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
Fulfilment of John 14:12 in my life
Thanks, Lance. After a series of Suddenlies beginning last August, I’m recently relocated to So. Florida where a daughter and her two young adult children live. It took six months to work through the process of a VA loan, and the many miraculous interventions along the way. The on-going creating of the home for the future of my family is a joy! (Am 83 years old.)
Now have contact with a Christian publishing company, and am seeking Father’s provision for co-publishing my book of family conversations, ‘Why Mommy?, Why Daddy?’ It was birthed about 20 years ago. Each conversation features a family from a different ethnic, cultural, or geographical background. Some also use original song lyrics which support the flow of the conversation begun by the child or teen. (I’ve been blessed as well with many original songs, and the tape-recordings of them.) Please agree with me for the funds (about $8,000) over the course of the several months of the book production.
Also, for the contacts and sponsorship needed for the broadcasting ministry I’m being led into.
Thanks! and many blessings to you and your Family, in Yeshua’s mighty Name, Amen!!!
Holy Hallelujah… Well said Mr. Wallnau…
DANG…. That is a very powerful Revelation…. Thank You!!!!!!!!
Lance, I saw the beginning manifestations last week of visions and promises I have been stewarding for 20 years! As a ‘tribal’ person – both Cherokee and Hebrew – I knew that there were other key players necessary for fulfillment of the vision to help raise up that young, hungry army of the Lord – and take the art and entertainment mountain along the way. All the years of promises – seeing some powerful seeds manifest publicly in seasons, and other times warring and ministering from a hidden away with the Lord place – I am seeing begin to manifest more than I ever imagined. A ‘suddenly’ that has been stewarded carefully for two decades is about to bloom! Thank you for your wisdom and encouragement along the way!
Dear Dr Lance
Thank you for your word. I am encouraged. Still waiting for God to intervene in my application for degree course.
God bless you
Joyce
Dear Dr Lance
I am excited about 2 things. About a month ago, you prophesied in one of your broadcasts about people being healed of breathing issues, and mentioned stress as a cause. I responded that I had had an allergic reaction to a cat that left me with a chronic cough, and said God was urging me to get more rest. You said I would be totally healed. I had been passed from dr to dr and had many tests done, no one could really pinpoint a cause of my coughing and raspy voice. I finally went off all medication, believed God told me to start taking apple cider vinegar (nasty stuff but it works). Cough has left me, Dr said “ok to cancel all tests, why argue with success!” I am fine and will be even finer!
Also…after 25 yrs as a textile designer in NYC, my company went out of business (Nafta) and my mom passed away at almost the same time. I came to LI to care for my elderly father, which meant no more working in the city. No more $. I had to take what job I could get on Long Island, I just needed to be close to home. God miraculously had me check a website on the one day that a fabric company 10 minutes from my house, posted a job. That was almost 5 years ago. It has been tough. Little pay and company filled with devils. I stayed because I felt I had no choice and prayed like you taught us to from your days in Babylon. I still would ask God if this was the best I could hope for. Then they hired a new boss who I slowly gained favor with. She also is from a design background and so felt my pain I think. The amazing thing is a customer of ours developed a product and we partnered with them to sell it nationally. Because it’s design related, I was chosen as one of the people to gain expertise in this product. The others who also worked on it have shown they are either not qualified or not interested in going forward with it. It is slowly becoming my baby. My boss now sees a day in the future when I will be the dedicated person for this line. Might not be more $, I don’t know, but I am not falling asleep from boredom at work anymore. I do believe God had someone develop this product just for me…I will now wait for new responsibility and perhaps an avenue to work from home. Yeah God! His timing is perfect.
Thanks Lance
I’m hearing that the seven lean years have ended and we are stepping into seven years of plenty (opposite of Joseph!). Transition time. Needing to have systems and structures and people prepared in place for increase. It’s time!
Love this Lance so true! I must keep my eyes on Him with trust! God continue to bless you with divine wisdom for all! Amen
To see hearts turned toward home. To restore the intended value and significance of marriage within the Body of Christ so it can witness to the world Christ’s love for us. To help restore right thinking in the area of sexuality. It’s my belief that we divorce, we sin, and we covet in these areas because most people (even ‘married’ people) simply don’t know what marriage is. Why would one save his/herself for something they don’t understand or see as statistically destined to fail? Worldly consequences are easily negotiated in the mind, whereas truth revealed is not. Praying for the Lord to reveal these mysteries and the great spiritual significance of the marriage covenant in the hearts of His believers and to empower and equip us to lovingly teach our natural and spiritual children. We can’t expect the world to set or understand what marriage is if we aren’t seeking to fully understand ourselves. If one knows the intended use for something, perhaps she is less likely to abuse or misuse it. 🙂 I don’t have all the answers, but I have heart to help us desire to learn more and share what I can. In His name.
What’s stirring in my spirit is giving utterance with my voice to what I hear from our Father’s heart to PRAY for creative miracles. Signature Sound of Heaven!! Since Passover, he has answered every prayer I pray for others!