No More Doubt

The surest way to remain ineffective in this life is to live in the land of doubt. Does God really exist? Do I really believe what He says? Will His word ever come true? Is there life after death? Is Jesus really who He says He is? Does He hear me when I pray? Will He answer my prayers? Will my circumstances ever change?

The list of questions is endless. And no matter what you may have read or believed, the truth is that doubt and faith cannot co-exist. Sooner or later, you will have to cross that line of indecision. To not do so is in fact choosing to disbelieve. This issue is too important not to settle in your minds and hearts. Here’s how the apostle Paul says it in Hebrews 11:6:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Impossible means completely and utterly unattainable. In other words, you cannot come to God and question who he is at the same time. It’s like those patients that come to the ER and question my judgment as their physician. They waste my time and theirs. I would spare them the energy and the $100 co-pay. Unless they believe that I can help them, they will remain in their state of ill health.

You may be thinking – but at least they came to the ER? You have got to understand that a sick person can visit as many doctors as he or she chooses to. Unless at some point there is a commitment to believe the diagnosis made and follow through on the treatment given, that person will remain as sick as my dead trees. Going to the ER and getting a check up does not bring healing. Accepting the treatment does. It’s as simple as that.

You may be thinking – what if you’re wrong? What if you as their doctor are wrong? What if the doctor in the ER down the street is in fact the one with the right answers? That’s precisely the point I am trying to make. If you don’t believe me, go elsewhere, but stop loitering in the ER. Sooner or later, you will have to make a commitment as to which doctor you will listen to.

It’s that simple. Just because you sit in my waiting room does not bring you healing. And just because you attend church while remaining in the land of doubt does not bring you salvation. Sooner or later you must accept God’s plan or go elsewhere.

But God is more merciful that you are, you’re wondering. Yes, he is, and that is why you are still sitting in you chair reading this blog and thinking about your never ending doubt. But you’re still sick. Until you fill that prescription and take those pills you will remain in your same condition. No doubt about it, and no pun intended.

There is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ the Savior. He lived a perfect life and died a painful death to pay for the price of your sin and mine. And everything he says is the truth. And everything he demands is my response. That’s the pill the sinner must swallow. That’s the pill every human needs to get new life and healing.

That’s the secret to unlocking your doubt.

It is in obedience that freedom is obtained. Here’s how Oswald Chambers says it: The promises of God are of no value to us until by obedience we understand the nature of God. We read some things in the Bible 365 times and they mean nothing to us, then all of a sudden we see what God means, because in some particular we have obeyed God, and instantly His nature is opened up.

If you are stuck in the land of doubt, I can bet you $100 you have refused to obey God in a particular matter. God demands your all. As long as you are unwilling to come to Him on His terms, you will continue in your state of confusion and doubt.

Here’s how James puts in James 1:5-8 –

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Double minded. Unstable. Tossed about. Always asking, but never receiving. Dissatisfied. Confused. In turmoil.

Life is not meant to be lived this way. Stop teetering on the edge of belief. Nothing frustrates me as a physician more than knowing I have the answers and seeing the refusal of belief in the eyes of my patients. On occasion it’s ignorance that keeps them coming back. But usually, it’s stubbornness. It’s wanting a different answer. It’s hoping for a different solution.

There is no other answer. Faith in Jesus Christ is the way to life.

Isn’t it time you jumped in with both feet?

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