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
Lance, As always a right word at the right time! We are Richard and Rhonda the couple that moved to Cabo after attending our first Dream Trip here. Six years and several dream trips later we have now seen what brother Bob Bradbury saw before his going home. He saw the Lord doing a mighty work in the barrios of Los Cabos. And we just finished a 3 day crusade with the Carlos Annacondia team from Argentina where we had just under 800 first time professions of faith and many miracles and lives forever changed! Over fifty churches working together a crossed denominational lines to see Bobs vision become a reality! The best is yet to come for Los Cabos as we believe this is only the catalyst for city wide transformation. We continue to teach the 7 Mountain mandate and Ed Silvoso’s 5 pivotal paradigms (from our third Dream Trip) and are seeing everything you teach come to life when applied with faith and patience. Thank you! Thank you! for planting seeds to dream big and for bringing in the high calibre of teachers that always compliment your message like Ed Silvoso,Dave Yarns,Perry Marshall, Bonnie & Mahesh,and many more and the many contacts and new friends we have met like Keith Graham that share the same passion and vision to take our mountains.
UNTIL WE REACH THE TOP ! AS ONE Richard and Rhonda Mead
I’m older, but my Dr says I’m in better shape than 25 to 30% of his patients. I was a social worker, but in graduate school (UNReno) I got bitten by the political bug. I love to know what is happening. There has to be a place for me here. For right now, as I learn things and share them via fb, some like them, some don’t. That is OK. Maybe this is my role in life-to inform. I just want to be in God’s will.
A very timely Word from the Lord, indeed.
My wife is 38 weeks pregnant and after our first baby girl going straight to the Lord at birth last year, He gave us His promise that it will not happen again and that the second child will be a very smooth and healthy delivery. Today, our second-to-be-born is not head down yet and circumstances contradict God’s Word but we will believe that in His time, He will deliver what and they way He promised!
Thanks so much for this, Lance!
Don’t talk your way out of God’s blessing! this sentence touched me deep! Thank you Lance
The Lord really spoke to me at the recent Lionheart conference where you spoke into Micro Church. He showed me the power and authority of two or three in true unity and how we can take the mountain(s) we are assigned to.
That is a deep, deep well of words to me, especially one week removed from an activation time last week at Wendy K. Walters RELEASE THE WRITER conference at Life Center (Harrisburg). Thanks for sharing these insights and for the role you have played, unsuspecting, in my life!!!
Hi Lance!
Thank you so much for this word! For about a month now, the Lord has been speaking very specifically to me what you started out with! Luke 1:17 – ‘It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ Today, I am finishing up 9 months of teaching 5 year olds the book of Revelation so I know Jesus is coming soon and that we need to be ready! My response is, Yes Lord!! Thanks again for your timely word today. God bless you!
Kelly 🙂
God spoke to me about writing a memoir through a number of unconnected people over several years. I attended a Release the Writer Conference with Wendy K Walters in Harrisburg, PA. Let’s just say I got released and am writing like a house on fire. Hooray God!! I know that timing is everything and the time is now. Because Wendy stepped out into her gifting, I am now starting to step into mine. And that will help others step into theirs. It’s quite awesome
Establish a business community that reflects Ephesians 4:16 where every part of the body is present, joined correctly and each doing it’s part. A place where believers share gifts, support each other and create a consortium of shared talents to grow up a body that edifies itself in love and creates wealth to establish God’s covenant on earth.
Businesses, start ups, witty inventors, ministries already in place or just getting started all together share office space, praise, pray, encourage and create what is an Acts church fellowship. From there send out, support financially and influence the world for Jesus Christ.
Once the model is established, scale it to cities all over the world.
Victor where are you located right now? What is the area you are wanting to begin this business community?
What a lifeline of encouragement to remove the blinders of doubt, fear and unbelief the enemy has been throwing at me this last week to quench all the faith and hope the Lord has been unveiling these last few months. So grateful to be able to clearing see the hindering tactics of the enemy with fresh determination to resist the ploy to fall back into the old paralyzingly lies and to press forward into the breakthroughs of promise this year. For the hope set before me I press toward the mark of my high calling in Christ Jesus. Thank you.