UNBELIEF

By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson

Mark 9:23-24
And Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord I believe: help thou mine unbelief.
Unbelief as defined in google.com is incredibility or skeptiasm especially in matters of religious faith.

The two verses quoted above, forms part of a story where a man brings his sick son to Jesus for healing. In a conversation He had with Jesus, he expressed his fear that Jesus might not be able to heal him. He had been sick since his infancy and they might have tried all sorts of healing methods.
Jesus senses his doubts or unbelief and says, if only you can belief, all things are possible to him that believes. Why is Jesus so concerned about doing away with belief and believing in him?
I believe Jesus emphasized the need to do away with unbelief because:

 Unbelief hinders blessings and miracle
James 1:6-8

 Unbelievers prevents us from experiencing the power of God.
John 20:24-29

 Unbelief prevents us from accepting and receiving the gift of salvation.
Acts 16:30-31

Unbelief hinders blessings and miracles
James 1:6-8
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
The passage above emphasizes that any man who doubles, wavers in faith or struggles with unbelief shall not receive anything of the Lord, this implies that unbelief will prevent you from receiving your blessings and miracles.
If you want to be blessed by the God of miracles, then you need to clear all doubts in your mind about the power and the ability of God to perform.
Ephesians 3:20 says, God is able to do much, much, more than we can ask or think. He can do much more than our wildest imaginations. Keep trusting Him.

Unbelief prevents us from experiencing the power of God
John 20:24-29
But Thomas, one of the twelve called Didynus was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said unto him, we have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of nails and trust my hand unto his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in midst, and said, peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, my lord and my God.
Jesus said unto him, Thomas as thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
The Apostle Thomas behaved just like any mortal man. We believe when we can see.

 It is difficult to believe when you can see God. How can you believe, someone you cannot see?

 We do not see God but his existence, power and abilities are confirmed by
 The things He created in the world around us

 The rising and setting of the sun

 The sea that does not overflow its banks

 Testimonies of healing, deliverance, provisions and protection of God.
If you want to experience the power of God, then you need to put away all unbelief and believe in the existence of God
Hebrews 11:6, says that whoever comes to God, must believe that he is and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Unbelief prevents us from accepting and receiving the gift of salvation
Acts 16:30-31
And brought the out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
And they said believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house.
The two verse above forms part of a passage where the apostle Paul and his aide Silas were thrown into prison. At midnight Paul and Silas sang praises and prayed. The prison door opened suddenly and their chains fell off. The prison guard woke up from their sleep and saw the prison door opened. They drew their swords to kill themselves because they taught Paul and Silas had escaped. They quickly stopped the guards and confirmed they were still in their prison cells.
The guards were so amazed at such honesty and self-sacrifice. Any other person would have escaped. So they asked,” what must we do to be saved? they told them all they had to do was to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and they will be saved.
This story confirms that unbelief can prevent someone from getting saved. Salvation is free, a gift from God, all we have to do is to accept it.

CONCLUSION
Apart from the three major things listed above, unbelief is also a powerful tool used by the evil one to deceive us. In Genesis 3:1-10 when the devil convinced Eve to eat the fruit God forbid them to eat.
Genesis 3:4-5 says
And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be at Gods, knowing good and evil.
This statement made by the serpent (the devil) introduced unbelief in the mind of Eve. She started doubting God and questioning herself why God could have said something like that. It played a major role in her disobedience to God.

Do not question the truth or logic in what the word of God says. simply believe.

REFERENCE
1. King James Bible
2. Oxford English Mini-dictionary
3. www.google.com