Overcoming Doubt?

Do we allow some of our modes of reasoning to suppress faith from our lives? Why not ask God to help us find ways of countering doubts about the faithfulness of His promises? And, for the benefit of all who happen to visit this web site every now and then, please share with us what you do to counter doubt when you are faced with it in your own life».

Overcoming doubt? For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him (Psalm 62.5)!
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him (Psalm 62.5)

I’ll start off by sharing a summary of three approach that I find helpful:

  1. About three to five years ago, I decided that if I was to have enough faith to ask anything from God, thanking Him for what He did was as much part of the faith-act as asking. My problem had been that when God did something spectacular in response to one of my prayer, I would tend to lay back and find it strange that things turned out as they did. Thanking God helps me wrap my mind and heart in faith around what He does.
  2. About one year ago, I began to realize that there were large chunks of Scriptures that I read without really believing that they were for me. Some passages in Acts for example were completely dead to me because I was not sure they applied to me today, context being different. The Lord helped me lift that barrier, but I realized I was also hesitant with applying promises or words from prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.
  3. As of January 1 of this year, 2018, during a time of prayer and meditation, I felt convinced by God to counter such doubting as that which is described above with a strong stance against any form of reasoning that hindered me from believing what God is doing or what His Word says He has in store for me today.

So, I would be interested in hearing and reading what others have done to counter their own doubting, on the one hand. On the other hand, I feel led by the Lord and by His Spirit to share about this, hoping others of like mind and spirit will want to engage discussing.

This question is developed through a meditation of 2 Reyes 6-7 and Hebrews 11:6, accompanied with practical ways I found over the years and more recently to live by faith.

The complete article, for which the above synthesis tries to give an account, focuses on the difficulty of placing one’s faith in God after He answers a prayer in ways that are surprising: to learn more, please consult the original French version, Vaincre le doute.

Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, letting us know your own experience with coping with doubt in such a ways as to nurture your faith.

May God bless you!

Daniel Garneau,
Article published : January 1, 2018;
Article updated: December 20, 2018.

Author: Daniel Garneau

Daniel Garneau, B Th, B Com, MA, is the founder of the site Savoir et croire .ca. His primary objectives are: encouraging Christians who lost hope in their capacity of living for Christ; fostering a better understanding of what Christianity is about; contributing to the dispelling of prejudices against those who openly identify themselves to Jesus Christ in their daily lives and who dare talk about it; helping to increase the mutual acceptance between various Christian traditions who continue to hold faithfully to the Word of God.

One thought on “Overcoming Doubt?”

  1. Thank you for this opportunity to express the subject of doubt. Having been raised a believer I have always accepted God’s Word as true doctrine. Although there are many mysteries as to His nature, I attempt to live my life based on faith and the revelation of God’s Word. It has not always been easy, and I realize this is a typical human response as far as trying to be obedient to the Word. As I sit here and consider my attitude regarding doubt, I know deep in my heart that I try to tip-toe around God’s Word and grasp at the good things that the world has to offer me. Jesus said, “a man cannot serve two masters,” and it seems that is exactly what I am trying to do at times. It is not doubt so much for me as it is the lack of total commitment to Jesus Christ. If I do have any substantial doubt it would be a question of whether I am living my life in such a way that is pleasing to Christ. Having asked that question of myself, I realize that even though I am a senior citizen with a religious background and service, I still find myself insecure as to the level of my maturity in faith and personal commitment To the Master.

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