One of the most important keys to developing deep faith is learning to tolerate unbelief in us. This might sound strange but for many of us it is essential. If we have intentional unbelief then we need to attack it; in this post we are looking at unwanted unbelief. The problem is that when we commit ourselves to trusting God then we will find that we have thoughts of unbelief in spite of our desire. And the more perfectionistic we are about faith the more that unwanted unbelief will plague us. These unwanted thoughts just seem to be there whether we like it or not, and in spite of our best efforts to eradicate them. This is just part of being an imperfect human being. Such thoughts come from our old self, from the world around us and from the Enemy.
The problem of unwanted thoughts is a major issue in our Spiritual life. We will have all kinds of unwanted thoughts. They tend to revolve around our biggest weaknesses and many of them are rooted in unbelief. Therefore, it is extremely important to learn how to deal with unwanted thoughts of unbelief.
When such thoughts come we need to first examine them to see if they are thoughts that we have some partial agreement with. If not, then we can just let them float by like a broken branch in a stream. We don’t need to spend any energy forcing it out of our mind.
If we do have some agreement with the thoughts, we need to uncover them and then renounce them. Then we need to establish in our mind the ideas on which we will anchor ourselves. For example, if we are doubting that God is really with us then we would spend time asking ourselves why we think that. If there were some painful events in the past then we would talk them through with God until we can “release” him from our belief that he was not with us in those times.
Next we would establish an anchor by finding a verse such as “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5, ESV) and keep repeating it until we can instantly think the whole thought without effort. Then when the unwanted thoughts of unbelief come we focus on our anchor. We don’t spend energy focusing on pushing out the unbelief, rather, we focus on faith in God and the anchor he has given us. We live out of our new Adam, remain dependent on the Holy Spirit and seek prayer from others.
” We shouldn’t dwell on the faith that we don’t have but rather rely on him with whatever faith we do have. “
This is where it is very important to tolerate the presence of unbelief. Don’t be too concerned about the unbelief, just let it be there and choose the anchor. Faith does not consist of keeping all unwanted thoughts out of our heart; it consists of choosing to rely on God. And faith does not grow by looking at ourselves and asking if we have enough faith; this may help us to assess our faith, but growth comes by actually focusing on the one you want to have faith for. We shouldn’t dwell on the faith that we don’t have but rather rely on him with whatever faith we do have.
When we focus on our anchor we are actually looking through the anchor and looking at God. For the first couple weeks (or more) you may find yourself doing a lot of mental work to refocus yourself on the anchor throughout each day. The more ingrained the unbelief the longer the struggle will be.
Over time you won’t need to concentrate as much. You will establish a place of faith in your soul so that you can focus on faith in a split second. You won’t need to consciously think about your anchor because it will be in the background. When unbelief comes you can just center yourself in your place of faith. In time you can do this without saying anything inside yourself. It will be an instant movement. You may want to adjust this strategy to fit your situation, so figure out what works best for you. In this way your faith will grow.
