As a Christian, if your life is almost inexplicable because it is complex due to confusion, that is because you struggle with unbelief.

In fact, a questionable number of Christians fall under this category and for every struggle, confusion, difficulty and life challenges they pass through, it is primarily self-inflicted. Do you know why?

If I am correct, your answer would likely be unbelief, but is it just unbelief? What is the sponsor of this struggle? You will find out about this in our guide today as much as;

• What is unbelief?
• What unbelief does to Christians
• How it causes confusion
• The consequences of unbelief
• And what a Christian can do to overcome unbelief

What is unbelief?

The answer should be simple. Unbelief is simply the absence of belief, especially religious belief. Unbelief is also outrightly rejecting a belief.

Many Christians are confused about life today because they are struggling with unbelief.

Unbelief separates us from GOD’S love because it is not only those who just believe in GOD that is accepted but those who believe GOD.

What does this mean?

I have been studying some discipleship books, and I can only say that being an average Christian is what most of us have settled for. However, by divine promptings, it is time to WAKE UP.

The book Spiritual Colors by Lambert Okafor clearly states that to believe in GOD is merely a religious belief, which, of course, many religions do. It is simply believing in the existence of a supreme GOD.

However, what separates the weeds from the wheat is believing God, for who HE is, for HIS WORD, which HE exalted above HIMSELF. To believe GOD is to believe the WORDS He has said about you, the circumstances, and your existence in entirety.

Don’t get this wrong. Believing in GOD is a prerequisite to actually believing HIM; after all, the popular Christian creed is filled with believing in GOD. This is how important it is. But more than believing in GOD, HE wants more. HE wants everything about you and I.

Do you want to know how struggling with unbelief can cause a Christian to be confused about life? I surely hope you do. Keep reading!

How can struggling with unbelief result in a Christian’s confusion about life?

Before we delve into this, can you sincerely answer this? What is the basis of our salvation?

The foundation of our salvation is FAITH. Faith is BELIEF. Our belief in CHRIST and HIS finished WORK made you and I accept HIM in our lives. Now, here is the problem.

How can a Christian who believes in JESUS and has accepted HIM still struggle with unbelief?

Dear reader, because our Christian walk and work is built on FAITH, we must continue on FAITH and will finish on FAITH! As we said earlier, believing in GOD is a prerequisite to starting your journey as a Christian. Afterwards, you and I must graduate to believing GOD’S WORD—the principles, prophecies, and even promises.

Take one out of it and suffer stagnation, struggles and CONFUSION.

Struggling with unbelief will delay your transformation. How can you believe in GOD and not believe His commandments? How can you believe in GOD but shun every instruction, frown at prophecies, or even live your life as though you own it?

Unbelief robs us of our true inheritance and the true power that comes with being CHRIST-like.

How unbelief robs a Christian of their inheritance in GOD

Remember we said earlier that if a Christian struggles with unbelief, the confusion and struggle after that is self-inflicted? And that, as much as it is because of unbelief, there’s more to it? Let’s find out about it all! Shall we?

Our second definition of unbelief says it is outrightly rejecting a belief. What happens when you refuse an instruction or even a belief? You do things contrary to the instructions or beliefs. It is DISOBEDIENCE. That’s right!

Unbelief leads to utter disobedience. And when you disobey, you will not inherit the blessings of believing the WORD or Instructions.

Imagine this:

Let’s say a father is about to leave the house but cannot spare the time to instruct the three of his sons at the same time on what to do for the day, so he decides to give the instructions to the second son, who was close to him.

He sternly warns him to ensure the instructions get to the brothers, the consequences if disobeyed, and the plenteous gifts they would receive if they obey the instructions.

Now, the father has left for the business of the day, leaving the second son responsible for passing the instructions with the blessings and consequences that come with it.

The son succeeds in relating the instruction with every other thing that follows it, clearly stating what they stand to lose if disobeyed or gain if they obey.

However, only the third son believed the father’s word that came through the second son, yet the first son disregards the instructions and does otherwise.

It’s evening! Daddy is home with many things and hopes the sons carried out every instruction as stated. Nonetheless, he discovers that only the second and third sons carried out the instructions or tasks.

He gives the second and third sons the blessings of carrying out the instructions.

What do you think would happen to the first son? Even as the first son, does it take away the fact that he disobeyed his father?

Now, get something. No matter the first son’s excuses, it does not lift the consequences he will face. Excuses like;

• Daddy, I thought he was joking. I didn’t know he was serious.
• Daddy, I thought he was lying.
• I’m sorry; I had many other things to do.
• I had to finish yesterday’s work before doing the new tasks.

No excuse will save him from the loss he has already incurred.

Question: Does the first son disobeying the father mean he didn’t believe in his father? No, of course not; at that point, he did not believe his father’s words or instructions, which led to utter disobedience.

Examples of How Unbelief Robbed People of Prophetic Seasons in the Bible

Can you remember the story of how a chief officer did not believe a prophecy and got eliminated? Yes, just because of unbelief. 2 Kings 7: 1-20, CEV

This is a very intriguing story. Verse 1 was when the prophet Elisha came to deliver the message that would bring hope.

