No one is immune to doubt. Even after you put your faith and trust in Jesus, it’s possible that circumstance, seasons or moments can bring us into wrestling with doubt. Overcoming doubt biblically is an important skill in our faith journey.
To start, let God’s Word lift any shame you may have in your feelings of doubt. There is no shame in feelings and there is no room for shame in the church. John 8:32 reminds us that “Then you will know truth, and the truth will set you free.”
When we know Jesus as Christ, there is is freedom. Freedom from sin yes, but also freedom from deception – even deception within ourselves. Additionally, Romans 8:1 frees us from shame stating; ”there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”
With the Word of God, remove any burden of shame.
Looking to Scripture
Now, lets begin taking a look at scripture for biblical examples of overcoming doubt. There is no better picture than that of John The Baptist.
John the Baptist was explicitly called out by Jesus as being “more than a prophet” in Matthew 11:11. Jesus makes this claim about John the Baptist; “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist”.
Also, Matthew 3 shows us that John the Baptist had the joy and privilege of baptizing Jesus. Upon doing so John was a firsthand witness to the voice of God audibly speaking of Jesus as His son. As soon as Jesus was baptized (by John) the heavens opened up. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and lighting on him, a voice from heaven said “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” – Matthew 3:16-17.
Surely, this man who has heard audibly from heaven as he baptized Jesus would not doubt. Surely all we need is to hear audibly from God as well and we too, will no longer struggle with overcoming doubt.
However, let us fast forward to Matthew 11. John is now imprisoned because he called out the sin of a king. He’s confused and he’s frustrated and here, he doubts. John sends word to Jesus and in sincerity he asks; “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matt. 11:2).
Remembering all of who John is; the messenger sent to proclaim Jesus as Messiah, baptising him, hearing audibly from God. Yet, even Jesus does NOT rebuke John.
In love Jesus says; “Go back and report to John what you hear and see” Matt 11:4. Jesus was telling John – remember the evidence.
Your circumstances and the way in which they have come to make you feel, that may fail you. Remember the evidence to support what you already believe by faith.
3 Ways To Biblically Overcome Doubt
Confess your doubt to the Lord
I believe, help my unbelief
Matthew 9:24
We see that John went straight to the source. He asked Jesus directly if He was who he said He was. We should notice that John asks this with genuine and humble sincerity in his heart. We can do the same. In Matthew 9:14-29, we again see a man calling out his unbelief. He cries out in Matthew 9:24 – “I believe, help my unbelief”
This is a reminder that the attitude of confidence in God, or what the Bible calls faith is not something we can obtain on our own. Faith is a gift from the Lord (Ephesians 2:8,9). We can call on the Lord to help us in our doubt and increase our confidence in Him.
Ask
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
God is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). He is faithful to reveal Himself and His faithfulness to you. However, please hear this, I am not telling you to ask God for an ultimatum or a rushing of an emotional response. While an emotional response may occur, that is not always the case. I am however, confident that the Bible is the living and authoritative word of God, and when one seeks with a sincere heart to find the Lord there, God is faithful. This is a humble posture as you search for God in His word, ask God to reveal Himself to you there.
Gather The Evidence
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Matthew 22:37.
In Jesus’ response to John, He tells him to look at the evidence. Again, remembering this was done in a sincere and genuine posture and heart attitude. We can look around and see the evidence either in our own lives or even better, in Scripture. Go through the Bible and look for the characteristics of God. I love to do this in the Gospel of John, or even in the Psalms. As a result, remembering who God is bolsters in our minds what our hearts believe by faith.
God loves you, His desire is to be in relationship with you – today. I pray this helps you confidently process doubt biblically. That it helps you love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.
This post has been written by Pineapple Momma. You can read more posts like this here.
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