“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22)

Sadly, our Christian faith can fluctuate with our changing fortunes. As flawed human beings, our trust in God often ebbs and flows as we move from joyful times to sorrowful periods in our lives. That reality was demonstrated biblically, for example, when the trusting father of a boy possessed by a deaf and dumb spirit from childhood cried out with tears before Jesus healed his son, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Even devout believers who seek to live in trusting obedience to God occasionally lapse into moments of unbelief, particularly when we experience hardships and difficulties. Satan is constantly at work trying to deceive us and create doubt in our minds, but we need to remember that Jesus Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit. We are thus empowered to be overcomers “because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

When fear, worry, and doubt threaten to strangle our well-placed faith in Christ, we can allay our apprehension by focusing on God’s unchanging faithfulness rather than our shifting circumstances. Adversity can breed strengthened faith! “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  (James 1:2-4)

As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to remember in our seasons of personal skepticism and unbelief the words that Jesus spoke to the concerned father of the deaf-mute mentioned earlier. Before casting out the evil spirits that had long tormented this boy, an act His disciples had lacked the faith to do, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’” (Mark 9:23)