistake faith for pride and unbelief for humility.

For Christmas our son gave us the book God is Good by Bill Johnson. In the second chapter he talks in detail about faith, what it is, and why it’s important. He also discusses the dangers of unbelief. Essentially he warns us to guard against any theology that doesn’t require faith.

See if you can follow these double negatives: It doesn’t take faith to believe that my health challenges will worsen. It doesn’t require faith to believe that our financial needs will not be met. It doesn’t require faith to believe that my loved one who is an addict will never recover. And I don’t need faith to see to it that the mountain of adversity in my life stays put!

In short, unbelief is the easiest thing in the world. Just believe in the second law of thermodynamics. Entropy rules simply by allowing the natural process of deterioration to do its good and perfect work – the work of wrecking the world, allowing everything to decline just as it is prone to do.

God, on the other hand, had the notion that His people can fight and win over entropy using His name and authority. He put human beings on the planet to tend it like a garden and to make it a reflection of Heaven itself, bringing order, beauty, and God’s great love to every corner.

How about adding more faith to your faith? How about becoming a believing believer? Just hype, you say? Positive-thinking hogwash? I’m not so sure… Without faith I cannot please God, and that’s the one thing I want to do more than anything – give my Heavenly Father pleasure. Want faith? Pray this plain and simple prayer with us…

Father,

You are Good. And when you made people in your image you said we were, “Very Good.” Lord, I want to have the faith of Jesus Himself. He said that nothing is impossible to those who believe. I want to be in the faith category, seeing opportunities for miracles in every challenge, seeing your great ability superimposed over every hopeless situation. Father, your Word says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Today I will listen to your Word. I open up my ears and my eyes to your Truth. Thank you for modern technology that allows me to listen to your Word all day long and to immerse myself in faith-filled teaching and preaching. Lead me and guide me as I seek to strengthen my faith to the place where I am unmoved, unimpressed, and underwhelmed by anything and everything but You!

Amen!