DEALING WITH DOUBT

"When a layman has to preach a sermon I think he is most likely to be useful, or even interesting, if he starts exactly from where he is himself, not so much presuming to instruct as comparing notes." - C.S. Lewis
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Hi. My name is Paul and I struggle with doubt. For me the struggle is with self- confidence. Someone else doubts God has a plan for him. And still another doubts his salvation.

Doubt has caused many people a great deal of pain. But it doesn't have to. Like everything else we find ourselves struggling with, God has provided us a way to overcome doubt.

What I am going to do for this study is take Lewis' advice and not try to instruct you. Rather, I'm going to compare notes with you on the subject of doubt. Below are a few of the things we find ourselves doubting, possible causes, and scripture that deals with these issues.

DOUBTING OUR SALVATION  - Some causes: Lack of truth, Sin, Backsliding

Doubting salvation because you lack the truth
Many people doubt God has forgiven them of their sins because they simply don't know the truth. Here is truth as God sees it:

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). And, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). But, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). If you acknowledge that you are a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died on the cross for your sins, and accept Him as your Savior then you are forgiven of your sins. You can know that, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation (Romans 5:8-11).

"Know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

Doubting salvation because of sin
Sin in our life can cause us to doubt our salvation. We think that we have messed up so bad that God couldn't possibly continue to forgive us. But God knows we sin and has provided a way to deal with it. Here are two verses that help.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chr. 7:14)

Doubting salvation because of backsliding
Backsliding is when you are not as close to God as you once were. You turn away from God, often slowly, without evening noticing. Then one day you find you aren't as close to Him as you once were and doubt sets in. "Maybe He doesn't care about me any more," you think. He never stopped loving you. Never. Remember that you may have traveled a thousand steps away from God but it's only one step back. 1 John 1:9 works here as well. You will also find this verse helpful.
"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)
Prayer is how you communicate with God. He wants to hear from you. When things are going well and when they aren't. Our God is a forgiving, compassionate God that will forgive you and help keep you from sinning if you ask His help. If you have gone away from Him He will take you back with open arms and restore you.

DOUBTING GOD'S PLAN IN OUR LIFE - Some causes: Problems of life, Prayers that seem unanswered

Doubting God's plan because of problems
Maybe you've become disillusioned. Maybe you've had one problem after another and you doubt whether God is even paying attention to your problems. Yes, He is. Here are a few verses I find to be a great help.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:9-10)

Problems are a constant in life. We will always have problems - that will never change - what changes is our ability to deal with those problems. God will allow trouble to come into your life not to hurt you but teach you to lean on Him. He is teaching you to trust Him. You may notice that the more problems we have the closer to God we become. We pray more, read our Bibles more, and go to church more. You discover that He is your Friend and He is capable of handling your problems.

Doubting God's plan because of unanswered prayers
There is really no such thing as an unanswered prayer. It's just that sometimes the answer is "no". We shouldn't get discouraged over that, though. Remember Romans 8:28 and also remember these two things:

Jesus says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)

And so we should, "trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. "(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Jesus knows the beginning as well as He knows the end. When He says "no" you there is a good reason for it that you may not see. But trust Him, acknowledge Him and watch as He directs your life.

SELF DOUBT - Some causes: Failure, People's opinion

Doubting oneself because of failure
Failure can be devastating. When something we do doesn't succeed, we begin to doubt our ability. But did we really fail? Or, like we learn in the verses above, is there a greater plan going on. Maybe this was allowed to happen to make us stronger, teach us to lean of God's grace, and be a learning experience. How often have we used a past failure to out advantage later on in life? We learn from our mistakes. Remember that God is on your side. He tells you:

"I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for." (Jer 29:11)

Doubting oneself because of the opinions of others
People can be very cruel. They can say things to us that break our spirit. But the verses below can, like all of God's word, change your life.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor 10:3-5)

What does it mean to bring every thought into captivity and make it obedient to Christ? It means taking your opinion of yourself, or other's opinion of you and comparing it to God's opinion of you.

The world says to you, "You're nobody." But compare that to God's word and His you find His opinion is, "You're special."

The world says, "You're not going to amount to anything." God's says, "I have great plans for you."

The world says, "You're worthless." God says, "You are so important that I died to be with you forever."