Believing Is a Decision of the Heart

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. (Mark 5:36)

Imagine how devastating the news was to the ruler of the synagogue that his daughter had died. When he was told this news, Jesus gave him a simple instruction: be not afraid, only believe. Not feel confident. Not sense a bit of peace. Get your faith up. Faith is not something you think or feel. It’s something you do, a choice to trust in God’s Word more than anything you see, think, hear, or feel.

Believing is not the absence of fear in your mind or emotions. It is a decision you make despite fear, grief, or bad news, that God's Word stands regardless of how this moment looks. Jairus had just been told his daughter was dead. There was nothing in the natural circumstances to inspire confidence that the situation would change. But Jesus was not asking him to feel differently. He was asking him to choose to believe differently, to place his trust in what God said rather than in what the report said.

This is the heart of true belief. It happens in the will before it ever shows up in the emotions. Believers cannot wait to start believing until they feel it. You believe before you feel it. Let your faith control your emotions, not the other way around. When God’s Word calls us to faith, it is always calling us to an act of our will, not something we feel. You choose to believe.

Practical Application

Identify a situation where your feelings and God's Word are currently in conflict. Make a deliberate decision today, out loud if possible, to believe God's Word rather than what you feel, regardless of how the moment looks.

Mark 9:23; Romans 10:10