HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR DOUBTS
Doubts. We all have them. Unbelief. We all have experienced unanswered questions at some point in our lives.
The truth is, doubt is an expected visitor but it does not need to be invited in to stay. We cannot avoid uncertainty but it is possible to prevent it from setting up house in our hearts.
Doubt is a foreign virus
1 Corinthians 14:33 teaches us that God is not the author of confusion. In fact, Hebrews 12:2 says that God is the author of faith! We clearly see that doubt, panic, and uncertainty are all poison from the enemy’s camp. The very first attack against humanity began with the question, “Did God really say?” The devil has been manipulating us into doubting God from the beginning. Jesus clarified for us that the enemy is the “father of all lies.” Amazingly, one translation says, “When he lies, he speaks his native language.“ It is in the enemy’s DNA to lie to us. Anxiety is the liar’s weapon of choice to keep us from walking in trust with our Heavenly Dad!
Faith’s kryptonite
As we explore faith it is helpful to know what faith is and what it is not! What is the opposite of faith? We always assume that the opposite of faith is doubt. But scripturally the opposite of faith is not doubt, it is sight.
"We live by faith, not by what we see with our eyes." (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Sight is the opposite of faith. Why is sight the opposite of faith? Because sight is man’s interpretation of the situation instead of God’s interpretation of the situation. Faith and sight are at war. Faith is all about how you see. Faith is about perspective. Faith is about where you invest your trust.
You cannot say that you have no faith. You may have misplaced trust, but you are still trusting in something or someone. You get to choose what you join your faith to. Will you trust in the things you see and crumble under their weight? Or will you trust in God who you do not see and strengthen yourself in Him? Will you place your trust in God’s goodness or will you place your trust in the giant before you? Will you live according to what your sight says or according to what God says? We all will trust in something, it may as well be in the One who loves us.
Your questions are always welcome here
God is not afraid of your questions! So, instead of pretending, why don’t we bring our honest questions and confusion to Him? He knows our internal struggle anyway!
When we run out of hope we often stop believing. But God challenges our assumptions about emptiness, “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule. You’re blessed when you feel you have lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” (Matthew 5:3-5)
Your emptiness is an opportunity for God to show up and be faithful to you! Don’t settle for the surface answer, because there is healing and truth on the other side of your doubts! Bring your desperation, your mess, your brokenness to your Heavenly Daddy! He always welcomes you! You’re not too much for Him to handle. He desperately wants to hold you and show you the way!
What are you doing with your doubts?
It’s liberating when you realize that having questions is a part of human life! Questions are not forbidden and God is not threatened. In fact, Jesus loved answering people’s questions!
What makes doubt damaging to our soul and relationship with God is when we mask it, ignore it, or cope with it instead of being vulnerable about our doubts with our Dad! We avoid things we feel powerless over. Many of us have never been equipped with the tools we need to get answers. So, we look the other way because we have not been taught how to heal.
The most dangerous thing we can do in the middle of our pain or confusion is to deny God access to our hearts. Connection with God is where our answer lives! This relationship, this father-child connection is where the perspective shift begins. When we disconnect we walk around like orphans, living alone, no one to nurture us, no one to teach us. But when we stay soft and let Him love us in the middle of it all we live like the sons and daughters we were born to be. As God’s children we can learn from the very best on how to live a vibrant life!
A man just like us
Remember Elijah? You can’t find a more powerful man of faith than Elijah. A prophet who heard God’s voice! A man who at God’s word commanded the rain to be locked away for three years. A man who had a ‘winner takes all’ confrontation with satanic priests. A man who had seen the raw fire of God consume an offering made of soaking wet logs and rocks. A man who prayed and God brought back the rain. But after witnessing all these wonders he gets a letter from the queen, “Elijah, I don't like what you did to my priests. I’m going to kill you just like you killed them.”
Elijah experienced a ravage panic attack. He ran alone into the desert and begged God to end his life. In the aftermath of his victory, he heard the lie, “It would be better if you were dead. Your ancestors in their graves are better off than you.” This man of faith faced suicidal depression! Yes! The Bible talks about real issues and real people. Despite Elijah’s moments of strength, he had moments of brokenness. Just. Like. Us.
What’s your biggest doubt?
What are the toxic patterns in your life? What is your struggle? Where do you consistently lack confidence? Here is a peek into the enemy’s agenda against you - the enemy attacks you in your place of destiny! He tries to bring shame and destruction in the very area that God has called you to bring liberty.
Kris Vallotton says, “The dogs of doom stand at the doors of your destiny. When you hear them barking, you know you are near your promise land.”
You are in the fight of your life. And the enemy is trying to cage you as a prisoner or war. But we serve a God who destroys chains and trains our hands for battle!
The noble moment in Elijah’s life was not when all Israel saw his strength. His noble moment was when he ran broken into a lonely place and let God see him in his weakness. His mighty hour was when he grieved and let God wipe his tears. Elijah did not bring his unbelief to anyone else, he brought it to God! When he came face to face with suicide, depression, and anxiety, he chose to look at the face of God instead. Even though his prayers were wrong they were still going to the right place! And God showed up! In the middle of Elijah’s doubts and flaws, God was faithful to him!
God said, “Eat. Take a nap.” I love that! God is a Father. Every parent has looked at their frenzied child and said, “You are hungry. You need a nap. This is not as impossible as you imagine. This is not the end!” God uncomplicated Elijah’s pain. I’m not saying God belittled his pain. I’m saying, in the middle of Elijah’s darkness God lit a match. And God will do the same for you!
Look up!
Pick yourself up! Dust yourself free of depleting lies! Get ready for a brand new beginning! Because it’s time for a new thing to take place!
“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for His miraculous power constantly energizes you.” (Ephesians 3:20)
You are at your end? Good. Because your end is God’s beginning. God will never give you a dream you can achieve on your own. The edge is where God shows up. Only in the open space can His power become real to you.
Hebrews 6:18 says, “It is impossible for God to lie for we know that His promise and His vow will never change! And now we have run into His heart to hide ourselves in His faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for He empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakeable hope!“
I love that! The world will let you down but God is your sanctuary! He will never lie to you! All you see is broken rubble but He sees revival. He empowers you to rise and grab onto what He has already promised you - an unshakable hope!
So look up! Your greatest days are ahead of you. Don’t give up. Plant your trust in your Heavenly Dad’s unshakable love for you.
Do you have a story to tell of how God showed His faithfulness to you? Do you ever struggle with fear or questions? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Keep going!
Love, Laurel
You’re not defenseless! Keep reading!
STRENGTHEN YOURSELF IN THE LORD
BILL JOHNSON
TRUSTING GOD WITH OUR BIG QUESTIONS
KRIS VALLOTTON
Continue growing!
Waiting. Winter. Wasteland. Empty places. Don’t dismiss your barren seasons because they will grow into beautiful places in God’s hands. The Mastermind behind seasons knew the importance of prolonged waiting as a canvas to create expectancy in His children.