Doubt

Doubt – 17th August 2008 pm

Have you ever had any doubts? – during exams, during a sports event, during…. During your Christian life?

One tribe of native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods. By himself, all night long.

Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many. After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path.

Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father. He had been there all night long.

How many times do we doubt God? How many times do we doubt His Word? Even through all of our doubt, God still stands right next to us, watching out for us.

I. Occations of Doubt – Lamentations 5:20

Doubt may be defined as an uncertainty of belief or lack of confidence in something. Applied to the Christian life, doubt refers to the unbelief in God and His Word.

It is possible that in a moment of infirmity a Christian may doubt the existence of God in spite of the fact that it is not reasonable for a person to disbelieve the obvious truth. Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart , There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

A Christian is more likely to doubt his salvation after sinning or after a spiritual defeat. A misunderstanding of such verses as 1 John 3:9 contributes to this doubt Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin. It is crucial to note that this verse speaks of a lifestyle of sin, not instances of sin.

A Christian may also doubt God’s sovereignty or His goodness. In such circumstances as sickness, suffering, injustice, opposition, economic problems, family problems, national calamity, or apparently unanswered prayers, we may be tempted to doubt the goodness of God.

The person of faith believes God even when circumstances appear to the contrary.

All doubt can be traced ultimately to unbelief in the Word of God, which affirms beyond question the existence and character of God. To recognise doubt as the sin of unbelief and then confess it to God as sin is therefore the first step toward conquering it.

II. Sources of Doubt – Habakkuk 1:2

Habakkuk had a burden. Many of us know what it is to be burdened for an erring child, a lost loved one, or a bereaved friend; such sorrow does way you down. It was the sins of the people of Judah that were a lead weight on Habakkuk’s heart.

The mystery of the silence of God in the face of human suffering, despair, injustice, and woe added to this godly man’s burden Hab 1:2a The silence of God has given many an ungodly sinner an excuse to blaspheme and many a weary believer the temptation to give up his faith.

Habakkuk learned that when the saint asks “How long?” God simply says, “Trust Me!”

a. Satan

One of the most potent sources of doubt is introduced in the early chapters of Genesis. It is Satan himself who causes Eve to doubt God by questioning His Word, Genesis 3:1 Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Satan even tries to get the long suffering Job to curse God Job 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Satan is seeking to devour Christians 1 Peter 5:8. Satan wants to devour our commitment to God and our testimony before others. One way he does this is by introducing doubt into the mind.

The devil has a plan for your life: Doubt - To make you question God’s word and His goodness; Discouragement - To make you look at your problems rather than at God; Diversion - To make the wrong things seems attractive so that you will want them more than the right things; Defeat - To make you feel like a failure so that you don’t even try; Delay - To make you put off doing something so that it never gets done.