The Subtle Danger of Unbelief

“So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” 
– 2 Kings 7: 2 (NKJV)  

Faith — even in its smallest form — draws us closer to God. Jesus said that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. But unbelief is entirely different. Where doubt is shaky faith, unbelief is the absence of faith. Doubt hesitates; unbelief refuses. It filters God’s promises through human logic and boldly declares, “This cannot be.” 

We see this vividly in the story of the officer at the gate of Samaria. A severe famine gripped the land when the prophet Elisha declared that by the next day, abundance would return. Instead of receiving this word in faith, the officer scoffed: “Even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven, could this thing be?” (2 Kings 7:2). His unbelief closed his heart to God’s power and, tragically, cost him everything. He saw the miracle but never tasted it. 

Unbelief is dangerous because it’s contagious. Spoken words of unbelief can infect an atmosphere of faith, discouraging others and sowing seeds of cynicism in the soil of expectation. It often disguises itself as intellect or realism — but at its core, unbelief resists God. Whenever we elevate human logic, education, or experience above what God has spoken, we quietly shut the door to the supernatural.

Faith doesn’t deny reality — it just refuses to let reality define what God can do. 

But here’s the good news: faith is still a choice. We can choose to believe God when His Word seems impossible. Faith doesn’t deny reality — it just refuses to let reality define what God can do. True faith clings not to what we see, but to who He is: faithful, unchanging, and able. 

So where in your life are you facing the impossible? What promise has stretched your logic to its limits? Remember this: faith is not measured by the size of your circumstance but by the strength of your conviction. When fear whispers, “It cannot be,” respond boldly, “But God has said!” 

The natural world may oppose you, but the Word of God stands unshaken. Choose to believe — and watch His promise unfold before your eyes.

Song 

Take You at Your Word 

Cody Carnes 

Prayer – Father, deliver us from the trap of unbelief. Forgive us for the times we have exalted our reasoning above Your word. Teach us to hold on to Your promises even when they seem impossible. May our faith bring glory to You and open the way for Your miracles, in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Bible in 1 year: Jeremiah 9-11; 1 Timothy 6