WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT PREVENT ME FROM BELIEVING IN CHRIST?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with 
the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have 
seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his 
hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his 
side, I will not believe.” 
(John 20:24-25)

MEDITATION:
We read that one of the disciples of Jesus (Thomas) had some stipulations 
before he would believe that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead.
He was one of the twelve disciples committed to following the Lord.
He had been closely associated with the other eleven, 
but yet he would not accept their report that they had ‘seen the Lord’.

He is often referred to today as ‘doubting Thomas’.
Even though those he trusted said they had seen the Lord, he still needed 
to see for himself, and he wanted to see signs that it is in fact, Jesus.
We might read this account of Thomas and the other disciples and wonder,
“How could Thomas not trust and believe those who told Him about Jesus”.

But before we are too critical of Thomas, 
we need to think about our own belief.
God has called some people today to tell us about the Lord 
and what He did for us, but for some reason, many choose 
not to believe the message, or the scriptures.
Granted, Thomas had seen Jesus physically and walked with Him, 
but He did not have the advantage of reading about Him as we do today.

Look at how Thomas responded when Jesus appeared again before the disciples, 
and he saw the confirming signs of the Lord’s crucifixion.
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

How did Jesus respond to Thomas?
Did He rebuke him for not believing his fellow disciples?
No, He confirmed his belief 
and then addressed those who have not seen Him, but still believe. 
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; 
blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

We can all agree that many obstacles to believing are removed whenever we 
see something firsthand and do not have to accept the report of someone else.
So, what is the message from Jesus?
Is He implying that it will be harder for people to believe in Him,
if they have never seen Him physically?
All we know for sure is that He says we will be blessed for believing in Him.

ACTION:
The word ‘faith’ is defined as:
“A complete trust or confidence in someone or something”, and, 
“A strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, 
based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.”

What stipulations do you have that must be met, 
before you will believe in Christ?
Or, have you believed in Him already, 
as a result of being ‘spiritually convicted’?

Would you agree that it is difficult 
to have faith in someone you know nothing about?
That is why God has given us His Word to read, and faithful followers who 
have been called to help us develop a better understanding of the scriptures.

It is important for us to read the Bible on a daily basis, 
and to spend time listening to the expositors of God’s Word.
At the same time, we need to pray that we are not deceived by others.
Jesus gave us this message:
“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs 
and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Mark 13:22)

In addition, we need to guard against choosing to believe 
only the things sound good, or fit into our current lifestyle.
Paul gave us this warning:
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. 
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great 
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 
(2 Timothy 4:3)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I do believe in Your Son, Jesus Christ. I believe that He 
physically walked the earth in human form, that He died for my sins, that 
He was crucified on the cross, that He was resurrected from the dead, and 
that He is alive and with You. Forgive me for my unbelief and help me to 
show the sincerity of my faith through my attitudes, character, and the 
things I do and say. Show me how You want me to serve You, and give me the 
courage and determination to fulfill Your desires for me. I realize that 
when I answer Your call to serve, I will be blessed!”