Mental assent is intellectually accepting the Word of God as true, respecting and agreeing with it, but not allowing it to have an impact in your life. While agreeing with the Word is a positive step, it’s not enough for the Word to work in our lives. We must take that agreement further. We have to mix the Word with faith.
“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2).
When you read a Scripture, do you agree with it and then walk away, forgetting about it? If so, it didn’t benefit you because you didn’t combine faith with it.
In Matthew 17 and Mark 9, we encounter the story of a father who brings his tormented son to the disciples seeking healing. The disciples, who had been entrusted with the authority to heal the sick and had successfully done so before, were unable to do it again in this particular instance.
When Jesus arrived at the scene, He healed the boy and proclaimed that all things are possible to those who have faith (Mark 9:23). When the disciples questioned why they had failed to achieve results, Jesus responded, “Because of your unbelief. For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, ‘Move from here and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you’” (Matthew 17:20).
Although the disciples had previously healed others, when faced with this demon tormenting this boy, they didn’t truly believe in the authority Jesus had given them.
Whether its healing or deliverance or provision, many Christians struggle to receive from God, and they wonder why they aren’t seeing results. In this story, Jesus clearly states the reason. “Because of your unbelief.”
What I’m about to say, I say to myself. It’s hard to hear, but it’s something we all need to hear. The persistent challenges I face in life stem from areas where I have unbelief; the same is true for you, too. Rather than get offended, perhaps it’s time for us to acknowledge that God’s kind of faith is different from mental assent and hope. If everything is possible to those who believe, and unbelief is the reason behind our inability to receive, it’s time for us to deepen our understanding of what God’s kind of faith entails.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
It’s not what we’ve heard in the past that brings faith to life, but what we’re currently hearing from Him. This principle was true for Jesus and remains relevant for us as well (John 5:19). We can’t sustain our faith on the basis of yesterday’s experiences, our emotions, or mere mental agreement with the Word. To possess the kind of faith that Jesus exemplified, we must actively hear Him speaking to us in our hearts right now.
To have God’s kind of faith, we must become totally immersed in the Living Word of God (Matthew 4:4). Rather than making religious excuses or becoming offended, we need to believe Jesus’ words and focus on our spiritual hearing. He’s speaking (John 10:27). We should be listening.
To steadfastly believe in the Word, we must actively nurture and cultivate the mustard seed of faith that we have been given. We start by meditating on a Word, rereading it, and praying over it, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal its meaning and guiding us to related verses. As we meditate on that Word throughout the day, it will become more tangible to us. We must continue meditating on it, regardless of how long it takes, until faith is firmly established in our hearts regarding that truth. Once faith is conceived, then we must act on it.
“For just as the [human] body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience] is also dead” (James 2:26, AMP).
How we respond to our faith is dependent on the specific truth it relates to. When we hear the Word to be a cheerful giver in our hearts, we joyfully give. When we hear that the power of life and death are in our tongues, then we guard our mouths and how we speak. When we hear that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed, then we speak and believe as though we are. With our mustard seed of faith, nothing is impossible
As we hear the Word of God anew each day, let us diligently allow it to truly penetrate our hearts, enabling us to genuinely believe in it and faithfully apply it as devoted doers of the Word.
“But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth]” (James 1:22, AMP).
Let’s continue to hear the Word until its meaning becomes ingrained in our minds and hearts—until it manifests in every aspect of our lives. This is our continuous journey of faith. Let’s hear Him for the rest of our lives.
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