Doubt

I've struggled more in college with this than I ever have. Maybe some of you are in the same boat as I am, or maybe you've struggled with it a bit more. Whichever one you are, we can all use the same encouragement. If you haven't doubted a single thing in your life, I would love to get to know you. Maybe you'll rub off on me. Anyway, doubt can seriously cripple intentions in your life. If you doubt something you're much less likely to actually carry it out. To me, it either stems from thinking you aren't good enough, or not having a clear idea of what your purpose is in life. Then you can get into things such as apathy, which I'll talk about later. Before high school, I doubted my swimming ability, and still did when I went back to club. It came from swimming with top-notch athletes and I didn't feel like I was good enough. I went through many ups and downs with that during my swimming career as I'm sure many others do. I've also doubted my future plans. I don't know anybody who doesn't. But let's get into some Scripture.

"But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord."

-James 1:6-7

 

Wow, alright, well this verse could not be stronger in saying that our doubt throws us every which way. It is true, isn't it? Don't you feel that? You're considering all of your options and trying to make a decision that you're not sure is right and you just feel like you're always going back and forth about something. So, going back to my worry post from yesterday, what do we usually do? We ask God for assistance in making the decision. However, I don't know about you guys, but sometimes when I ask for things, I only ask half-heartedly because I'm not sure if it will truly be answered. That is a lack of faith on my part. The verse says that attitude will not get me anything from God. When you or I ask God for something or for guidance for something, we better believe He is going to give it to us. If we truly believe, then He will answer our request. I mean, this verse can't get much clearer. I love this verse, because it's one that I have looked at for a bible study that I'm doing right now and it really opened my eyes to the lack of trust involved when doubting anything. For instance, I could doubt my ability to get through nursing school, let alone graduate school. I could doubt my ability to show my faith to those around me. I could doubt that me having diabetes can help bring good to some people. I can doubt all of that, ask God's help, but if I ask with no firm belief that He will help me, I will get nothing. So, ask with a purpose, and ask with a belief that God will resolve your doubt.

 

 

 

"But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."

-Romans 14:23

 

Okay, so this verse is awesome too. It's a real eye-opener. Doubt is a horrible feeling, I know. But think about it, doubt is also a temptation. Have you ever felt completely confident in a decision and then told somebody about it and walked away from that conversation with a seedling of doubt in your heart? I have. Have you ever walked into a test feeling very prepared, but you hear people talking beforehand, answering each other's questions, and suddenly you just feel incredibly doubtful about your own preparedness? That is a minor example, but still applicable! This verse is saying, if we fall into that doubting spirit, if we let it take over our confident spirit in the Lord, it is sinful. If we doubt the effectiveness of the Gospel, or we doubt our ability to minister to people, as a faith example, we are not following God's command to be His living, breathing message of love to those around us. That doubt does not come from faith.

 

 

 

 

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

-Proverbs 16:3

 

This verse is a short one, but a very convincing promise. I mean, it says it right there, that the Lord will enable your plans to succeed if you commit them to the Lord. God reigns over everything. If He already has all evil defeated, well, I think He can handle some of your doubts. Remember, this life is so incredibly short compared to what believers have ahead of them. That puts it in perspective, right? Some of the doubts you have right now, some of the doubts I have right now seem so small compared to what God is capable of. I mean, we can't even fathom what God is capable of. If we think we can fix our problems and the issues we doubt in our lives, we can't. That's what God is here for. He doesn't want his believers to doubt. He has everything in the palm of His hand and He knows where He wants your life to be heading. Do not doubt his promises to you, my friends. Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen."

-Hebrews 11:1