Belief is never neutral.
What we believe is not just something we hold in our minds; it is something that slowly, quietly shapes us. It forms our instincts, our reflexes, our tone. Over time, belief takes on flesh and becomes visible in how we speak, how we listen, how we treat those who disagree with us. What we believe matters.
Jesus seemed far more concerned with formation than affirmation.
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”
Matthew 7:16 NIV
The question, then, is not simply what you believe, but who you are becoming because of it.
Is what you believe making you more patient or quicker to anger?
More attentive or more suspicious?
More humble or more certain you are right?
How are your beliefs shaping who you are?
Scripture presses this question into our lives. The Apostle Paul teaches us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our mind (Romans 12:2).
Friends, transformation is not loud. It is slow. It shows up in the small choices we make like the words we use, the assumptions we make, and the posture we carry into conversations. Belief that is rooted in Christ should be forming us into people who tell the truth without needing to wound or hurt, and who listen without needing to win.
Paul names the evidence plainly in his letter to the Galatians.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
These fruits are not produced by outrage or fear. They grow where belief is practiced through trust, surrender, and daily obedience. These fruits thrive when we take time to listen before replying. They flourish when we seek first to understand and then to be understood.
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
So it is worth asking both regularly and honestly:
1. Is what I believe drawing me closer and more present to God and more compassionate toward others? Am I growing in love?
2. Or is what I believe forming me into someone I never intended to become?
Belief always forms us.
The only question is into who.
There is no room for anger and hatred in our hearts if we are to be the salt and the light in this present age.
Until my next post…
Be salty, stay lit.
Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™
Please hit me up if you have questions or drop a comment below. And please subscribe to my blog!
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© 2026 Rainer Bantau | The Devotional Guy™ | All Rights Reserved
The Devotional Guy™ 
Very true, Barb. Thankfully, we are saved by God’s grace through our faith in Jesus. Being loved by the world doesn’t offer our souls an eternal heavenly home no matter how religious we appear on the outside. Thanks for reading and offering your insights, Barb. Have an amazing day!
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So many of us think we can sit on the fence and be loved by the world and while at the same time being “saved from Hell” because we do “churchy” things.
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