“Mortify therefore Your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.”
(Colossians 3:5-6)
Unbelief is not simply a failure to understand; it is rebellion. It is the fruit of a heart alienated from God. Though it may disguise itself as intellectual caution, unbelief stands in defiance of God’s truth. From Eden forward, unbelief has been the serpent’s whisper, “Has God said?” And when that question is received rather than rejected, it fractures the soul and leads down the broad path of disobedience.
Unbelief brought ruin to the first Adam, and its poison has flowed through the veins of all his children since. It mocks God’s promises, questions His goodness, and spurns His Word. It is not just an absence of trust—it is the presence of pride, idolatry, and self-sufficiency. When Paul writes in Colossians that the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience, he roots that warning in the presence of unrepentant sin—sin which springs from a heart of unbelief.
But unbelief is not confined to the unregenerate. The believer, too, must battle against residual unbelief. Even in those redeemed by Christ, faith is not yet perfected. The father who cried, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) did not speak out of hypocrisy but out of the tension of a weak, yet real, faith. The disciples could not cast out the demon because of their unbelief (Matt. 17:20), not their lack of power, for Christ had already given them authority. It was their doubt that robbed them of spiritual fruitfulness.
It was unbelief that barred the Israelites from entering the promised land, despite seeing God’s power firsthand. And it is unbelief, if coddled, that will numb the Christian to grace, blind the eyes to glory, and silence the lips from praise.
Unbelief breeds spiritual barrenness. It disconnects the soul from the power and promises of God. It leads to murmuring instead of worship, stagnation instead of sanctification, and defeat instead of victory. The person who nurses doubt will find his prayers hindered, his confidence withered, and his peace broken.
The remedy for unbelief is not self-confidence but humble confession and supplication. God will answer those who cry for help with mercy. Scripture states that faith as small as a mustard seed is honored because of the One it clings to. That same Savior who healed the child of the desperate father, who calmed the storms, and who raised the dead, can strengthen the believer’s fainting trust.[1]
The call today is to examine the heart honestly. Is unbelief being quietly harbored? Is there lingering doubt cloaked in excuses? An area of life where God’s Word is dismissed? Mortify it. Drag it into the light of God’s promises and crucify it with Christ. For the one who trusts in the Lord shall not be ashamed.
Contemplations:
- How long will You doubt? God is against all those who take delight in scorning His words, His people, and Christ Himself. How long will people remain in unbelief? How long will Christians also doubt?
- The disobedience of unbelief. People often revel in unbelief, not realizing that it is the epitome of disobedience (Heb. 11:6). Man was not made to fulfill his own lusts but to serve the living God who made all things for Himself, even the wicked for the Day of Judgment.
- Faith is required to please Him. You are against all those who live and practice unbelief, Lord, those who completely dismiss a godly fear of the Creator God who is Faithful and True. “God is angry with the wicked every day,” those who do not believe and trust in You (Ps. 7:11).
- Transformation through the Word. And what do You think of those Christians, Lord, who refuse to be reformed by You? A barren soul will never grow rich in faith and spiritual understanding. Should Your people not let the Word of God dwell in them richly? (Col. 3:16). And how? In all knowledge! (Col. 1:10).
- Hope in God. Distrust and unbelief also pertain to remembering what You have done for us, Lord. As Mark 6:52 states, “They remembered not the miracle of the loaves, for their hearts were hardened.” David was greatly distressed until he remembered the years of the right hand of the Most High (Ps. 77:10). Remind me to do as Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3:21, “This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope.”
Prayer (Thanksgiving)
Almighty God, I confess my unbelief. Though I know Your Word is true and Your promises sure, my heart often wavers. I see what You have done, and still I question. I read what You have spoken, and yet I doubt. Forgive me, Lord.
Root out every hidden seed of unbelief in me. Do not let doubt dwell where faith should reign. Help me remember all the ways You have proved faithful—how You have sustained, delivered, and upheld me even when I deserved none of it. Teach me to number my days with wisdom and to recall Your mercies morning by morning.
Let not the noise of this world drown out Your voice. Let not the trials I face darken the truth You have declared. Strengthen my soul by the Holy Spirit. Make me quick to trust and slow to murmur. Keep me from being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
I ask that You give me joy in Your promises, even before they are fulfilled. Let Your Word dwell in me richly, not merely as a record of what has been, but as the sure hope of what is yet to come. Help me believe Your Son more than my feelings and Your Gospel more than my fears.
I lay before You every anxious thought, every gnawing hesitation, every silent doubt. Cleanse me. Heal me. Restore me. Let me walk by faith and not by sight, until the day faith becomes sight and I behold Your glory face to face.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Ephesians 5:5, Galatians 5:24, Mark 7:21, Jeremiah 6:13.
[1] Thomas Wilson, A Complete Christian Dictionary (London: E. Cotes and are to be sold by Thomas Williams, 1661), 690.
