August 2026 Magazine Article: Unbelief… the Robber
The following VOE article appeared in Volume 6 No. 3
UNBELIEF… THE ROBBER
I want to tell you about a city that was robbed. From the richest politician to the poorest beggar, each was robbed by unbelief. Matthew 13:53-58 gives the account.
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, inasmuch that they were astonished, and said, ‘Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?’
“Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then has this man all these things?
“And they were OFFENDED in him. But Jesus said unto them, ‘A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country and in his own house.’ AND HE DID NOT MANY MIGHTY WORKS THERE BECAUSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF.”
Jesus’ ministry of healing had great results in Galilee, Capernaum, and round about Jerusalem; but He had very few results in His hometown of Nazareth. Luke 4:16-30 gives us the account of Christ preaching in a synagogue at Nazareth. After telling His audience that Elijah and Elisha were rejected by the Jews, therefore God sent them to minister to Gentiles, the audience rose up to kill Him. They attempted to take His life by casting Him headlong over one of the large rocky cliffs; but Christ supernaturally walked through the midst of them unharmed.
From that moment on (for 3 ½ years) the world saw a great light, but Nazareth dwelt in darkness and ignorance. This city rejected this “hometown boy turned prophet.” They were more concerned with who gave this carpenter’s son this authority, than they were in recognizing God’s power on Christ’s ministry. Instead of Nazareth saying, “Christ is the Messiah. God has honored us and visited our city,” their unbelieving attitude was “Jesus is just the son of Mary and the carpenter, Joseph.” They missed the time of His visitation. They didn’t recognize the Savior in their midst. As a result, they missed seeing firsthand the miracle working power of God in their midst.
Parallel in the Church World
I see this same unbelief prevailing in some circles in the church world. There is a great move of the Holy Ghost sweeping the world like a mighty wind. Many people from the older denominations are receiving the Holy Spirit and operating in the Word of God. Testimonies are being heard of outstanding things occurring, which are coming from God. They are supernatural! Yet, many churches sit back and say, “If God is doing this in the charismatic movement, why isn’t it happening in our churches? If it were real, we would be seeing it, too!”
Friend, it is happening all around us, yet we are becoming like Nazareth and missing the visitation. Many of us Pentecostals have grown up with Him working in our churches. Yet now, many other denominations are passing us by, while we sit back and become critical of those who are claiming God’s gifts in their life. The real problem is this: we have fallen into unbelief. Many of us can’t even listen with faith to a minister, under God’s anointing, tell a true illustration without questioning in our minds, “I wonder if that really happened.”
Some think that because Christ was God’s Son, He could have worked great miracles in Nazareth, DESPITE their unbelief. I do not believe this. One gospel writer said, “He, there (in Nazareth), could do no mighty works, save He laid His hands upon a few sick folks and healed them (Mark 6) Literally, Christ COULD NOT do mighty miracles. Only a few with minor ailments were delivered. Doesn’t that sound like us today? We have people with great needs who need mighty miracles, but only those with minor ailments are receiving. Our unbelief is robbing us of God’s best. There are things God could do for us, but He won’t because of our unbelief.
God Works Through Grace – Yet Through Faith
There are things that God does simply because He exercises great grace upon us to demonstrate His love. I have, on several occasions, seen even drunken sinners be healed by the power of God. I remember in Pearisburg, Virginia when an elderly man wandered into the building from off the street. He was so drunk you could smell him when he entered the back door. That night I had a prayer line for the sick. He stumbled out of his seat to the front. He said, “Can you pray that God will heal me? I cracked several ribs and I’m in severe pain.” I touched his ribs (where he had pointed) and he began to yell. I knew he was really hurt. I said to him, “Sir, I will pray for God to heal you under one condition. If God will instantly heal those ribs, I want you to get saved and accept Jesus.” He agreed. I prayed, and he began to yell and jump up and down. He said, “There’s no pain!” He hit himself in the ribs to prove it. He came back the next night and was sober. He prayed the sinners’ prayer and accepted the Lord!
That man was not healed because of his goodness. He was healed because of God’s grace. Many things God does (even miracles), He does because of His favor upon humanity. He loves people.
Someone may say, “But I serve the Lord, pay my tithes, and have been prayed for, but nothing has happened.” Since you know the Word of God, you should have faith. You already have the grace of salvation and the gift of the Holy Ghost, but you should have faith. Don’t try to receive from God because of your credit account of all the good things you have done for Him. God has already settled the old account! Accept His power and miracles because you BELIEVE in Him and expect Him to do it!
Some people can hear a gospel message and be thrilled about it. Others can hear the same message, and it has no effect upon them. Why? The same sun that melts wax also hardens clay. The same electricity that cooks chicken can freeze chicken. The same gospel that sets men free can cause others to become hardened. It is not so much the Word that does this, as your REACTION to the Word. Your heart’s reaction to God’s Word determines your level of belief.
Relief for Unbelief
There is no sure cure for unbelief. Because we are surrounded by a world which is continually operating off unbelief, it is difficult to continually walk the faith walk, without bits of unbelief attempting to seep into our minds. But here are things we can do to keep unbelief from dwelling in our hearts. You can’t keep birds from flying, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair!
- Think on good things. Your mind is not a garbage can. You are a child of God, bought by the blood of Christ. There are some things you don’t have to hear. If certain things seem to bring depression and cause unbelief to enter your heart, don’t dwell on those things. Think on good things. Hear good reports.
- Keep a renewed mind. You keep a renewed mind by allowing the gift of the Holy Spirit to stay stirred in your spirit. I personally feel that every believer should have private devotions every day. Set aside a time when you can spend precious moments alone in the presence of God. During these private devotions, you should read sections of God’s Word and pray in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit keeps you in tune with the will of God. The mind of a man only knows the things of man, but the Spirit of God knows the things of God.
- Don’t allow unbelief to gain control. Resist the unbelief. Fight the battles with the Word of God. Unbelief questions if God’s Word is true. Unbelief says God can’t do what He has said He can and will do. Unbelief is the opposite of faith. God never rebuked faith, but always rebuked unbelief. You are a faith creature, made in God’s image. You were not made to doubt God; you were created to believe upon Him!
Feed your faith and starve your doubts. If you practice these three simple steps, I believe it will help you not only to overcome unbelief, but keep unbelief from overcoming you!