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I live in a busy, distracted society, in which many have no belief in the Lord God, His Son Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. There are so many things vying for my attention: my job, social media, following the news, spending time with friends and family — not to speak of reading time in my large collection of books! I feel distracted, too, and unbelief tugs at my heart at times, especially when a critical comment derails me or an unkind person puts me down. If I even thought that this was anything new, I have no further to look than in the book of Hebrews, whose writer addressed fading belief and enthusiasm for God among believers.
Hebrews 3:12-15 – Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is still called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." (NKJV)
Unbelief is not taken seriously today by many nominal Christians. It's a real unwillingness to acknowledge and trust in the living God, and a conscious choice to walk away from Him, to be in opposition to Him. Not believing in God's greatness and loving promises can seriously weaken a Christian, especially one who has lost connection with God's church. I am wired for connection to God, and I need the constant charge of encouragement from other Christians not to become hardened to sin's deceitfulness or to allow unbelief to creep in.
I connect with what the father of the spirit-possessed boy said in Mark 9:24 — "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" When unbelief tugged at my heart, and church services were suspended in the past year, I turned to favourite Christian authors, like Max Lucado and Rick Warren, for a boost of encouragement. Another favourite author is C.S. Lewis, and I enjoyed his space trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Voyage to Venus, and That Hideous Strength. Through the adventures of the main character, Ransom, Lewis speaks much to my struggle to keep believing in the face of criticism and opposition. There is also the encouragement of spiritual music, in all its forms, to lift my heart to joy and hope in His presence.
Let us all listen to His voice while it is still called Today, recognizing our need for our Lord, and renewing our faith in Him.
Prayer: Dearest Lord, as we struggle to keep our eyes on You, even when pressed on all sides by unbelief and criticism, we pray that we will hear Your voice in Your Word, Your faithful writers, and Your musical praise sung by other believers. Amen.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2024 – In Peru — Please pray for this summer season at our beach-town home to be a blessing to the little Fellowship we have started and that the Lord would "add to our numbers those who are being saved".
Housing: "Update April 14, 2024; Please pray extra fervently for tomorrow when she and her son will be going..." 
May it be so, Shirley.
Amen Shirley. Well said. Blessings.
Thank you for your encouraging words, Shirley.
Part of our human struggle since The Garden! Blessings.
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us. Blessings.
An important topic to address, thank you for the reminder Shirley and may God bless you!
Well-said, Shirley. You have helped many today through sharing your faith and understanding.
Thank you, Shirley. It is a very good message.
Blessings.
Thank you for your encouraging word this morning.
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Shirley, God used your writing to speak to me this morning. Thank you for the encouraging words and helpful recommendations. I’ve not read those C. S. Lewis trilogies yet so will get them this week.
Blessings on your day.
Hi Shirley: Your devotional is so true. Belief is rapidly waning. This is visible in church attendance that, I fear, will never return to the pre-epidemic level. But, let’s face it, the handwriting was on the wall long before COVID-19.
What’s the answer? I believe service formats in many of our long-established denominations must change; must keep pace with a changing world. While seniors may be satisfied with the status quo, young people are not. This is coming from a 92-year-old. Thanks for listening,
(Ont.)
Good morning Shirley,
Such honest reflection on how you feel at times. It is true of us all, but we are not all willing to admit it. When people share from their heart, it encourages others to look deeper into what they believe and how they respond. We all need encouragement. Interestingly I just picked up Rich Warren’s book “The Purpose of Christmas” which is a small book and reminds us of the importance of Jesus in our lives. I didn’t think I was struggling but I must have been because why did I choose that book to read going to sleep last night.
I like the song which was chosen to accompany your devotional.
Thank you for being willing to share your experiences so that we can all grow in our faith. May God strengthen your belief through an occurrence today and may you know that you have strengthened others with your sharing. Blessings.
Hi Shirley,
Your Devotion on struggling with unbelief struck a chord in me as, especially during Covid, it has been hard to stay connected with our church and fellow Christians. Our pastor spoke today on Mark 9:24 and I would I agree I am with that father, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”
Blessings on you and your writing.