The Church of Divine Guidance (CDG) Sunday morning adult bible study group is conducting a study about doubt and the Christian. These posts are my notes for each session. Each post also include a link to the audio recording of the study which includes much more than the notes. Please study with us. You can participate by asking your questions or making commentsbelow. This session of the study was conducted at the CDG Tuesday night Bible Study November 10, 2015 We welcome your thoughts, questions, comments, and prayers.
Last Sunday I started a study with the Adult Bible Study Group with the subject being Revealed Doubt. Want to share some of that with you tonight and then share as much of the as I can tonight with you.
I started by saying that in order to get the most out of this study we have to start by being honest with ourselves and with God.
I want us to really be honest with ourselves because if we are I believe that we will be blessed and better able to fight off what can become a real spiritual battle. Remember we are in a war a spiritual war against a very smart and powerful enemy….Satan. Remember he never rests in this war,
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
I shared with them the fact that there was a time after Ruth’s going to be with the Lord, and thinking back over the years, that I that I wasn’t really enjoying studying to get ready for bible study on Sunday. I wasn’t into reading my quiet time devotions and scriptures, and some days didn’t do it at all. I was struggling writing my blog, which coincidently is called FTE Blog (which stands for Faith The Evidence Blog). I did force myself to study for Bible Study and to write, because I felt that it would help to stay busy, and because I thought that was what I was suppose to do as a teacher and minister, but I didn’t enjoy it and I struggled to do it. I still had a strong hunger for God but there were times that I really couldn’t get into the Word. Well I recently started a reading plan for my morning quiet time called “Doubt Revealed” and it became clear that my problem was and is doubt.
Doubt is a very unpopular word in the Christian community. Most Christians would be afraid to admit any form of doubt they may have due to feeling guilty for having thoughts of doubt, or due to the judgment of others.
When doubt surfaces, many consider it as a lack of faith...or a lack of believing God and His Word...so many struggle silently. Through their silent struggle, they can become stagnant in their walk with God.
It is imperative to know how to handle our doubt(s) so we can experience the rich relationship with God we are fully capable of having.
noun
1.a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction.
verb
1.feel uncertain about. "I doubt my ability to do the job"
2.fear; be afraid of. "I doubt not your contradictions
No I didn’t doubt God’s love. I knew that God loves me.
1 John 4:8 (NLT) But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
That means that God’s love is a quality of His but is His very nature, His essence.
I didn’t doubt His ability to work in my life.
Nahum 1:7 (NLT) The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.
I knew that God is good and that He is our refuge the time distress. I also knew that, because I do trust Him that He would never leave or forsake me.
What I doubted was His willingness to act and work in my circumstances. I have to admit that I still have those periods of doubt when certain circumstances happen or things don’t go the way that I would like to see them go. I didn’t doubt what God could do I doubted what He would do. I was like the father when he asked Jesus to heal his son and Jesus said it’s possible if you believe. The father’s answer was I do believe but help my unbelief.
Mark 9:23-24 (NLT)23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
How many of us are in doubt today?
How many of us have thought we're not worthy of God acting on our behalf?
How many of us doubt God's sincerity?
We cannot afford to trust our thoughts or our hearts where according to the bible our thoughts originate, during times of doubt…
What does the Bible say about our hearts?
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT) “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
When the Bible talks about our hearts it’s talking about our inner being and that’s where our will and action come. Some people say that the soul is where those things come from. The point is it’s deceitful and wicked especially before we are saved and since the soul is equated, most often with the flesh, it can also be true of saved folk.
At those times that we think that God even cares there are a couple of things we should remember.
God actually bends down from Heaven to hear our prayers, heartaches, concerns, and even our questions?
Psalm 17:6 (NLT) I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.
The psalmist again believed to be David, requests that God will demonstrate his loving-kindness, keep him safe, and hide him from those who rise up against him. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
He's so good! He doesn't have to bend down to hear us, but out of His great love, He willingly chooses to.
God has collected every tear you've ever cried and written every heartache you've ever experienced in a ledger.
Psalm 56:8 (NLT) You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
God truly cares about each and every heartache and heartfelt question or request we have. He cares about each of us and every situation we face...past, present, and future.
