October 2, 2025 • 15 mins
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Read the blog post for this podcast here: Choosing to Believe: Finding Faith in Jesus When Doubt Creeps In
What does it really mean to believe in Jesus? In this episode, I share my own journey of faith—through doubt, questions, and God’s steady presence. Whether you’re struggling to believe or wanting to grow deeper, this message will encourage your heart.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Audrey (00:00):
Hi friends, welcome back to Grace for My Home.
I'm Audrey McCracken and I'm soglad to be back with you again
this week.
I hope that you're doing well.
We have had an eventful week,lots going on.
Right now I'm waiting for myson Caleb.
He's in drum lessons and I'm inthe van waiting on him, and I
thought this would be a greattime to do the podcast.
(00:21):
Today I wanted to talk with youabout believing in Jesus.
Last week I shared a little bitabout the gospel and what the
gospel means.
And this week I want to share alittle bit with you about
believing in Jesus, becausethat's the crux, that's the
root, that is the center of thegospel, is that we believe in
(00:45):
Jesus.
And not just that we believethat he lived or that there was
a man named Jesus that lived,but that he is who he said he
is, because that's what our hoperests on.
I grew up in church and Ilearned the gospel story, and I
learned the Bible stories, and Icould tell you all the things.
(01:08):
I could tell you who Jesus wasand where he was born and how
all that went about, and youknow, all of the basic Christian
doctrines I could tell you fromprobably a pretty young age,
because I grew up in church.
But that there comes a timewhen we have to believe for
(01:33):
ourselves, not because we weretaught that way, not because we
grew up in a Christian home, notbecause we somebody told us
about it, but because we chooseto believe.
Belief is is very important toGod.
I did a whole podcast on that,how God is looking for someone
to believe.
We hear the gospel, the gospelis presented to us, but there
(01:57):
comes a time when we must choosethe gospel for ourselves.
Believing in Jesus is always achoice.
You know, there's a saying thatthat says, you know, I believe
it when I see it.
But Christianity is a littledifferent.
With being a believer, webelieve and then we see.
(02:18):
You know, all we have we arepresented with a choice, and we
get to choose.
One of the the most awesomethings that God has given us is
our free will, and it's veryprecious, it's very unique.
We have been given by God theability to choose for ourselves,
(02:39):
and that ability is so awesomeand so complete that we can even
choose not to choose him, wecan even choose not to believe.
But he gives us opportunity tobelieve.
When when I became a Christian,I remember reading through the
gospels, and one of the thingsthat frustrated me, and I'm just
(03:03):
being honest here, maybe thiswas just, you know, being an
immature Christian.
But when I when I read throughthe Gospels about how Jesus died
and all he was crucified, hewas tortured, he was humiliated,
and he was falsely accused, hewas betrayed by those that he
loved.
You know, he did so much good.
(03:24):
Jesus went about doing good.
It says that in the Bible.
He went about doing good, hewent about healing people and
setting people free, and and forall of that good, he was
crucified.
He was he was killed, and hewas sentenced to a sinner's
death.
And on the third day, he roseagain.
(03:46):
And so many times I thought,why didn't he go to those who
put him on that cross?
I wanted him to show himself tothose who had put him there,
those who had betrayed him.
I want I wanted him to setthings right.
And he is gonna set thingsright, but not my way.
(04:08):
And when I read through thatgospel, when I read through the
gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke,and John, and you know, he did
not do that the way I wanted himto do that.
He did present himself topeople.
You know, there were he he'sactually presented himself to
large crowds, but those werecrowds of believers.
Because, see, when you believein Jesus, that's when you get to
(04:32):
see him.
He manifests himself tobelievers, and as we believe, we
get to see him more and moreand more, but it's always a
choice.
As a young Christian, Iremember wanting so much to see
miracles, and I have seenmiracles.
Um, God's done miracles in myown life.
(04:54):
Actually, just me being aChristian to me is a miracle
because I know how I was beforeand I see who I am now, and I
see that my life is a miracle.
But I remember so wanting Godto do big things because I
wanted to see his power.
I wanted to see, you know, thatjustification that my God is
(05:17):
real.
