What to Do With Your Doubts

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.   Hebrews 11:6

Let’s face it – we all have doubts at one point or another.  We may doubt ourselves and our ability.  We may doubt God – does He hear me?  We may doubt that the Bible is the true word of God.  There are all kinds of things that Satan throws at us that rouse doubts in our minds.  What are we supposed to do when we are stuck in a rut of doubt?

Admit them

Besides the ones listed above, other causes for doubt may include an improper concept of God and His work. The disciples didn’t always understand who God was or what He was doing. God was doing what He had intended.  They just did not understand Him.  Sometimes we don’t understand either.

If your doubts are real it's unrealistic to believe they're not there. They won't just run away. They'll continue to lurk in the shadows of your mind. When we honestly face our doubts, often they're not so terrible; when examined in the light of day, they turn out to be only harmless shadows.

A doubt is merely a trigger for the search for deeper faith. If you say you’ve never doubted then you haven’t grown in your faith. To pretend you've never had any doubts is to be mindless (or a hypocrite). A preacher who runs out of something to say just gets louder.  'Point weak - shout!'

Examine them

1. Unexamined truth does not bring security or power.

2. Don’t panic - Seek answers from scripture.

3. Christianity is making some remarkable claims, when you think about them. His friends claim he came back to life after being truly dead. He will come again to wrap up history.

4. Read Christian apologetics; Defense of Christianity

5. Don’t let fear that your doubts may be true keep you from discovering the evidence you need to confirm your faith.

Discuss them

1. Go to the right people and the right sources.  Jesus went to God’s Word.

2. Doubts are most often NOT caused by a lack of faith as much as a lack of understanding.

3. Don’t hang around wrong people.  We fear talking to the family of faith about our doubts so we turn to the world for our confirmation.  WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?! - Talk to the right people

Suspend them

1. If, after all your efforts, nagging doubts remain, put them into a little compartment at the back of your head labeled 'To be investigated later.'

 2. If you're honest, you won't be bogged down in what you can't believe, but will act on what you can believe.

3. Realize that you can manage doubt. If you wait until you are 100% certain, you will never act.

4. There will always be a place for faith. Hebrews 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Resolve them
Don't succumb to the "paralysis of analysis."  Accept the truth and move on.  Accept the answer when it comes and open your mind to God’s revelation. Realize an improper base will not sustain a structure of truth.  When God enlarges your faith to cover your doubts, you will have a BIGGER God.  You may also have a larger ministry. Believe and get to work!

Scripture to claim:
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  James 1:6