Doubt is a difficult, and miserable, place to be...and it slowly destroys our fellowship with God.
Spiritually, it is a "silent killer" of our soul.
Doubt has many origins. It can be a coping mechanism due to not understanding how to handle a tough situation...a desperate silent cry for help after a terrible experience has happened in life...or an arrogant attitude of pride that believes God owes us more.
We may doubt that God would ever want to truly work in our lives or through a tough situation we are going through...after all, who are we compared to God?
What about the times we contribute to the tough situation we are facing due to unwise past decisions we have made?
Does God just leave us stuck with our consequences with no mercy or forgiveness in sight?
Not at all.
It is understandable to have feelings of doubt after a terrible experience it could be the loss of a loved one, a job, a relationship, an illness, and there are other things and it takes time to come to terms with a situation that has broken your heart or impacted your life in a negative way.
Mark 9:23-24 (NLT)23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
The anguish that filled the father's heart is portrayed by his immediate response as he cried out in almost contradictory ejaculations. He did believe, and yet he was acutely conscious of the unbelief that struggled with his desire to trust implicitly. His unbelief was not an obstinate refusal to believe; it was a weakness with which the man himself could not deal. Hence his cry to Christ for help. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
That’s what we need to do when we realize that we are doubting God in a particular area.
What about tough times where an unfair loss takes place through no fault of our own?
God works in..and through..every situation we face. Nothing takes God by surprise. He can redeem any circumstance by causing good to come from it.
We want what we want...and are upset that God doesn't bend to our plans. This kind of doubt is eventually lethal to our relationship with God...and many times, it can affect our other relationships too. In these times, we must quickly humble ourselves and repent.
It is imperative to understand that God has a plan for each and every situation or heartache we experience or go through.
Jeremiah 29:11 (HCSB) For I know the plans I have for you”—⌊this is⌋ the LORD’s declaration—“plans for ⌊your⌋ welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
This is something the God told Israel through Jeremiah about what would happen after their 70 years in exile in Babylon. He was telling them to watch for His deliverance even during a time of trial and tribulation for the nation. We can grab hold of that when we are going through some stuff because although God was giving this message to a specific nation He also said something else that is applicable to all those who are a part of what we know as spiritual Israel, the church.
Hebrews 13:5 (HCSB) Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.
What the writer was conveying was that instead of taking comfort in possessions, Christians are to derive their comfort from God's own presence and provision, for he neither leaves them nor fails them.
He never wastes a trial, heartache, or hurt...as long as we submit our heartaches and doubts to Him.
If God allows us to go through a trying situation that attempts to make us doubt, or a situation that stretches us, we can trust that He has plans to increase the flexibility of ways He can use us for His glory in the future.
I started by saying that in order to get the most out of this study we have to start by being honest with ourselves and with God.
I want us to really be honest with ourselves because if we are I believe that we will be blessed and better able to fight off what can become a real spiritual battle. Remember we are in a war a spiritual war against a very smart and powerful enemy….Satan. Remember he never rests in this war,
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
I shared with them the fact that there was a time after Ruth’s going to be with the Lord, and thinking back over the years, that I that I wasn’t really enjoying studying to get ready for bible study on Sunday. I wasn’t into reading my quiet time devotions and scriptures, and some days didn’t do it at all. I was struggling writing my blog, which coincidently is called FTE Blog (which stands for Faith The Evidence Blog). I did force myself to study for Bible Study and to write, because I felt that it would help to stay busy, and because I thought that was what I was suppose to do as a teacher and minister, but I didn’t enjoy it and I struggled to do it. I still had a strong hunger for God but there were times that I really couldn’t get into the Word. Well I recently started a reading plan for my morning quiet time called “Doubt Revealed” and it became clear that my problem was and is doubt.
Doubt is a very unpopular word in the Christian community. Most Christians would be afraid to admit any form of doubt they may have due to feeling guilty for having thoughts of doubt, or due to the judgment of others.
When doubt surfaces, many consider it as a lack of faith...or a lack of believing God and His Word...so many struggle silently. Through their silent struggle, they can become stagnant in their walk with God.
