Doubt: Public Enemy #1--Part Two

Last week we saw how Doubt can rob us of God's best. Let's look at specific ways that doubt hinders us.

DOUBT LOOKS AT CIRCUMSTANCES. FAITH LOOKS AT GOD!

Matt 14:30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

What did Peter do? He started well, but then he doubted and he acted on his unbelief instead of acting on the Word of God. You see how many people have started out well: They walked out on the water but then when they looked on the circumstances, that’s when it fell apart. Meditating on the circumstances took them out of God’s best and highest. And Peter failed to receive his full miracle. Many times miracles have begun but they were not completed because the person began to look at the circumstances and stopped believing God. Jesus didn’t want Peter to sink He wanted him to receive his miracle!

"But Dan does that mean if I have the slightest doubtful thought I will not get what God desires for me?"

No! Peter saw the wind, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that he let his seeing the wind turn into fear. You see, you may be tempted to doubt, but you should immediately remove that from your mind. Don’t let it sink into your heart. Because that is where the wellspring is.

Mark 11:22-23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Doubt in the heart is the problem. Not just a momentary doubt in your mind. The battle starts in the mind. If we guard our minds then doubt will have no place to find root in our hearts.
Stop looking at the circumstances and letting fear flood your heart. But feed and act on the promises of God.

DOUBT OVER-THINKS THINGS. FAITH RESTS IN GOD!
Another thing that will sink you is over thinking. Here's a real tough one. You see if you keep meditating on the problem, and talking the problem, ad infinitum, eventually faith will leave the room and you will be left all alone with your problem.

Carl Rogers, the U.S. psychologist, was 22 years old when he entered Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1924. While there, he participated in a seminar organized to explore religious doubts. Rogers later said of the group, “The majority of members...in thinking their way through questions they had raised, thought themselves right out of religious work. I was one.”

This man went to seminary and talked his way out of faith. Do you know how many this happens to? Especially in this day and age. Some of us are too smart for our own good. We talk ourselves right out of the blessing of God. It’s so important to meditate on His promises and not to nurture your doubts.

Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand. Augustine.

"But Daniel wouldn’t it be irresponsible to leave things un-figured out?" Well it depends. You see, some of us are so strong in our minds that we let our minds run roughshod over our spirits. Don’t try to figure everything out. Sometimes you just have to leave it alone! I know there have been many times when I have been tempted to try to figure something out and God said "just leave it alone". And He took care of it. Isn’t God wonderful?

DOUBT WILL HINDER YOUR MIRACLE. FAITH SEES IT ACCOMPLISHED!

Mark 6: 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

We see here that unbelief actually prevented Jesus from doing the miracles amongst them that he might have done had they simply believed on him. You see it’s not that God does not want to heal or do a miracle on our behalf. But our unbelief can actually hinder the miracle in our lives. It's not popular to suggest this but the bible declares it is a distinct possibility.

Doubt robbed a whole city of the blessings that God wanted them to have. When Jesus left that city, there were people in it that should have been healed, but doubt and unbelief robbed them.
God is for you so who can be against you? Look at all the promises of God. Jesus was for Peter walking on the water. God is for you. Yes the winds will come. But don't focus on the wind. Focus on your Mighty God! You may have to walk through hard times. But God is still committed to you. Keep swinging the bat and believe.

Hall of Famer Willie Mays was 1 for 26 in his first season in the major leagues. He was so discouraged. The manager, Leo Durocher, found him crying in the dugout. Willie said " I don't belong here. I belong in the minor leagues." Durocher said this to Willie: "As long as I'm manager, you'll be my centerfielder." Willie believed the words of is manager and was encouraged to keep it up. The rest is history!

My point is Willie Mays took the words of his manager and became one of the greatest players of all time. How much more should we put stock in the Words from Almighty God who can never lie. He believes in us. Will we dare to believe in Him and not give up. Don't give up. God believes in you!

Blessings!

Doubt Public Enemy #1

Doubt is a thief of God’s best. You need to know that God has a best for you. Many of us wake up, and though we might not verbalize it, we think to ourselves, "another day, another drag. I guess that God doesn’t care about me that much.” And with that lie, we live as though it’s true and we end up living at the level of our doubts.

But God doesn't want you to live according to the level of your doubts but according to the Word of God!
I want to encourage you today to believe God no matter what. You see here is how it goes: God is always trying to communicate with us--to tell us that he loves us. and that he has a plan and a destiny for us. But the enemy is out to destroy all that. So here comes the enemy, speaking doubts to your mind.

You see from the very beginning Satan tried to put doubts in the minds of men. Remember Adam and Eve? God gave them a command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan comes and says "Did God really say not to eat from any tree of the garden." You see, he immediately tried to sow seeds of doubt into the minds of Adam and Eve about the truth and goodness of God

If we are not careful we can fall into the same trap. We can let the enemy trick us into doubting if God is really for us, if he really loves us, if he wants to bless us.