And when I think back sometimesof, you know, my those early
years when I so wanted to seegreat miracles, and I still love
great miracles, don't get mewrong.
I would love to see greatmiracles, and I believe one day
we will see great miracles.
But sometimes my reason forwanting to see those things was
(05:41):
so that it would help me tobelieve.
I thought if I could see God dosomething huge, something big,
then you know there'd be proof.
You know, my faith is not invain because here is God doing
big things.
And I there's nothing wrongwith loving miracles and seeing
miracles and praying for amiracle.
(06:03):
But God is honored when webelieve, when we just take him
at his word and believe.
That is when he is glorified.
You know, he told Thomas,Thomas, Thomas said, I will not
believe until I see him, until Iput my hand in his side, until
I see the nail prints in hishand.
I will not believe.
(06:24):
And Jesus appeared to him andhe showed him those things.
And then he said, You believebecause you see, but blessed are
those who do not see yet stillbelieve.
And that's us.
You know, we have not seenJesus with our natural eyes, we
have not touched him with ourearthly hands, and but we are
(06:46):
blessed now because we believewithout seeing.
And like I said, that is achoice, and it's a leap of
faith.
There was a time in my lifewhen I did not believe.
I grew up in church, but Iwanted to get away from
everything I knew, and I had ahard family life, and I wanted
to get away from my family andeverybody I knew.
(07:09):
And so I went away to collegeas far away as I could afford.
And at that, that was a pointin my life where I really wasn't
sure what I believed.
I was running from God, I wasrunning from myself, I was
running from everybody.
And during that time, I reallydid not know if I believed in
God anymore and if I believed inJesus.
(07:31):
But I remember my last year atcollege being presented with the
gospel in such a very clear anddirect way.
God was pulling me and He wasgiving me the opportunity not
just to know the gospel, but toput my faith in it.
Not just to know about Jesus,but to believe in Jesus.
(07:55):
And I remember very distinctlythat this was my choice.
That God was giving me theopportunity, but I was the one
who was gonna have to make thatchoice to believe.
And I'm so glad I did.
You know, I I put my trust inJesus.
I said, Jesus, I believe.
(08:17):
I don't understand everything,I don't, you know, I don't have
it all figured out.
I have a lot of questions, butI choose this day to put my
trust in you.
And it was a turning point formy life.
And during that time, he wouldgive me little breadcrumbs.
You know, there would be thingsI would need, and I hadn't even
really prayed about them, butthey would be there when I
(08:38):
needed them.
And there were other times thatI would really pray for things
that I needed, and God wouldseem to do miracles, you know,
to bring those things that Ineeded about, sometimes in the
most unusual ways.
But he was he was increasing myfaith, he was strengthening my
prayer life, he was showing methat I'm here, and you know, and
(08:59):
he doesn't do those things allthe time or they wouldn't be
special, but he was building myfaith.
And when I look back now, Ithink, Lord, thank you.
Thank you that you took mylittle seed of faith and you
helped it grow.
And and the more I prayed andthe more I saw God move in my
life, the more I believed.
(09:20):
But he appears, he manifestshimself to those who believe.
And he even you know gives usthis prayer in the Bible of
Lord, I believe, help myunbelief.
A father prayed that prayer forhis son.
He brought his son to Jesus forhim to be healed, and he said,
(09:42):
Lord, if you can heal my son,and Jesus said, if, and he said,
Lord, I do believe, help myunbelief.
And so we have to make thatchoice, that that choice to
believe.
But we as Christians, we do notlive in a world surrounded by
those who believe.
Quite the contrary, we live ina world surrounded by those who
(10:07):
do not believe.
And so it is a challenge.
It's a challenge to our faith.
And not only are we in a worldwhere many don't believe, but
we're in a world where peopleare actually hostile to the
towards the gospel and towardsus who do believe.
And Jesus said that wouldhappen.
He said, you know, in thisworld you will have you will
have trouble, but be of goodcheer.
(10:29):
I have overcome the world.
And he also said, as they havehated me, so the world, as the
world has hated me, so it willhate you.
And he also told us, love yourenemies, pray for those who
despitefully use you.
