If we confess, He is faithful…

A husband once came home and pretended to be drunk. Although he was unsaved, his wife was a Christian. Shocked by his behavior, she lost her temper and lashed out with very angry words at the man.

When he revealed that it was only a prank, she became even more upset, doubled down on her outburst, and shut herself in the bedroom. When she calmed down, she felt deeply embarrassed for having gone so far.

The next morning, she prepared breakfast. Although the man was not a believer, he often respected her enough to let her bless the food before the meal. The wife said, “Before I pray, I need to apologize for how far I went yesterday.”

She told him she had spent much of the night asking God to forgive her, but she still needed to apologize to him. The husband said, “No, you forgive me. I’m the one who made you mad.” She insisted that he forgive her, and after they went back and forth, he finally said, “I forgive you,” and then she prayed.

I need to feel forgiven

Later, she went to her pastor and said, “I want you to pray for me so God will give me a feeling that He has forgiven me.” The preacher asked, “Do you believe your husband has forgiven you?” She answered, “Oh yes, he’s a good man. Even though he doesn’t know the Lord, I know he has forgiven me.” Then the preacher said, “Sister, you believe your unsaved husband’s forgiveness more than you believe the God who said, ‘If you confess your sins, I am faithful and just to forgive.’”

Belief is of the heart, not the head or the feelings

The Bible says, “With the heart (not the head or the feelings) man believes, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). Belief happens in the heart; the human spirit, not in your head or even your mind. Even if your mind says otherwise, we do not believe with the mind.

In fact, doubt also takes place in the heart, not in the head. That is why your head can be wrong while your heart is right. Jesus taught this clearly when He said, “…and shall not doubt in his heart…” (Mark 11:23). He also asked, “Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38), showing again that the heart is where belief and doubt take root.

Peter later referred to it as “the hidden man of the heart,” and Paul called it “the inward man”: “…though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Unfortunately, we often focus on the outward man: our feelings and senses, but there is a man inside you whom you cannot see with your physical eyes.

That inward man is the residence of both belief and doubt. Believe in the heart, not the head. Believe in the heart, not the feelings. Believe in the heart, that’s where faith grows, and that’s where doubt tries to live.