Knowing versus believing

My dear husband has spent the past week dealing with some dental issues and a lot of pain. How sad that Doc Dave was on vacation during our tooth emergency!

I chided my husband for neglecting his teeth and letting things go until there’s a big problem. I believe in the importance of preventative dental care and think a person should go in every year for a cleaning and exam.

But wait … when was the last time I’ve been to the dentist? Hmmm, it’s been going on three-and-a-half years according to my calculations. So the question is, do I really BELIEVE this, or is it merely something I’ve been taught, acknowledge is true, but haven’t fully committed to the idea?

Judging by my actions, perhaps the latter is true.

There’s a difference between knowing something and truly believing it, isn’t there? Genuine belief will change our way of thinking and acting in the world.

As Christians we need to evaluate our stated beliefs against our reactions to life’s circumstances. How often do our actions and the words of our mouth negate what we claim to believe?

Do we state, “I trust God to meet all of my needs” one minute and then turn around and say, “I’m never going to be able to make that payment” the next?

Do we say, “I know I can trust my loved ones to God’s care” but then fall into a panic at the first sign of a fever?

Do we declare, “I’m going to back off and let God to handle this situation” only to continue spending hours trying to figure out ways to fix it ourselves?

We can know about God and acknowledge His existence, but true belief in Him manifests itself in trust – in faith.

God gives us faith (Romans 12:3b), and like the muscles in our body, every time we choose to exercise that faith it grows bigger and stronger. If I never trust God for anything but continue always trying to operate in my own strength, controlling everything myself, my faith will not grow.

Remember, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). So if you want to strengthen your faith muscles, fill up on the Word of God and then put your faith to work!