It is imperative to know how to handle our doubt(s) so we can experience the rich relationship with God we are fully capable of having.
noun
1.a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction.
verb
1.feel uncertain about. "I doubt my ability to do the job"
2.fear; be afraid of. "I doubt not your contradictions
No I didn’t doubt God’s love. I knew that God loves me.
1 John 4:8 (NLT) But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
That means that God’s love is a quality of His but is His very nature, His essence.
I didn’t doubt His ability to work in my life.
Nahum 1:7 (NLT) The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.
I knew that God is good and that He is our refuge the time distress. I also knew that, because I do trust Him that He would never leave or forsake me.
What I doubted was His willingness to act and work in my circumstances. I have to admit that I still have those periods of doubt when certain circumstances happen or things don’t go the way that I would like to see them go. I didn’t doubt what God could do I doubted what He would do. I was like the father when he asked Jesus to heal his son and Jesus said it’s possible if you believe. The father’s answer was I do believe but help my unbelief.
Mark 9:23-24 (NLT)23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
How many of us are in doubt today?
How many of us have thought we're not worthy of God acting on our behalf?
How many of us doubt God's sincerity?
We cannot afford to trust our thoughts or our hearts where according to the bible our thoughts originate, during times of doubt…
What does the Bible say about our hearts?
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT) “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
When the Bible talks about our hearts it’s talking about our inner being and that’s where our will and action come. Some people say that the soul is where those things come from. The point is it’s deceitful and wicked especially before we are saved and since the soul is equated, most often with the flesh, it can also be true of saved folk.
At those times that we think that God even cares there are a couple of things we should remember.
God actually bends down from Heaven to hear our prayers, heartaches, concerns, and even our questions?
Psalm 17:6 (NLT) I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.
The psalmist again believed to be David, requests that God will demonstrate his loving-kindness, keep him safe, and hide him from those who rise up against him. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
He's so good! He doesn't have to bend down to hear us, but out of His great love, He willingly chooses to.
God has collected every tear you've ever cried and written every heartache you've ever experienced in a ledger.
Psalm 56:8 (NLT) You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
God truly cares about each and every heartache and heartfelt question or request we have. He cares about each of us and every situation we face...past, present, and future.
Doubt is a difficult, and miserable, place to be...and it slowly destroys our fellowship with God.
Spiritually, it is a "silent killer" of our soul.
Doubt has many origins. It can be a coping mechanism due to not understanding how to handle a tough situation...a desperate silent cry for help after a terrible experience has happened in life...or an arrogant attitude of pride that believes God owes us more.
We may doubt that God would ever want to truly work in our lives or through a tough situation we are going through...after all, who are we compared to God?
What about the times we contribute to the tough situation we are facing due to unwise past decisions we have made?
Does God just leave us stuck with our consequences with no mercy or forgiveness in sight?
Not at all.
It is understandable to have feelings of doubt after a terrible experience it could be the loss of a loved one, a job, a relationship, an illness, and there are other things and it takes time to come to terms with a situation that has broken your heart or impacted your life in a negative way.
Mark 9:23-24 (NLT)23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
The anguish that filled the father's heart is portrayed by his immediate response as he cried out in almost contradictory ejaculations. He did believe, and yet he was acutely conscious of the unbelief that struggled with his desire to trust implicitly. His unbelief was not an obstinate refusal to believe; it was a weakness with which the man himself could not deal. Hence his cry to Christ for help. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
That’s what we need to do when we realize that we are doubting God in a particular area.
What about tough times where an unfair loss takes place through no fault of our own?
God works in..and through..every situation we face. Nothing takes God by surprise. He can redeem any circumstance by causing good to come from it.
We want what we want...and are upset that God doesn't bend to our plans. This kind of doubt is eventually lethal to our relationship with God...and many times, it can affect our other relationships too. In these times, we must quickly humble ourselves and repent.
It is imperative to understand that God has a plan for each and every situation or heartache we experience or go through.
Jeremiah 29:11 (HCSB) For I know the plans I have for you”—⌊this is⌋ the LORD’s declaration—“plans for ⌊your⌋ welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
This is something the God told Israel through Jeremiah about what would happen after their 70 years in exile in Babylon. He was telling them to watch for His deliverance even during a time of trial and tribulation for the nation. We can grab hold of that when we are going through some stuff because although God was giving this message to a specific nation He also said something else that is applicable to all those who are a part of what we know as spiritual Israel, the church.
