DOUBT is an emotion that all of us experience at some time or another. Even Christians, who have trusted God for their eternal salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ, can experience doubts about spiritual issues. On one occasion, Jesus had to challenge Peter, one of His ‘inner group’ of disciples, with a question: ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’, Matthew chapter 14 verse 31. If you are currently going through a period of doubt about spiritual matters, we pray you will find help in this meditation and that your faith will be strengthened as a result.
ORIGINS OF OUR DOUBTS
If we are to be successful in overcoming our doubts, the starting point must be to identify their ORIGIN(S). The conclusions we reach will, of course, vary from person to person; however, most of the following will appear in any composite list:
- a willful disobedience to God’s Word
- an intellectual approach to the Scriptures – because they defy human logic, we doubt the truth of what God says in them, e.g., about creation, miracles, the Virgin Birth
- an impatient spirit – we want quick answers and quick fixes to our problems
- deliberate and determined unbelief
- an honest struggle to find answers to genuinely perplexing problems, which is perfectly understandable – sometimes we find it hard to fit our faith alongside the harsh realities of life in a fallen world
OPPOSING & OVERCOMING OUR DOUBTS
Once we have managed to identify the source(s) of our doubts, we will be in a better position to decide how to overcome them.
There are many Biblical examples that give us help:
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DON’T BE AFRAID OR ASHAMED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR DOUBTS
Mark chapter 9 verse 24 – the father of a boy with a deaf and dumb spirit, who was seeking healing for him, ‘cried out and said (to Jesus) with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief”’ – his faith in Jesus was genuine but he was honest enough to confess that it needed strengthening. His genuine cry for help was rewarded by Jesus and his son was healed!
To be continued