We do not have the luxury ofhating those who hate us or
(10:50):
doing wrong to those who havewronged us.
God asks us to live on a higherplane.
And in this world, we will havetrouble, we will have doubts,
we will have people who try totake our faith away, but we have
to choose to believe.
And there is a grace for that.
There is a special grace forthose who want to believe but
(11:14):
are surrounded by doubt, whohold on even when it's hard.
And if you're one of thosepeople, if you're struggling
with faith, if you're trying tohold on to your faith in a
season where it just feelsalmost impossible, I want to
encourage you that you're notalone, that it's okay to go to
(11:36):
God and say, Lord, help me.
Help my Lord, I believe, helpmy unbelief.
Actually, I think that makes usstronger when we can just be
honest and say, Lord, I'mstruggling.
And I want to pray for youtoday.
And I just want you to knowthat we all go through seasons
of doubt, but Jesus wants you tomake him yours personally.
(11:57):
He wants you to believe, notjust because you've been taught,
not just because everybodyaround you at church believes.
He wants you to believe becausehe's real and because you have
made that choice to believe inhim.
And he will show himself to youas you take a step towards him.
He has promised to take a steptowards you.
(12:19):
Let's pray.
Father, I pray for theseprecious ones today who are
listening.
I pray, God, that you wouldhelp us, Lord, in the areas
where we doubt.
Even if it's doubting you,Lord, I pray that you would
strengthen us in our faith.
I pray, God, that you wouldhelp us, Lord, in whatever
areas, Lord God, where we it'sjust hard to believe sometimes
(12:42):
that you're on our side, thatyou know what's best for us,
that you have a plan.
Lord, help us to put our trustin you.
Lord, help us to put our faithin you.
We love you, Lord.
And Lord, I just thank you foryour goodness in Jesus' name.
Amen.
I hope you have a great week.
If you have not done so, pleasego to my blog,
(13:04):
graceformyhome.com, and sign upfor my weekly newsletter.
I send out a weekly newsletterwith information about my blog
and my podcast and places whereI'll be speaking, and also
photos of my family, things Idon't like to share on the
internet or on social media.
I send those to my emailsubscribers because those are
mostly the people who I thinkcare about those kind of things.
(13:27):
So um, I hope you have a greatweek and God bless.
Bye bye.
Hi friends, welcome back to Grace for My Home.
I'm Audrey McCracken and I'm soglad to be back with you again
this week.
I hope that you're doing well.
We have had an eventful week,lots going on.
Right now I'm waiting for myson Caleb.
He's in drum lessons and I'm inthe van waiting on him, and I
thought this would be a greattime to do the podcast.
(00:21):
Today I wanted to talk with youabout believing in Jesus.
Last week I shared a little bitabout the gospel and what the
gospel means.
And this week I want to share alittle bit with you about
believing in Jesus, becausethat's the crux, that's the
root, that is the center of thegospel, is that we believe in
(00:45):
Jesus.
And not just that we believethat he lived or that there was
a man named Jesus that lived,but that he is who he said he
is, because that's what our hoperests on.
I grew up in church and Ilearned the gospel story, and I
learned the Bible stories, and Icould tell you all the things.
(01:08):
I could tell you who Jesus wasand where he was born and how
all that went about, and youknow, all of the basic Christian
doctrines I could tell you fromprobably a pretty young age,
because I grew up in church.
But that there comes a timewhen we have to believe for
(01:33):
ourselves, not because we weretaught that way, not because we
grew up in a Christian home, notbecause we somebody told us
about it, but because we chooseto believe.
Belief is is very important toGod.
I did a whole podcast on that,how God is looking for someone
to believe.
We hear the gospel, the gospelis presented to us, but there
(01:57):
comes a time when we must choosethe gospel for ourselves.
Believing in Jesus is always achoice.
You know, there's a saying thatthat says, you know, I believe
it when I see it.
But Christianity is a littledifferent.
With being a believer, webelieve and then we see.
(02:18):
You know, all we have we arepresented with a choice, and we
get to choose.
One of the the most awesomethings that God has given us is
our free will, and it's veryprecious, it's very unique.
