Believing

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Tuesday December 4, 2007

Mark 11:23 (NIV) (Jesus speaking)
"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

As explained in many previous Daily Words, the heart is the human SPIRIT, NOT the soul. When Jesus said 'if you do not "doubt in your HEART"', He was NOT referring to your mind!

When you stand in faith on God's Word, doubts will go through your mind. Those thoughts of doubt will never effect the outcome of your standing in faith unless you ACT on those doubts or SPEAK them! It is always WORDS and ACTIONS that effect the outcome of standing in faith!

When you believe something in your HEART (your spirit; the core of your being), that belief is there despite anything you might THINK, even though the thoughts of your MIND (soul) may include doubts.

2 Corinthians 4:13 (NIV)
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak

A spirit of faith, or a heart that believes, must SPEAK! Notice that in Mark 11:23 it never mentions prayer; it's all about SAYING! This principle of speaking is defined in Romans:

Romans 10:9,10 (NIV)
9. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Notice in verse 10 that "it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved!" Our very salvation is based on this principle of believing and speaking!

With that in mind, did you ever have a doubt in your MIND right after you were saved about whether you really WERE saved? Did that doubt somehow nullify the salvation you HAVE because you believe IN YOUR HEART? Of course not! But when we believe something, it's funny how we will SAY what we believe in our hearts even when doubts are creeping into our minds!

Once we understand that we are born again and can only lose that salvation by denying Jesus Christ as Lord, we can say with confidence that we are born again believers whether we have doubts go through our MINDS or not!

And we are told by God's Word to HOLD FAST that profession of faith:

Hebrews 4:14 (KJV)
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Why would God's Word put such importance on holding fast our profession (words)? Because it's the real you-- your human spirit-- that SPEAKS!

Matthew 12:34b (NIV) (Jesus speaking)
For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

We should never waver about our salvation with our WORDS, because it is our words that show what we believe in our HEARTS! Jesus went on in verse 34 to say that it is by our WORDS that we are acquitted or condemned; in other words, it is by our words we are judged:

Matthew 12:37 (NIV) (Jesus speaking)
"For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

That's because what you believe in your HEART will come out your MOUTH!

PRAYER
Thank You Father for Your life-giving Word. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to save me by His work at the cross. Help me to remember the importance of my words, and to be careful about what I say.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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