“A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued: ‘Is anyone up there?’ ‘I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
’Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer.’ ‘That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch.’ A moment of pause, then: ‘Is anyone else up there?’"[1]

This abovementioned story humorously illustrates for us our reluctance to trust God.  Failing to do so is rooted in the sin of unbelief. As a matter of fact, Satan’s best ploy to hinder our walk with God is the sin of unbelief.

One of the main areas that he tries he tries to attack believers with unbelief is the area of our identity. The enemy knows that if he can get us to doubt in this area, he will get the victory over us that he is fighting so hard to attain. As one man said, “Little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your soul.” When we maintain great faith in the truth of God’s Word regarding our identity in Jesus Christ we will indeed access heaven’s resources and walk in victory.

The best way I have found to appropriate God’s promises in my life is faith’s confession of God’s Word. This means I decide to verbally confess God’s truth which reinforces that same truth in my heart. It is declaring with my lips what I believe in my heart whether I feel like it or not.  It is simply standing on the promises of God by confessing them with my mouth.

Joshua 6:10 declares, “But Joshua had commanded the people, ‘Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout’!” Joshua understood what had taken place several years before; the Children of Israel, instead of trusting God in the face of adversity, decided to murmur and complain. In the passage, Joshua is attempting to shut the mouth of unbelief. Likewise, we too need to silence unbelief in our hearts by confessing the truth about who we are in Jesus Christ. All too often we let either the world or Satan’s lies define us. However, what we need to do is replace our old, ungodly belief systems with a new one. This involves doing what we need to do to renew our minds.

I would like to commission everyone this week to do just that – renew your minds. To do this, I would like to offer some advice. This week write the truth statements that are listed below on some 3x5 cards, then carry them in your pocket. When you get time take the cards out of your pocket and verbally confess these truths out loud. Try to do this several times a day. When this becomes a daily habit over a period of time you will notice a spiritual victory taking place.