At the moment, the world is in a panic because of an invisible enemy. But there is an even bigger threat that I see.
It’s the infection of doubt.
And if you haven’t caught it, you probably will.
Where ever you go you can see it on peoples faces; they look at you like a rabbit in headlights.
Doubt is not just a Christian experience.
It is a human experience.
So, the issue isn’t whether or not we’re going to catch the infection.
The issue is what do you do once you’ve got it.
How do you prevent this infection from ravaging your faith?
WHAT IS DOUBT?
Many people think that doubt is the opposite of faith. But it’s not. That’s a common misconception. The opposite of faith is unbelief. And there’s a big difference between unbelief and doubt.
Unbelief is a willful refusal to believe. It’s a deliberate decision to deny God. It’s making either a conscious or subconscious decision not to have faith.
But that’s not what doubt is.
Doubt is to be indecisive.
It’s to be caught between two lines of thought.
You want to believe that you won’t get coronavirus, but a little question rattles around your head, “but what if I do?”
Doubt will erode your faith. And very soon all your actions will be based on fear
A great biblical example of how doubt can affect you is in the story of John the Baptist.
He’s the man who pointed at Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This is the man who baptized Jesus, and he saw the heavens open up and heard the voice of God say, “This is My Son, in whom I’m well pleased.”
He had incredible faith. But what happened?
He gets arrested.
He gets thrown into jail.
There he comes down with the infection of doubt.
Now he’s not so sure.
Now he’s uncertain.
“Is Jesus really who He claims to be? Or should we be looking for someone else?”
Which is very like most people today.
4-5 months ago, they had a strong faith, but now that faith has been shaken. Church’s are closed. Without guidance, a lot of believers are lost.
To resolve his doubt, John sent two of his friends to go check Jesus out and ask Him point blank the question,
“Are you the Messiah? Are You the one we’ve been waiting for to rescue the world? Or should we look elsewhere?”
So, his two friends go.
They track Jesus down, and they ask Jesus that question.
“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive sight. The lame walk. The lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised up. And the poor have the gospel preached to them’.” (Luke 7:22)
In other words, Jesus is saying, “Go back and tell John about the evidence you have seen with your own eyes that authenticate My claim to being the one and only Son of God and that will renew his confidence and will bolster back up his faith.”
That’s what we must do also. Go back and look at all the times that God helped you in the past.
Them times when He made a way where there was no way. .
It’s human nature to have doubts but when we do we can’t let them doubts into our spirit. We must direct our attention to God and ask for him to strengthen our faith.
To help direct us through the storms in our lives.
Open up to God.
‘Lord these are the doubts I have.’
‘These are the questions I have.’
‘This is what I wrestle with, this is the area that I am struggling with at this time.’
In return He will reach out to you helping you come to a resolution and bolster your faith just as He bolstered the faith of John the Baptist.”
Some People Have A Faith That Is Built on Feelings
They prayed for something in the past and received it. Maybe it was a job, a loving relationship, or financial security. Resulting in them feeling good.
They thank God and are happy.
Everything goes well for them for many years.
They praise God for all they have achieved.
Then this global pandemic hits, and they go from living a life of luxury to being in debt in 3-4 months. They are distraught, but their first thought is not to turn to God in prayer. Asking him for help again. No, their first thoughts are of panic, feelings of anger. They want to find someone to blame.
Of course, some people will say— but look at all I lost. I had a beautiful house, three cars, two-holiday homes. Now I’m on the verge of losing it all?
Honestly, I don’t know the answer; I can only speak for myself.
When life is going well for me, I can get complacent, I overstretch. I go for that new loan when I know I’m already living beyond my means. Materialism has a way of taking our attention off God. It can become more important to impress our neighbours than God. Who gave us all that we have in the first place.
Going forward
There is nothing wrong with having feelings of doubt or fear at this time, but you mustn’t give them thoughts a foothold. You must learn from any mistakes that you have made.
Everywhere you go now people are wearing masks and gloves for protection from a deadly enemy. Can I advise you to also have a guard up for an infection even more deadly, the infection of doubt? Some people have it bad; the only problem is you don’t need to be near them to catch it.
That friend that calls you every day telling you how the current outbreak is getting worse and worse.
They have it bad.
You must make them aware that you don’t need any more fear in your life. If they don’t respect your choice, I advise that you limit your time with them. Too many negative conversations and soon you will be thinking like them, doubting that God will protect and provide for you.
We need to feed our faith, not our fear.
Pray every day.
Connect with those that raise you up, that make you smile, that inspire you. That make you laugh.
We will all get through this difficult time.
And we will all be different on the other side.
Now is your time to mould the type of person that you will be.
The power is within your hands.
Be that voice of faith with those around you, and on social media. You may be, the only voice of hope and wisdom that someone hears all week.
Thanks for reading.
Live Today With Faith 