Have you ever doubted God? If you have then you can rest assured, you are a human being. All of us have doubted God in some form or another. Whether it is doubting His love, His promises, His care, His salvation or even His existence, we all have fallen prey to degrees of uncertainty. These doubts usually occur when we are struggling with sin or trials but they are certainly not limited to it. So many times, when the Christian doubts God or the things about God he/she feels embarrassed to even mention such a doubt to a fellow brother or sister. After all, Christians are not supposed to doubt anything, we are just supposed to close our eyes and take that “blind leap in the dark.” It is sentiments like these that hinder spiritual growth and healing when needed. If you are dealing with doubt you can be sure that others have dealt with it as well. Paul told the Corinthians the following about temptation: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it, 1 Corinthians 10:13. If you are being tempted by doubt or if you are currently in a state of doubt know that you are not the first and you will not be the last.
However, we should never remain in a state of doubt when it comes to the Lord. Although doubt is a problem common to man, it is not harmless. Consider a definition of doubt:
To waver or fluctuate in opinion; to hesitate; to be in suspense; to be in uncertainty; to be in uncertainty respecting the truth or fact; to be undetermined (Webster’s English Dictionary)
Look at the words that describe what doubt means and ask yourself, are any of these compatible with faith. Your answer would have to be a resounding no. Doubt is an impediment whereas faith is a catalyst. Doubt keeps us from acting while faith is the foundation of works (James 2:14-26). When we doubt God and the things of God it will cause us to stop living the way we ought. When we doubt His care, we may stop praying. When we doubt His existence, we will ultimately refrain from worshipping Him. When we doubt His love, we may lose hope and fall away. Doubt is the opposite of faith, and because it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6) we can readily see the danger that doubt poses to our souls
Our doubts about God may be real but they are certainly not justified. God in His infinite wisdom knew that we would struggle with this problem. Therefore, He made sure that we have the means to overcome it (1 Corinthians 10:13). If Doubt is the opposite of faith, then in order to dispel doubt I need to increase my faith. Consider this: We are confident in our decisions when we have confidence in the information relating to those decisions. For example: When you buy a product, you may do so with confidence because you have reliable information testifying to its durability, efficiency, etc. Our faith in God, His Promises, His Love, His Existence and His care comes in the same fashion. We can have confidence in God because of the reliable testimony that we have about God. God said He loves us (Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:1) He said He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7) and He also said that He has a home in eternity prepared for us (John 14:1-3). Furthermore, the Bible says it is impossible for God to lie (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18). Therefore, we do not have to doubt these things because the one who promised it is the epitome of reliability. If our doubt about material things can be dispelled by the fallible testimony of man, certainly our doubts about God should be dissolved by the infallible testimony of inspired men (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).
Doubt is certainly an ever-present problem in the lives of many Christians. However, we ought not to allow this dangerous mindset to erode our faith in God. If you know someone who has doubts about God or if you are experiencing the pains of doubt, do not allow yourself to sink any further therein. The seed of doubt does not need a lot of watering it tends to operate in the same fashion as weeds. Faith, on the other hand, requires study (Romans 10:17). Therefore, search the scriptures, call your local preacher, elder or friend to help you out the doubt.