Do you believe?

     Duped into believing false things we find ourselves set up to go down the slippery slope of not believing.  Controversy develops when we doubt truth and believe lies.  I do that sometimes.  The controversy isn't necessarily outside of myself but deep inside of myself.  I read about Gideon this morning.  Called by God to save his chosen people yet again, Gideon puts tests before God to determine if indeed God is who he said he is, means what he says, and can do what he has promised to do.  Yep, I've been there as well.  Call it what you will; it's unbelief.  How can a Christian not believe God?  There is the controversy.  Believing God isn't a 10 percent thing.  We only limit what God can do in our lives, our families, our friends and even our enemies.  God sighs when I go to less than 100 percent because he knows I've been there many times before.  Instead of believing, I compromise my faith and my witness of a 100 percent God.  Yes, I believe in God.  Yes, he has proven himself true over and over.  Yes, he is unchanging in who he is.  Yes, I doubt at times and even rely on the world instead of God.  Talk about crazy!  Why do I do this?  Because I am fearful.  That's the easy answer.
     So, what am I fearful of?  Maybe it's the unknown.  You know that's the question we all have.  We want to see it with our eyes, touch it with our fingers and know before we will believe.  We, the people of God, seem to test God every day with our demands of proof.  Yet, we do just the opposite with our life in the world.  We believe the lies as if they are true.  When we do this we diminish God in our lives and there we are one foot in the world and one foot in heaven.  The Bible warns us about this double minded thinking and the rabbit hole that it leads us down.  In Joshua 24:15 Joshua is addressing God's people and says: "Choose this day whom you will serve.  As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."  That's the question every daily event brings before us.  Will we choose to believe God and serve him or will we believe the enemy and serve him?  You know that there are only two choices I hope?  We either choose to believe God or we choose to believe Satan.  Choose this day whom you will serve.
     Paul laments: "those things I know I should do, I don't and those things I know I should not do, I do.  Wretched man that I am." and again, "I Paul the greatest of sinners." Think about it.  Here was one of the greatest men of God in history telling me my story.  Paul was telling you your story.  God was patient enough with Gideon and is also with you and I.  The time is coming when you and I will be challenged to believe God and do his will without question.  It's called believing.  Are you up for that?  You could go back to Egypt but why?  Choose this day whom you will believe and move forward.  It's always your choice!