Overcoming Doubt and Unbelief

I am a Christian, and sometimes I struggle with doubt. I question God and His motives in my Christian faith when things do not work out how I want it to.  There are times when I do not understand why He does what He does. I need to remind myself that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than mine (Isa. 55:8-9).

I am all for laying it at the altar. I try to take all my problems to Him and leave it at His feet. But I still doubt. It creeps into the backdoor of my mind. It can play havoc with me.

Satan tries to discourage us that God has forgotten about us or that God will not respond to our prayers. Satan uses a variety of weapons including doubt.

The enemy will attack us on all angles. He also uses fear to make us lose our faith and feel out of control. These strategies of the enemy work by making us feel helpless and alone.

Satan is the architect of deceit, and if he can drive a wedge between us and our heavenly Father, he will do it so our faith wavers back and forth until will stop trusting God.

(John 8:44). “He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and all that is false.”

The armour of God is our protection against the enemy and his tactics. If we want to build up our defences against the enemy so our faith is strengthened, we need to put on the armour of God as laid out in Ephesians 6.

Putting on the armour is a daily occurrence in a Christian’s life. The armour helps us stand our ground and dig our heels in against Satan and his demons.

(Ephesians 6:14-18) “Stand therefore and tighten the belt of truth around your loins and put on the breastplate of righteousness and right standing with God. And having shod your feet in preparation of the Gospel of peace. Lift up over all the shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God. Pray at all times, in the Spirit.”

Because there is an enemy that is against us, we need to build ourselves up in the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6:10 “Be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].”

The recent Coronavirus pandemic has shaken the faith of many believers around the world. It is a good example of how much we need a saviour to protect us and encourage us in a time of need. But many people have abandoned God during this desperate and testing time because their faith was weak.

Jesus explains weak and strong faith more clearly with the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-8 “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

The Coronavirus is a good example of tribulation as spoken of in John 16:33. ^“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus did not promise us that we would lead a stress-free life void of suffering and pain. Trials occur in life to bring us closer to God and to develop our faith in Him. Trials and tribulations also produce patience and unwavering endurance.

The pandemic we have watched unfold has produced fear and uncertainty in the hearts of believers and unbelievers alike. But as a Christian, we can be at peace knowing that the scriptures offer us hope. A guiding light that allows us to take rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 121:5-6) “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night”

We need to remember that no matter what happens in the world, we have divine protection over us. We have the blood of the Lamb shielding us from the flaming darts of the enemy.

This worldly life is temporary, heaven is eternal. Build up your treasures in heaven, not on earth. (Matthew 6:19-21) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Stay in faith, Jesus is returning soon, you can bet on that!