And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:  he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

— Romans 4:19, 20

This verse talks about Abraham’s relationship with God.  Abraham was strong in faith, and this gave glory to God.  All Christians want to give glory to God, and the way to do it is by being strong in faith!  Here is a choice for you to make:  live your life strong in faith or live it weak in faith.  What will make the difference in how you live? --it depends on what you consider.  Abraham had strong natural evidence for not having a child:  he was 100 years old, and his wife was barren.  There was no possible way for him to have a son without supernatural intervention.  God gave him a word, a promise, in order to give him a chance to move beyond the natural impossibility into the supernatural ability of God.  It takes the Word of God-–the promises of God–-to move into the realm of miracles.  Abraham did not consider his age.  He did not consider his wife.  He refused to stagger at the promise in unbelief because of this.  He was strong in faith.  What are you strong in today:  “He meets my needs” or “what shall I eat”?  Are you strong in symptoms and the doctor’s report, or strong in “by His stripes I am healed”?  Are you strong in “This is going to be a bad day,” or “this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it”?  What are you considering today?  What are you thinking on today?  Find yourself a promise and stop living in unbelief.  Become strong in faith, in health, in wealth, in peace, in joy, in love, and let your life give glory to God.  Consider the Word!

...Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:  and be not faithless, but believing.

— John 20:27

Here we see Jesus appearing to His disciples after His death and resurrection.  He came through the wall of the upper room and, in person, showed them that He had been raised from the dead.  He told them many times, before He was crucified, that He would suffer, die, be buried, and be raised up on the third day, but they did not believe Him.  Here was proof, in person, of His resurrection.  Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the disciples, so they told Thomas about Jesus’ visitation.  But Thomas would not believe Jesus was alive unless he felt the wounds and touched the nail marks.  Thomas’ only evidence was that he saw Jesus on the cross, dead, and then buried.  Jesus appeared a second time and went right to Thomas.  He told him that to have to feel Him and touch Him in order to believe in His resurrection was being faithless!  Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), so to believe in only what you can see and feel is to be faithless.  Thomas could have easily said “I know He died, but if you say He is alive, then I will believe that.”  But He still had too much confidence in his natural senses.  Believe you are blessed because the Word says so, healed and anointed because the Word says so, on top and full of joy because the Word says so.  Do not be controlled by feelings or circumstances–-it is being faithless.

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:  blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

— John 20:29

Jesus told Thomas that the only reason he believed was because he saw.  Jesus’ words before the crucifixion, “I will be raised on the third day,” had no place in Thomas, or in the other disciples.  The disciples’ words of “We have seen the Lord!” had no impact on Thomas’ believing.  He made a decision of his will:  “...I will not believe, unless.”  Many Christians will not believe “unless.”  They will not believe they are healed unless they feel healed.  They will not believe they are anointed unless they feel anointed.  They will not simply trust in the Word with all their hearts.  The result is that they miss the blessing, or the hook-up to God’s supernatural.  Jesus says to not be faithless but believing.  Why?  Because blessed, or empowered to prosper, are they that have not seen (or felt) and yet have believed.  Believing the right thing will hook you up to God’s supernatural blessings.  Believing the wrong thing will disconnect you from God’s blessings.  You will be hooked, connected, attached to, what you believe and you will receive what you believe.  How did it happen at your new birth?  You believed in Jesus as your Lord before He was your Lord; you believed in heaven without ever being there.  Now expand your believing into health, wealth, power, authority, and victory, even if you do not see it.  Blessed are you because you have not seen but yet believed!

Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

— John 4:48

Jesus was, in a way, scolding this man because he would not believe unless he saw signs and wonders.  Most of the Church lives on this level.  “I will believe if...I see something in the natural.”  “I will believe if...I feel like believing.”  Seeing and then believing is a choice to live in the natural.  Believing and then seeing is a choice to live in the supernatural.  Notice the power of your will in the area of faith.  “I will not believe!”  Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.  You can decide to believe whatever you want.  You can say “I will not believe except...,” or you can say I will believe.  Your will is the starting point of your faith and your connection to God’s blessings.  I may not feel good, I may have pain in my body, but I will believe I am healed in spite of how I feel and in spite of the pain.  I choose to put God’s Word in first place in my life, so I am healed!  People will tell you that is crazy, but, no, that is faith.  All the promises and provisions of God are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20).  They are past-tense facts.  They are yours today!  But there is contrary evidence in the natural to keep you from believing them.  You are a new creation!  You may not act like one, feel like one, or even look like one, but it does not change the fact that you are!  Stay in the Word until you get convinced that all the promises are yours, and take the “except” out of your believing.