Unbelief and fog have a lot in common. Not surprisingly, there are many parallels between the thick, tiny water droplets that hover just above the earth’s surface that make roadways and signposts difficult to see and the fog of unbelief that can cause even the very elect of Christ to lose their eternal crown.
Both types of fog have a certain mystique that creeps into every nook and cranny of our lives and mockingly linger with an otherworldliness that makes us shiver. But while the physical fog will dissipate with the heat of the sun, the fog of unbelief does not always evaporate so easily.
Where Does The Fog Come From?
“Basically, fog forms when warm air meets colder air. When this happens, water vapor in the air — a gas — is cooled enough for the gas to turn to a liquid in the form of tiny water droplets. This process is called “condensation.”
We see those groups of tiny droplets as clouds or, when they’re close to the ground, as fog. As the air heats up again, fog will slowly disappear as the tiny water droplets once again return to a gas in the form of water vapor.” -From Wonderopolis <<Read More About Fog Here>>
Similarly, the fog of unbelief occurs when the warm air of the Holy Spirit meets the cold air of our human heart. This Spiritual Condensation can happen when our prayer life slips, our Bible reading becomes routine, or our attitudes start being ruled by our human nature instead of God’s heavenly nature.
Is Unbelief a 20th Century Phenomenon?
No, unbelief has been around since Satan was kicked out of heaven. Unbelief even prevented the Lord Jesus Christ from doing some miracles because the people He was trying to help didn’t believe. The Apostle Paul told the New Testament church that some Christ followers had been broken off from the living branch of God because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:58, Romans 11:20, Mark 16:14)
How Damaging is the Fog?
Fog is incredibly damaging. It’s hazy, ghost-like presence transcends even common objects into eerie shadows of themselves and causes otherwise mentally sound and capable people to make grave misjudgments. Consider the affects of fog on one of the worst automobile accidents in U. S. history:
15 Killed and Over 50 Hurt in Fog As 75 Vehicles Crash in Tennessee
AP
Published: December 12, 1990
A morning fog covered Interstate 75 over the Hiwassee River, about 40 miles northeast of Chattanooga, when the 75 vehicles began piling on both sides of the north-south highway about 9:30 A.M., said Cecil Whaley, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
People involved in the accident, which extended over more than a mile of the highway, told of hearing the crashing of metal and shattering of glass in the fog as dozens of tractor-trailers collided with each other and with cars. There were several explosions and fires, but there was no lasting threat from leaks of materials carried by some of the trucks, the authorities said.” <<Read Complete Story Here>>
And the fog of unbelief can be just as tragic.
Consider the following insights about unbelief from many of the founding fathers of faith.
“In all unbelief there are these two things: a good opinion of one’s self, and a bad opinion of God.” –Horatius Bonar
“Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do.” –Andrew Murray
As no good is done or spoken or thought by any man without the assistance of God, working in and with those that believe in him, so there is no evil done, or spoken, or thought without the assistance of the devil, who worketh with strong though secret power in the children of unbelief. All the works of our evil nature are the work of the devil. –John Wesley
“But the very ransomed children of God themselves: why do they know so little of that habitual conscious communion with God which the Scriptures seem to offer? The answer is our chronic unbelief. Faith enables our spiritual sense to function. Where faith is defective the result will be inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things.” –A.W. Tozer
Keeping Unbelief At Bay
So where does all of this leave us? How do we as Christ-followers keep unbelief in check? The Holy Bible offers us a powerful example of dealing with unbelief in Mark chapter 9.
“And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.” -Mark 9:17-27
Obviously, we learn from this example that asking for the Lord’s help is very important in keeping the fog of unbelief at bay.
Here a few more tips to help you make sure that the fog of unbelief doesn’t settle in on you:
Memorize Scripture
The Psalmist said “Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11) Since unbelief is a sin, then we can do a better job of keeping it away by committing to memorize God’s word.
Pray God’s Word
Praying God’s word is always a powerful antedote to sin. Since God’s word is truth, it slices away at any false beliefs that try to attach themselves to our hearts and mind. The spoken word of God is known as the Rhema and means that it is living and active, like a sword that does battle.
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” -Hebrews 4:12
Author Beth Moore, has a wonderful book called Praying God’s Word that I have used for years. In this book, there is a whole chapter devoted to word-of-God-prayers for unbelief. I highly recommend it.
Tell Somebody
If unbelief has become more than just a fleeting thought and you find yourself struggling in prayer and/or in church service with doubting the truth of God’s word, then it’s time to go to a trusted mentor and ask them to pray with you. This doesn’t mean that you are a failure or that you are backslidden. It just means that somewhere along the line the fog got the best of you and you need to reach out to a fellow believer to regain your spiritual clarity. (James 5:16)
In a physical fog we naturally reach out to others to get our bearings. We check the weather report, we follow the tail lights of the person in the car in front of us, or we call someone who might be farther up the road than us to find out how far the fog reaches and what the traffic is like. Why is it so hard for us to do the same in spiritual realm?
Please know that not all fogs of unbelief are your fault. Even if it is, you will continue to sink into deception if you don’t have the courage to reach out. In Jesus name, I pray that if this post is speaking to you that you contact someone today for prayer. I promise that you will amazed at how the warmth and heat of their prayers will make your personal fog of unbelief dissipate.
Let’s Pray
Precious Lord Jesus, please remove the fog of unbelief from my valued reader. Let the warmth of your power and might descend down on them right now wherever they are and begin to burn off their doubts and fears with the warmth of your spirit. You are the Holy, Almighty God and you can do all things. In Your holy name, Amen.
I truly enjoy examining on this web site, it has good blog posts. “And all the winds go sighing, For sweet things dying.” by Christina Georgina Rossetti.