LUKE 22:67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:
Nobody can be pushed into believing anything. Based on our assessment of the evidence put forth to us, each of us decides whether or not to believe something.
Though faith and belief may have multiple interpretations in English, they are both alternative spellings of the same Greek word in the New Testament. Faith is the noun for the same term for which believe is the verb. (Think and thought are similar words in English.)
JOHN 20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
Thomas said, "I WILL NOT believe," as you will see.
Many believe that witnessing miracles will inspire faith in others. But those who choose to take the miracle as proper support for their belief are the only ones who do so in response to witnessing miracles. There is still an option.
JOHN 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
I formerly believed that faith was more of an emotion or condition of being that was hard to define with precision. But I now realize that no matter how we may feel, once we choose to believe, we are in faith.
Without evidence, we cannot, however, believe or have faith in anything. Before we can believe anything, we need convincing evidence.
God's Word is the main piece of evidence He has provided for us to have faith in Him. God is trustworthy because He is not a liar.
So, if someone claims they lack faith, the remedy is for them to consider the proof provided by God's Word, after which they can decide whether or not to accept what God said as true. They will then possess faith. They may not feel anything at that time, yet they still have belief.
Speaking in accordance with God's Word is the main manifestation of faith to God. So, by the words we choose, we communicate what we believe. And then, regardless of emotions or circumstances, we maintain that position of faith.
SAY THIS: You can't force me to believe anything. I have to choose a belief.
