3 Ways to Keep Your Faith Alive in the Face of Unbelief
Have you ever had a time when you doubted God’s direct word to you?
One of my favorite testimonies of timing in the Bible is that of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. In Luke 1, an angel visits Zechariah and foretells that he and his wife, Elizabeth, will have a son.
“…the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.’
And Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.’ And the angel answered him… ‘You will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.’” -Luke 1:13, 17-18, 20 [emphasis added]
Zechariah’s response revealed something. During the time period between his original asking and the moment of getting the answer, he was no longer hoping or expecting anything. The angel told him, “Because of your unbelief, you’re going to be mute until the baby is born.” Zechariah’s words impacted the angel and the angel impacted the situation. Words can affect manifestations! Making him mute wasn’t a judgment on Zechariah, but rather it was God’s way of protection, preventing him from talking his way out of the manifestation.
When the baby is born, in a beautiful prophetic moment, Zechariah writes, “His name is John.” Often, you can’t name the thing that God wants to do in your life until the fulness of time and the period of contradiction is completed. When Jesus took up a towel and washed the disciples feet Peter protested the role reversal but “Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand’” (John 13:7; emphasis added).
*Remember this: Sometimes it isn’t the prayer that's wrong but rather the time for its fulfillment.
How do we partner with God in His timing?
- Keep your faith alive. Zechariah had fallen out of faith with his own prayer. Fan the flame of faith within your own spirit. Be assured that God has heard your prayers and knows what is in your heart. He is faithful! Ask the Lord to confirm if the thing you seek is something Heaven wants you to contend for. Ever consider how some answers to prayer fall upon our children? (Hebrews 11:13). Some, as was the case with Zechariah and Elizabeth, come in a later season of life. (It’s interesting that Elizabeth was ready and her husband wasn’t!) And yet, some answers come unexpectedly and sooner than we think.
- Endure the contradiction. Don’t be like Zechariah. His response to the word of the Lord unauthorized or interrupted the manifestation. Watch your words and remember that what you speak has power to either interrupt or partner with God in what He is doing—in HIS timing. Don’t talk your way out of God’s blessing!
- Cooperate with divine timing. Thirty or forty years ago I prayed for things that are just now becoming a reality. God might have a season of fulfillment in mind for something you’ve been seeking the Lord for your whole life, but when the time comes you’ve forgotten that you prayed for it! It is also possible that we are the delay in the timing. The children of Israel lost time wandering around in the wilderness of unbelief. Let’s believe that God is going to do the things He says He will. We can trust His divine timing.
Question: What is God stirring within you even now?
Tell me here and comment below!
As One!
Lance
The Lord is stirring in me that as the world goes through a microwave mentality of prayer delivery…He is calling us to P.U.S.H. this baby (birth of this season for me) out. But the key is timing. If a baby is born prematurely it may grow up okay but will have struggles until on track…same with birthing businesses and new directives from God. For me, I had a very strategic meeting with a Pastor last September who said to me….Di “when are you not only going to leave the land of MOAB but how are you going to prepare yourself when you cross over”. Whoa that was loaded…Right then and there in a Tim Horton Coffee Shop I declared this day I am leaving the land of Moab. The profession continued to heighten with every obstacle and scenario that rose against my situation. At three months the time we normally share with others of a pregnancy (December) I professed to my praying warrior friends I am leaving the land of Moab. The intensity continued and huge weights were dumped on me. Physical ailments tried to attach themselves and doctors visits were many. I continued to endure and praise and press through…Today I am almost nine months in and the clarity of this new season is arising as the old past is slowly dissipating. I continue to declare I am leaving the land of Moab. MAY it be this month! The courts of heaven have seen me through. The mountains I have and continue to climb are amazing. He is stirring in me to persevere in love, for the crown of life goes to those who do so under trials…The whole city of Ottawa will be changed because one stood for righteousness and truth in humility. Kingdom Leadership is arising and I am about to give birth. I look forward to the miracle child entering this NEW NOW. P>U>S>H> Pray Until Something Happens!
In spite of painful difficulties right now, I still sense a glimmer of hope and awareness of preparation that our lives will be used to bring deliverance and hope to the hopeless….the deconstruction is major, and I have no choice but to be OK not knowing much about how this might play out…. I will stick to my guns, God is GOOD! Thank you for this post!
What’s stirring in my heart is the promise of salvation and deliverance for my family. Also, I thought He was going to use me in ministry to others via evangelism and or the prophetic, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Twenty years ago, I became homeless and lived in shelters around the city of Chicago, and began a relationship with the Lord as a brand new babe. However, along the way, God made me some promises that I, like Zechariah would have done, messed up. I blew it and am now unsure if I have another chance as there has been one attack after another on my life by the enemy. I am now battling with a loss of appetite and weight loss, which is a scary situation. I don’t know anymore, Dr. Lance. Please, Please pray for me and that the Lord will protect me and my family and bring us through this. And that He will not let the devil destroy us. I am eternally grateful. Thank you!
Thanks for a good word. Praying into the 3 things of partnering with God. A group of Kingdom minded people and I have been waiting on the finances to come forth for our God-plan to materialize. Each time we think the finances will be released there seems to be another delay. The project will be a blessing to the large group that we are supposed to work with. The investment money comes from another group entirely and that is from a foreign country. Any suggestions on strategic prayer. The monetary size of this venture is quite high and we are not in fear of it because it is high. How do you seek what God is saying in timing which matters to us but is not such a timing with the Almighty God?
Will be praying into the above plan as you suggest.
I believe I’ve been given dreams & visions from Father since my youth, and I have maintained file folders of collected info, research, etc. on every single one of them for four (4)-plus decades. When I lost my home to foreclosure in 2013, I lost hope–and faith (trust)–as well. I’m only now beginning to get back on my feet and believe for those visions again…even though the fact of limited resources flies in the face of Truth…it is a fierce battle in which I contend daily.
10 years ago I knew I was supposed to be doing a lot more than I was at the time. I look back and see myself in an ever shrinking box that had reached the point where I could barely breathe. The route to change included giving up on my version of the future that I had held onto for 15+ years. There came a time when I realised that unless something changed I would be in the same tough circumstances at the end of the world. It did not matter about this for my sake but it did matter that I would not be able to do what I had been called to do.
My response was to scream at God to get me unstuck. Things did change and how! It was not long before it was quicker to count the things that had stayed the same than the things that had changed. It was a crazy ride for a while until things settled down again.
I have not made that much progress towards some of the things I saw as part of my calling. However I am out of that captivity and have a very different and much happier life. Of course I would like to make progress towards that calling but even if I never did it has been part of the process of changing my life for the better.
Just like Elizabeth, I want my son!!
Great Word.I believe God will give me opportunity to teach on the seven mountains….right here in africa.it has taken long.I have got land to build facilities.I am waiting for the rest to come through.
The Spirit inspired me to write songs. I have 2 recorded under the stage name April Snow. A Christian Tee shirt business started, YAH’s Gospel Threads, but lack of funds has caused me to put it in park for now. I have ideas for inventions.
I’m a deliverance minister and want to help soldiers with PTSD and suicidal thoughts. I’d like to speak at women’s conference about the 5 fold ministry and deliverance, among other things. I’m a prophet of the house and to the nations.
Two things stirring – convictions rather, ha!…the truth about making sure that heaven wants me to contend and the wilderness of unbelief. Very annoying when you discover you have been in a debacle with either one of those!