One of the first things a Gardener does when planting a garden is test the soil’s condition, removing stones and weeds to ensure that the seed will take root. If weeds aren’t removed, any good seeds planted will not flourish.
One of the most detrimental weeds in a “heart garden” is the weed of unbelief. It enters subtly and slowly strangles your prayers, keeping them from producing Kingdom results.
Vigilance is needed here! Surveying the land of your heart should be done on a regular basis. I have found journaling and prayer to be an effective way to check what is in my heart and to guard it, particularly against those subtle attacks.
Satan’s tactic is to fill your heart with seeds of unbelief because he knows that when the seed of God’s Word is planted and watered with faith – it will grow and produce. So he “suggests” thoughts of worry, hoping you will focus on your circumstances and live in unbelief and hopelessness. Unbelief will choke your prayers and wrap it’s tendrils around you, tripping you up and throwing you off course. Your spirit will be unfruitful as a result, and your faith will waiver.
So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. Hebrews 3:12 (MSG)
Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. James 1:6-8 MSG
Therefore guard your heart from unbelief, and if you find such weeds menacing the garden of your heart – yank them out quickly! Then, plant the seed of God’s Word in its place, watering it daily with your faith.
5 Steps to Uprooting Unbelief:
- Plow up hardened areas of your heart by examining yourself through journaling and prayer.
- Yank out weeds of unbelief and worry that God reveals. Log everything God shows you in your journal and confess them one by one, asking Him to forgive you. Forsake the sin of unbelief and refuse to FOCUS on your problems any longer. Focus instead on God and His plans, His desires, His promises and be renewed and strengthened to weather the storms of your life regardless of the circumstances in which you find yourself.
- Plant scripture promises that relate to areas where you are worrying. Write them in your journal and plant them through prayer. FOCUS on God’s Word!
- Water your promises with your faith daily – thanking God for the answer even before you see it come to pass with your physical eyes. Call things that are not as though they are, “Now, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Heb. 11:1, NIV)
- Guard your heart and prayer plants from the strangling weeds of unbelief; forewarned is forearmed — do not let the enemy’s tactics gain a foothold, claim God’s promise to you: “no weapon forged against you will prevail,” (Isa. 54:17 (a, NIV)
Watch to see what God will do! Below you will find a few examples of what worrying your prayers looks like and what the prayer of faith looks like.
Prayer Examples Problem: Your teenager is rebellious and drinking.
Worrying Your Prayers: God, I don’t know what we will do. He will never change, he is such a mess, there’s no hope for him. Help us.
Faith Filled Prayer: Lord, thank you for your Word that says you rescue the children of the godly. I am greatly concerned for my son, but I stand on Your Word, which says You gave him a heart to know you and promises he will return to you with all of his heart. Hallelujah!
Tip: You can detect unbelief by looking at how you respond to circumstances or people. Are you worrying about them? Are you filled with fear or anxiety? Are words of unbelief spilling from your mouth? Have you fallen under your circumstances and can’t get up? If so, it is time to check your heart to see if the weed of unbelief is present.
For more information on cultivating your heart, read Mud On My Knees.
Debra Bosacki – The Journaling Coach