James 1:6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Doubt is a thief. You see doubt can rob you! Doubt can actually tie up the hands of God in releasing things to you. The word doubt in the Greek is interesting because it is the word diakrino which is also translated as disputing or contending with. So when you doubt, you are really arguing or setting yourself up as a judge of God’s word. Now if you set yourselves up to dispute with the Word of God, how can the Word possibly benefit you? Don't fight against what God says. Don't argue with God's word. Don’t doubt God’s word. Trust in His Word!

My friends, if we only knew the love of God. This Word is God’s love letter to you. It is filled with the most amazing declarations and promises for your life. Oh what a great thing to see somebody believe God. When somebody believes God they are unstoppable. A Den of Lions wont stop them. The threat of flaming furnaces wont stop them. A giant named Goliath wont stop them.

The first thing I want you to see is that doubt can rob you of God’s best.
Let’s look at a famous example.

Matt 14:25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Here we have an example of Peter hearing the word of God and literally stepping out on the word of Jesus, but ultimately doubt undermines him and he begins to sink. You see God’s best for Peter was to walk on the water all the way to Jesus. But doubt will sink you.

Doubt keeps you from fulfilling God's best in you life.

Doubt is a verb. Doubt acts on unbelief. Doubt disputes with the word of God. Doubt is unbelief in action.
Jesus was saying to Peter, "Why did you dispute with my word? Why did you take sides against my word?" You see that is what doubt really is. Doubt is not just the absence of faith. Doubt is acting on unbelief.

You say but Danny, it’s so hard to believe God’s word. But we need to see that this is incorrect. I think it’s harder to believe the lies masquerading as truth out there than to believe God. God is good!

Oh if we would just believe in the goodness of God. God wants us to be enthusiastic about Him. Living a life of expectation of his blessing.

Look at the many examples of His provision. God has clothed you. God has made it possible for you to read this. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. God has fed you, sheltered you. Is there anything that God would withhold from you? Determine to live basing your life on the promises of God! Don't let doubt find a place in your heart. Stand fast in the Promise!

Blessings!

Trusting God When You Don't Understand Part II

Last week we saw that if we trust that God is in control, we can file away some of the things that confuse us in life in our "I don't understand it file" . We can quit fuming and speculating, and rest in God! This week I want to encourage you that you can trust God when you don't get it, because often God is in the process of preparing you.

You know sometimes something doesn’t turn out the way you wanted because God is saying " you are not ready for that yet". Just take one day at a time. God knows what he’s doing!

Do not worry about tomorrow ...each day has enough trouble of its own Matt 6:34

For every divine assignment there is preparation!
King David was promised the kingdom. But it took fourteen years for him to be prepared for the kingship that was in store for him. God commissioned David when he was a small boy, yet look at all the things he had to go through before he was installed as king. He had to fight Goliath. He was on the run from Saul for many years. It wasn’t easy. David cried out to God but God was doing something in him. You see, it would have been easy for David to get mad at God and say "Lord what is up with all this adversity? Didn’t you promise to make me King?" But David was in the Kingship preparation program.

Like David, God has a destiny and a plan for each one of us. And the devil wants us to miss out on our inheritance. Don’t bail out on God’s school! He is going to shape you and stretch you. He is preparing you for greater things. Reach your hand up as hard as you can and say "God is stretching me!"

Joseph was locked away in that cell for so many years. His brothers had betrayed him. His fellow inmates had forgotten him. He was falsely accused. It would have been easy for him to get mad at God and say, "How long. How long do I have to be in this stinking cell?"

Yet he was able to say "what you meant for evil, God meant for good." (Gen 50) God promoted him in due season. Joseph was able to save a whole nation from starvation. Did he know that this was going to be his role at the time? No. Joseph trusted in the timing of God and trusted that if he had been on the early release program, he would not have been prepared to rule the nation, nor given the opportunity to save Israel from starvation.

You see, none of us have the right or the luxury to quit or give up just because we are going through a trial. Just because we didn’t get our way. I know this is very tough for us. But God has to get us to grow up so we can receive what God wants us to get to.

The sooner you pass the test, the sooner you are going to get promoted. We shouldn’t keep saying "Lord change my circumstance. Change the people." No, change me. Show me how to change . We have to accept God’s decisions no matter what. We would never grow and mature if we always got what we want when we want it. Say, "Lord, rub those hard edges of me through the circumstances and people in my life."

Just because my son Joshua can drive MarioKart on his Nintendo doesn't mean I am going to let him behind the wheel of a real car! When God says no, he knows what is best for you. Can you imagine all the things God has protected us from?

The devil is trying to put a chip on your shoulder. Don’t walk around all defeated. Now, it’s easy to give that counsel--hard to receive it when you are going through something. But don't be mad and bitter. Trust God. I'm not saying to put up with attacks from the devil--Resist him. Nor am I saying to be passive about a sin that you know you need to repent of--Repent. I'm saying that if there is a season of waiting or trial of difficulties, persevere, knowing God has not abandoned you, even though it may feel like it! God is good!

You are worth many sparrows, the hairs on your head are numbered. Submit to the Captain of your soul. Trust him to direct you and trust in His preparation and timing. Don't get bored believing and forfeit your inheritance like the Israelites. Stand your ground in the all sufficient grace of God. His grace is sufficient for you too!

Blessings!