Partial Belief.

Odd title for a blog, right? This morning when I woke up this topic was on my mind. Let me explain this further. I was thinking...what if there is a particular matter or subject that you kind of teeter totter on when it comes to what you believe. This story came to mind: (it is a little long but bear with me)

"When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.

Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him.

And He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?"

And one of the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;

and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it."

And He answered them and said, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!"

They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.

And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.

"It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"

And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."

Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again."

After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, "He is dead!"

But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up."(Mark 9)

I find this passage interesting. This is one of those scenes where Jesus surprises me. I don't know if you read it like I do but to me, Jesus seems a bit ruffled. He walks on the scene and asks some questions (that he already probably knew)..He asks what are you discussing? When the man gives the answer, Jesus almost sounds angry, He calls them all an "Unbelieving Generation!!" OUCH! That hurts me and I wasn't even there. Then he asks how long the boys been like this. I believe Jesus was reminding the man, Jesus never asked a question without reason. So the man says "IF you can do ANYTHING, take pity on us." Again Jesus is like "IF??" I know He is thinking why in the world did you bring him to me if you didn't believe I could? Anyhow..next is the couple of famous verses that people grab from these passages. "All things are possible for him who believes." and "I believe Lord, help my unbelief!" That verse in particular is what I woke up thinking about...as I was thinking about it I thought what in the world? You either believe or you don't..did the guy lie to Jesus?? Maybe it was translated wrong and the guy meant "I want to believe, help my unbelief" but how can he say he believes but ask for help with his unbelief? That is very confusing to me. Maybe the guy had "partial belief." I think this happens to Christians ALL the time. They make a decision that no matter what..they believe the Bible BUT when life just doesn't seem to add up with the Scriptures, here comes partial belief. I wonder if Jesus looks at partial belief as luke warmness or doublemindedness. God brought the Scripture to me in James about being double minded, afterall that's what partial belief is. James 1:6-8 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." Have you ever been like this or seen other Christians like this? One day, God is in control and He is Lord over everything and working all things to the good, the very next one Life is out of control and the question is 'Where is God?' What in the world??? We are unstable being tossed from belief to doubt, belief to doubt. But true belief stays..it's this partial belief, this mindset of "I'm going to see how this thing plays out before I 100% believe." We are scared. Deep down we are scared that God won't come through so we don't get our "hopes up." Even though we are promised he ALWAYS comes through...we need to drop this barrier of doubt and pick up the shield of faith OR we are going to continue to be knocked down by arrows of doubt. Just something I've been thinking on...you should too.