The Law of Believing
The Law of Believing
I know that the abundant life is available today to
those who understand and apply the law of believing.
Regarding this subject, I want to call your attention
to Mark 9. This is a rather long story; but if I am to
teach you the law of believing, you must get the truth of
this record into your heart and life.
Mark 9:14-27:
And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great
multitude about them, and the scribes questioning
with them.
And straightway all the people, when they beheld
him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted
him.
And he asked the scribes, What question ye with
them?
And one of the multitude answered and said, Master,
I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a
dumb spirit;
And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him:
and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and
pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they
should cast him out; and they could not.
He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation,
how long shall I be with you? how long shall
I suffer you? bring him unto me.
And they brought him unto him: and when he saw
him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on
the ground, and wallowed foaming.
And he asked his father, How long is it ago since
this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into
the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything,
have compassion on us, and help us.
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.
When Jesus saw that the people came running together,
he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him,
Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out
of him, and enter no more into him.
And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came
out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that
many said, He is dead.
But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up;
and he arose.
The man brought his son for healing. He reported to
Jesus that the disciples could not remedy the situation.
The disciples must have felt stupid for this was a public
demonstration and nobody in private, let alone in public,
wants to look like a fool. These were the same disciples
who had before had great victory and success in healing
the sick. Now they had come to an impasse. What stymied
them?
Jesus perceived the trouble immediately when the
father said, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion
on us, and help us.” Jesus took that “if ” which the
father had directed at the disciples first and next at
Jesus, and gave it back to the father where it belonged.
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things
are possible to him that believeth.” Many people like to
lay the blame for their unbelief and inability to receive
on someone else. The disciples were victims of the blame
in this situation. The disciples were caught in this man’s
trap, but not Jesus. Many people would like for others
to do their believing for them; they just do not want to
learn how to believe for themselves. Many times people
simply do not know how to believe. Jesus understood
the situation clearly and He said to the father of the
child, “If you can believe, I know that my disciples
believe, and the fact that they could not remove the
cause is not their fault. They could believe until
Doom’s Day for your child without any result; but if
you can believe, then something will happen.”
Wherever possible, Jesus always demanded believing.
When we study the miracles of healing, we find that
Jesus required the believing of the parents for the healing
of their children. For example, in Matthew 15:22 we
see that the Canaanite woman had great believing for
the healing of her daughter who was vexed with a devil.
In the case of demented persons, who are mentally
incapable, believing was not required. The following are
examples of such cases: Mark 1:23ff and Luke 4:33ff;
Matthew 8:16ff; Mark 1:32ff; Luke 4:41; Matthew 8:28ff;
Luke 8:26ff; Mark 5:1ff; Matthew 9:32; and Acts 16:16.
In the case of raising the dead, as recorded in Mark
5:35ff and Luke 8:49ff, we read that Jesus told the
father of the dead child, “Be not afraid, only believe.”
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the passage
does not say that anyone believed except Jesus. In Acts
9:36ff, where Peter raised Dorcas from the dead, he put
everyone out of the room and then prayed and commanded
her to arise.
In every Biblical record believing is always required
on the part of everyone having a need, with the exceptions
indicated above: certain types of mental derangement,
dead people and children.
There is power in believing. There is power in this
world to which you and I as born-again believers have
easy access. This power will enable us to overcome our
shortcomings and our difficulties, bringing release and
victory to our lives. This power is from God. He is
everywhere present, which means that He is with you
right now. The key involved is knowing and receiving
His power, which is the basis on which the whole
abundant life hinges. The law of believing brings phenomenal
results to all those who apply and practice the
principles.
You may believe rightly or wrongly. Believing works
both ways, and you bring to yourself whatever you believe.
Matthew 9 and Job 3 show the types of believing
and their results.
Matthew 9:20-22:
And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an
issue of blood twelve years came behind him and
touched the hem of his garment:
For she said within herself, If I may but touch his
garment, I shall be whole.
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her,
he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith [believing]
hath made thee whole.
Job 3:25:
For the thing which I greatly feared [believed] is
come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is
come unto me.
Fear, worry and anxiety are types of believing. If you
worry, have fear and are anxious you will receive the fruit
of your negative believing which is defeat
The law of believing works equally effectively for both
the sinner and the saint; however, the believer, because
of the spirit from God within him, may bring forth more
abundantly. If you doubt your recovery from sickness,
you will by all means slow up and retard your own
progress. Right believing is constantly knowing God’s
power and presence are in you and with you in every
situation! How you think about the problem with which
you are confronted at this very moment will determine
the outcome. If you doubt its success, you have, by your
own believing, determined its unsuccessful outcome.
Apply the positive method of the law of believing to
every situation in life, to every problem that comes your
way, for “. . .if thou canst believe, all things are possible
to him that believeth.”
Saying some formal prayer will never release you
and bring positive results to your life. You cannot hope,
think or guess at this game of living. You just believe
that God is in you and that He is with you always, even
unto the end of this age.
I John 4:4:
. . .greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the
world.
The evil of the world can never make you do evil or
wrong unless you permit it through your own weakness
of character or lack of believing.
Once you start practicing the law of believing—right
believing, believing God—you will find that the evil
things that have been governing your life will soon fade
away. God is always the victor over evil; but it is up to
you to believe God and to make His will your will.
In all the New Testament epistles, you will never find
Christian believers urged to have faith; they already have
faith as believers, and they are encouraged to believe
God and express what they already have.
Romans 12:3:
. . .according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith.
The word “believe” is a verb which connotes action.
Therefore, believing the Word of God, taking the Word
of God literally and acting upon it, brings results. This
is the law of believing and this is the action that will
bring release and victory to your life in every situation.
“If thou canst believe, all things are possible [presently
available] to him that believeth.”