We have been given by God theability to choose for ourselves,
(02:39):
and that ability is so awesomeand so complete that we can even
choose not to choose him, wecan even choose not to believe.
But he gives us opportunity tobelieve.
When when I became a Christian,I remember reading through the
gospels, and one of the thingsthat frustrated me, and I'm just
(03:03):
being honest here, maybe thiswas just, you know, being an
immature Christian.
But when I when I read throughthe Gospels about how Jesus died
and all he was crucified, hewas tortured, he was humiliated,
and he was falsely accused, hewas betrayed by those that he
loved.
You know, he did so much good.
(03:24):
Jesus went about doing good.
It says that in the Bible.
He went about doing good, hewent about healing people and
setting people free, and and forall of that good, he was
crucified.
He was he was killed, and hewas sentenced to a sinner's
death.
And on the third day, he roseagain.
(03:46):
And so many times I thought,why didn't he go to those who
put him on that cross?
I wanted him to show himself tothose who had put him there,
those who had betrayed him.
I want I wanted him to setthings right.
And he is gonna set thingsright, but not my way.
(04:08):
And when I read through thatgospel, when I read through the
gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke,and John, and you know, he did
not do that the way I wanted himto do that.
He did present himself topeople.
You know, there were he he'sactually presented himself to
large crowds, but those werecrowds of believers.
Because, see, when you believein Jesus, that's when you get to
(04:32):
see him.
He manifests himself tobelievers, and as we believe, we
get to see him more and moreand more, but it's always a
choice.
As a young Christian, Iremember wanting so much to see
miracles, and I have seenmiracles.
Um, God's done miracles in myown life.
(04:54):
Actually, just me being aChristian to me is a miracle
because I know how I was beforeand I see who I am now, and I
see that my life is a miracle.
But I remember so wanting Godto do big things because I
wanted to see his power.
I wanted to see, you know, thatjustification that my God is
(05:17):
real.
And when I think back sometimesof, you know, my those early
years when I so wanted to seegreat miracles, and I still love
great miracles, don't get mewrong.
I would love to see greatmiracles, and I believe one day
we will see great miracles.
But sometimes my reason forwanting to see those things was
(05:41):
so that it would help me tobelieve.
I thought if I could see God dosomething huge, something big,
then you know there'd be proof.
You know, my faith is not invain because here is God doing
big things.
And I there's nothing wrongwith loving miracles and seeing
miracles and praying for amiracle.
(06:03):
But God is honored when webelieve, when we just take him
at his word and believe.
That is when he is glorified.
You know, he told Thomas,Thomas, Thomas said, I will not
believe until I see him, until Iput my hand in his side, until
I see the nail prints in hishand.
I will not believe.
(06:24):
And Jesus appeared to him andhe showed him those things.
And then he said, You believebecause you see, but blessed are
those who do not see yet stillbelieve.
And that's us.
You know, we have not seenJesus with our natural eyes, we
have not touched him with ourearthly hands, and but we are
(06:46):
blessed now because we believewithout seeing.
And like I said, that is achoice, and it's a leap of
faith.
There was a time in my lifewhen I did not believe.
I grew up in church, but Iwanted to get away from
everything I knew, and I had ahard family life, and I wanted
to get away from my family andeverybody I knew.
(07:09):
And so I went away to collegeas far away as I could afford.
And at that, that was a pointin my life where I really wasn't
sure what I believed.
I was running from God, I wasrunning from myself, I was
running from everybody.
And during that time, I reallydid not know if I believed in
God anymore and if I believed inJesus.
(07:31):
But I remember my last year atcollege being presented with the
gospel in such a very clear anddirect way.
God was pulling me and He wasgiving me the opportunity not
just to know the gospel, but toput my faith in it.
Not just to know about Jesus,but to believe in Jesus.
(07:55):
And I remember very distinctlythat this was my choice.
That God was giving me theopportunity, but I was the one
who was gonna have to make thatchoice to believe.
And I'm so glad I did.
You know, I I put my trust inJesus.
I said, Jesus, I believe.
(08:17):
I don't understand everything,I don't, you know, I don't have
it all figured out.
I have a lot of questions, butI choose this day to put my
trust in you.