Verse 1: “I have a message for you; the LORD promises that tomorrow here in Samaria, you will be able to buy a large sack of flour or two large sacks of barley for almost nothing.”

Verse 2: The chief officer there with the king replied, “I don’t believe it; even if the LORD sent a rainstorm, it couldn’t produce that much grain by tomorrow.”

“You will see it happen, but won’t eat any of the food,” Elisha warned him.

Verse 17 revealed the shocking curse coming to pass. “The king of Israel had put his chief officer in charge of the gate, but he died when the people trampled him as they rushed out of the city.

What a scene!

Do you now see how unbelief can rob you of your inheritance, how unbelief can rob you of a breakthrough?

It would be a lie and troubling to say disobedience is only limited to the Ten Commandments; even the scripture above proves it.

Joyce Meyer wrote in her book Battlefield of the Mind, and I quote, “Disobedience in a situation like this can simply be to give up when GOD is prompting us to press on. Disobedience is disregarding the voice of the LORD, or whatever GOD is speaking to us personally, not just transgressing the Ten Commandments.”

Unbelief can make us limit the goodness, power, love and grace of GOD for a period of time or season. Unbelief takes us away from the place of trust and takes away our joy that even the slightest challenge moves us.

Unbelief is not something we can play around with; we should not entertain unbelief as Christians.

Hebrews 11:6 says without faith, it is impossible to please GOD.

• Unbelief steals our consciousness in CHRIST JESUS.
• Unbelief limits us in the presence of GOD.

Let’s look at the consequences of unbelief to understand fully.

Consequences of unbelief

Like it or not, unbelief steals a lot from us. Unbelief takes our eyes off the truth, and we then focus on lies. And whatever we focus our attention on, whether good or bad, magnifies with time.

1. When we battle with unbelief, it redirects our focus.
2. Unbelief robs us of our inheritance.
3. Unbelief leads us into utter disobedience.
4. Fighting with unbelief elongates or delays our answered prayers.
5. Unbelief disapproves us in the eyes of GOD.
6. Unbelief limits the grace of GOD in us.
7. Unbelief pushes us into wrong alternatives and corrupts our motives.

If all these and more are the consequences we face when we battle with unbelief, why do most Christians struggle with unbelief?

Why Most Christians Struggle with Unbelief

Think about this,

Can a child do away with the father’s instructions if the message is not thwarted or the real message is not hidden? Again, can a child do away with the father’s instructions if led by the hand until the child can handle the father’s instructions and teachings?

I trust your answer is NO.

1. One of the most common reasons many Christians battle with unbelief is because of wrong doctrine. The Bible emphasizes the foundation of the church. If it is not built on and in CHRIST, it is not solid, and every other ground will remain sinking.
2. Most Christians struggle with unbelief because their church recognizes some brethren and ignores others. So, the average CHRISTIAN would have and die with a problem unshared. There’s no LOVE OF GOD in most churches.
3. Most Christians battle with unbelief because even the elect in the church is nothing close to what JESUS calls the elect. The elect in the church today are filled with pride, most of them unapproachable. Most of the elects are users, intolerant, gossips and, at worst, heart-breakers.
4. Most Christians are disdained or avoided when they pass through difficult experiences when they really confess their faults, hence the reason for their struggle with unbelief.

Anything that makes you turn away from the truth has robbed you of your stance and belief system.

What can a Christian do to overcome unbelief?

Unbelief is not a friend and should not be entertained. A Christian must continue fighting to keep the belief system strongly standing firm in CHRIST JESUS.

For Christians to overcome unbelief there are many things to do. Here are a good number of them;

• Every Christian must keep themselves in an atmosphere that teaches sound doctrine.
• Although the church is large, CHRISTIANS must create an atmosphere that allows CHRISTIANS to communicate issues without criticism or judgment.
• Every CHRISTIAN must not depend on workers in the house of GOD for spiritual growth. We must wake up and grow up! Know GOD for yourself, commune with HIM, and hear from HIM.
• Every CHRISTIAN must practice holiness, not pretentious holiness, for without holiness; no man can see the LORD. Ask GOD for purification.
• Learn to focus on GOD’S word and pray often.

Advantages of overcoming unbelief

1. You won’t face confusion due to unbelief.
2. You will access your inheritance.
3. The wrong doctrine will not toss you around.
4. GOD will be pleased with you.
5. Overcoming unbelief helps to fill you with faith, leading to your obedience to CHRIST JESUS.

Conclusion

Dear reader, now you know one of the reasons why most Christians are still confused about life.

If you battle with confusion, chances are you struggle with unbelief. When you struggle with unbelief, nothing seems to make sense.

Unbelief causes us not to trust GOD and, at worst, disobey HIM. As you may know, our first call is built on faith, and we must be acquainted with it because a huge part of our life as Christians is based on faith.

You cannot believe in GOD and choose not to believe HIS WORDS about you, HIS WORDS about your circumstances, about that predicament. Refuse to be tossed about because of unbelief.

Is unbelief all there is to Christian’s reason for their confusion about life? No, and this we will reveal in the next series.

And until then, please stay safe and sane!