The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.” – Psalm 14:1

Those of us who are unashamed followers of Jesus may be quick to exempt ourselves from that verse. Don’t be so quick to exonerate yourself.  At some level, we are all unbelievers.

Notice that David observed that a fool says in his heart that God does not exist. The fool is not merely the one who dare proclaims with his tongue an arrogant disbelief in the existence of God. It is equally foolish – no, even more foolish – to allow our hearts to misbelieve the promises of God about who He is and what He has done for us in Christ.

In the Biblical sense, the heart is “command central” of our lives. The heart represents our thoughts, affections, desires, emotions, and will. Our heart DETERMINES our behavior.

To “say in our heart” there is no God goes beyond the “macro-belief” in the existence of God. Rather, it  involves the “micro-belief” of our trust Him, His word, and His work for the daily situations of our lives. We say there is no God when we live even one moment in misbelief of God and His plan of redemption and restoration.

While we may never be so brash as to verbalize a disbelief in God’s existence, we all too often loudly proclaim our disbelief when we apply human answers to the problems of everyday life.

What A Fool Looks Like

Several actions constitute such a non-verbal proclamation:

• We may blatantly disobey something God has clearly told us to do or not do.
• We may selfishly desire something God doesn’t want us to have.
• We may plan and plot without considering God’s wishes and His plans.
• We may harbor ill feelings toward others and refuse to offer the same grace to them we have received from God.
• We may seek our own fulfillment and self-gratification rather than finding our pleasure in Him.

Be sure today that your heart is not playing an April Fool’s Joke on you. Examine your heart – your actions, affections, attitudes and see if your heart is disbelieving God.