And it was a turning point formy life.
And during that time, he wouldgive me little breadcrumbs.
You know, there would be thingsI would need, and I hadn't even
really prayed about them, butthey would be there when I
(08:38):
needed them.
And there were other times thatI would really pray for things
that I needed, and God wouldseem to do miracles, you know,
to bring those things that Ineeded about, sometimes in the
most unusual ways.
But he was he was increasing myfaith, he was strengthening my
prayer life, he was showing methat I'm here, and you know, and
(08:59):
he doesn't do those things allthe time or they wouldn't be
special, but he was building myfaith.
And when I look back now, Ithink, Lord, thank you.
Thank you that you took mylittle seed of faith and you
helped it grow.
And and the more I prayed andthe more I saw God move in my
life, the more I believed.
(09:20):
But he appears, he manifestshimself to those who believe.
And he even you know gives usthis prayer in the Bible of
Lord, I believe, help myunbelief.
A father prayed that prayer forhis son.
He brought his son to Jesus forhim to be healed, and he said,
(09:42):
Lord, if you can heal my son,and Jesus said, if, and he said,
Lord, I do believe, help myunbelief.
And so we have to make thatchoice, that that choice to
believe.
But we as Christians, we do notlive in a world surrounded by
those who believe.
Quite the contrary, we live ina world surrounded by those who
(10:07):
do not believe.
And so it is a challenge.
It's a challenge to our faith.
And not only are we in a worldwhere many don't believe, but
we're in a world where peopleare actually hostile to the
towards the gospel and towardsus who do believe.
And Jesus said that wouldhappen.
He said, you know, in thisworld you will have you will
have trouble, but be of goodcheer.
(10:29):
I have overcome the world.
And he also said, as they havehated me, so the world, as the
world has hated me, so it willhate you.
And he also told us, love yourenemies, pray for those who
despitefully use you.
We do not have the luxury ofhating those who hate us or
(10:50):
doing wrong to those who havewronged us.
God asks us to live on a higherplane.
And in this world, we will havetrouble, we will have doubts,
we will have people who try totake our faith away, but we have
to choose to believe.
And there is a grace for that.
There is a special grace forthose who want to believe but
(11:14):
are surrounded by doubt, whohold on even when it's hard.
And if you're one of thosepeople, if you're struggling
with faith, if you're trying tohold on to your faith in a
season where it just feelsalmost impossible, I want to
encourage you that you're notalone, that it's okay to go to
(11:36):
God and say, Lord, help me.
Help my Lord, I believe, helpmy unbelief.
Actually, I think that makes usstronger when we can just be
honest and say, Lord, I'mstruggling.
And I want to pray for youtoday.
And I just want you to knowthat we all go through seasons
of doubt, but Jesus wants you tomake him yours personally.
(11:57):
He wants you to believe, notjust because you've been taught,
not just because everybodyaround you at church believes.
He wants you to believe becausehe's real and because you have
made that choice to believe inhim.
And he will show himself to youas you take a step towards him.
He has promised to take a steptowards you.
(12:19):
Let's pray.
Father, I pray for theseprecious ones today who are
listening.
I pray, God, that you wouldhelp us, Lord, in the areas
where we doubt.
Even if it's doubting you,Lord, I pray that you would
strengthen us in our faith.
I pray, God, that you wouldhelp us, Lord, in whatever
areas, Lord God, where we it'sjust hard to believe sometimes
(12:42):
that you're on our side, thatyou know what's best for us,
that you have a plan.
Lord, help us to put our trustin you.
Lord, help us to put our faithin you.
We love you, Lord.
And Lord, I just thank you foryour goodness in Jesus' name.
Amen.
I hope you have a great week.
If you have not done so, pleasego to my blog,
(13:04):
graceformyhome.com, and sign upfor my weekly newsletter.
I send out a weekly newsletterwith information about my blog
and my podcast and places whereI'll be speaking, and also
photos of my family, things Idon't like to share on the
internet or on social media.
I send those to my emailsubscribers because those are
mostly the people who I thinkcare about those kind of things.
(13:27):
So um, I hope you have a greatweek and God bless.
Bye bye.
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