Hebrews 13:5 (HCSB) Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.
What the writer was conveying was that instead of taking comfort in possessions, Christians are to derive their comfort from God's own presence and provision, for he neither leaves them nor fails them.
He never wastes a trial, heartache, or hurt...as long as we submit our heartaches and doubts to Him.
If God allows us to go through a trying situation that attempts to make us doubt, or a situation that stretches us, we can trust that He has plans to increase the flexibility of ways He can use us for His glory in the future.
If you can remember that it’s not about you in the long run it’s really about God and His glory. That’s really why we exist.....for God's glory!Isaiah 43:1-7 (HCSB)1 Now this is what the LORD says— the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel— “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.2 I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and ⌊when you pass⌋ through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you.3 For I Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior, give Egypt as a ransom for you, Cush and Seba in your place.4 Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and I love you, I will give people in exchange for you and nations instead of your life.5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west.6 I will say to the north: Give ⌊them⌋ up! and to the south: Do not hold ⌊them⌋ back! Bring My sons from far away, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—7 everyone called by My name and created for My glory. I have formed him; indeed, I have made him.”
The scattered exiles will be regathered from every geographical direction. But by implication the coming back to Zion seems to refer also to the gathering in of all the elect (v. 7) into the Church of Jesus Christ, for they include every one... whom I have created... for my glory. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (HCSB) Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (HCSB)18 Run from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.” On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.19 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,20 for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
And because that’s our reason for existing;
Romans 8:28 (NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Many times, He shows His mercy as He allows us to help others who later go through a similar grief experience or loss.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NLT)3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
God comforts us, Paul states, so that we, in turn, can comfort those in any trouble. The means God uses to provide encouragement to people is other people. That was certainly true in Paul’s case.
2 Corinthians 7:6-7 (HCSB)6 But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
Suffering can be the training ground for service. It equips us so that we can better minister to those who, for the sake of the gospel, are going through trials and hardships. In this way we mediate God's encouragement. So think about that when doubt creeps in about God’s willingness to deliver you from what’s happening with you and at the same time remember that He has promised to never leave or forsake you.
We are not promised to be delivered or released from everything but we are promised for help in the midst of it. Jesus warned us in;
Mark 8:34 (HCSB) Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.
But He also said that we should be of good cheer because He will and has handled it for us.
John 16:31-33 (HCSB)31 Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe?32 Look: An hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
I’ve used this example before but remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were told that they would be thrown into the furnace for not bowing down and worship by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, when they refuse to bow down to the king's image. They didn’t because the said that they believed that their God would deliver them but even if he didn’t they would not bow. They were then thrown into the furnace when they didn’t bow. God could have delivered them before it got to that point couldn’t He but He didn’t. He didn’t show up until they were in the furnace and He was right there with them. Because He was in the furnace with them when they came out there wasn’t even a hint they had ever been in the furnace.
Daniel 3:23-27 (HCSB)23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?” “Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.25 He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.27 When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
It is never fun to go through tough life events, and they can truly attempt to knock us out. Life challenges can tempt us to be bitter towards God.
We must realize and embrace the truth that God genuinely wants what is best for us, and doubt attempts to lead us away from God's best.
God sees the "big picture" when we cannot. When tempted to doubt, use that as a signal to have a genuine heart-to-heart talk with God. He truly works out every situation we face for the greater good. And remember
Romans 8:28 (NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Today, ask God to take total control of your life. Completely give Him "you". Pour your heart out to Him...share with Him all your doubts, hurts, worries, frustrations, disappointments, fears, and failures. Ask Him to grant you wisdom and to help you to see the greater purpose for your doubt and circumstances.
Ask Him to resolve any bitterness in your heart towards Him, others, or any situation.
Tell Him you would like to repent of your doubt and begin trusting Him today.
James 1:2-5 (NLT)2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
James 1:12 (NLT) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
The reward for faithfully enduring trials is stated in terms both of the present and of the future. The man who endures is truly happy now; but also he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
The crown consists of life, a gift to all those who love God. God has abundant blessings in store for those who love him, keep his commandments, and serve him faithfully whatever the cost.
Here’s a great Charles Stanley quote “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”
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