Unbelief

Mark 6:4-6
Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family." And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. (NLT)

Those we want God to touch first after our conversion is our family and friends. Yet they seem to be the hardest to reach. They look at us and see the person we used to be and not who we have become in Jesus.

Just because we believe something does not mean others will as well. Unbelief is the deciding factor in many spiritual issues. God is sovereign you say. He can do whatever He wants. And I believe that to be true. However, He does not go against a persons free will.

When others tell us their woes, they usually are not looking for us to pray for them or even to tell them what to do. They just want a shoulder to cry on or someone to line up with their side of the situation. They are not interested in a solution. They like it just the way it is.

We can become very frustrated running around attempting to solve the problems of others by laying hands on them and praying to our Father God for them. Better to pray in private for them then to confront them to convince them to believe.

We are asked often if people are sometimes not healed when we lay hands on them in the name of Jesus. The answer is yes. They may come forward after a meeting for prayer because everyone expects them to. They come with unbelief and may leave with unbelief. Does God touch them? Often we see it happen and His presence changes that unbelief to belief and they are healed.

Being saved is the result of reaching out in faith for Jesus. This one act does not remove all unbelief in our life. It is shed from our life as we walk with Him. As our experiences in God grow our unbelief diminishes. And to get that experience we have to take a chance and walk out doing as the Holy Spirit prompts.