Dangerous Doubt

Proverbs 3:5-6

New King James Version

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall [a]direct your paths.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey friends, thanks for joining me on today's episode of Unfiltered with Jesse B. I'd like to recognize some listeners in Japan who have joined the Unfiltered with Jesse B podcast listening family. I appreciate each and every one of you. And if you find these episodes beneficial and think somebody else would too, go ahead and share it with them and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't done so already, and that way you won't miss any future episodes. So today I would like to talk about the seriousness of doubt. Now we all face doubt when what we see or what we feel isn't jiving with our faith. Doubt is a natural human experience that is symptomatic of hesitation or wavering faith and uncertainty. However, the Bible does warn against doubt, citing it as a source of instability as seen in James 1 verses 6 through 8, likening doubt to waves in the sea, being tossed about by the wind, and also how a double-minded person is unstable in all they do. There are many in the Bible, including disciples and prophets, who doubted God, yet God did remain faithful. The most popular account is Abraham and Sarah, where God told Abraham that they would have a son. Abraham in turn told his wife Sarah, who was barren, and both she and Abraham were well advanced in years. But out of that doubt, Sarah told Abraham to have relations with her maidservant Hagar, and which Abraham agreed to do, and that union resulted in the birth of Ishmael, who was the firstborn. And then Sarah later on did conceive and later had Isaac. Now because of this, I do believe as many others also agree for the reasons being cited in Jewish Arab relations in the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, all a result of Abraham and Sarah's doubt. In fact, in Judaism and Christianity, Isaiah or excuse me, Isaac is the heir of the covenant between God and Abraham, acknowledging Israel as a blessed son who became a patriarch of the desert. Islam also highlights Ishmael as a prophet, co-builder of the Kaba with Abraham and direct ancestor of Muhammad. So you can research all this information on your own. While it is true that God's plan will be accomplished regardless of doubt, also it's true that just because we made doubt does not necessarily mean that we have turned our back on God, and it also does not mean that God is not caring or sympathetic to us when we doubt. Where we mess up is we often don't go to God with doubt. We take matters under our own hands just like Abraham and Sarah did. The key to overcoming doubt is confessing those doubts to God. We can use doubt as an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, not run away from it. We know that God will never turn away anyone who is coming to him with a sincere heart. Psalm fifty one, sixteen through seventeen in the Good News Translation or the GNT says, You do not want sacrifices or you or I would offer them. You are not pleased with burnt offerings. My sacrifice is a humble spirit of God. You will not reject a humble and repentant heart. Philippians four eight in the NIV reminds us finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is love, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy. Think about such things. Now like I said, where we get into trouble is by allowing God to take root, which leaves the door wide open for the enemy to come in and just wreak absolute havoc on your life. Remember that earlier doubt can be used to cultivate a deeper relationship with God as long as we bring those doubts to Him. But where doubt gets dangerous is when we pull away from God, stop reading the Bible, we stop praying. Another telltale sign is putting our faith in people and valuing the words or approval of people while our faith in God diminishes, and people's words and people's approval are more influential than God's. Then, as I said, just as Abraham and Sarah, we take matters into our own hands rather than trusting that God will do what he says he's going to do. And then we wonder why we are stuck in jobs we can't stand, have a list of relationships that we're better off not being, debt that should never have happened, and so on. Stuck in a life that is sucking the life right out of you, and you're just existing and not living, and certainly not living your God given potential. And just like God can use doubt for the positive when we surrender it to him, the enemy can also use that doubt for the negative when it is surrendered to him, rather or rather them. Demonic forces never act alone, and I'll save that for another topic on another day. But God loves you. He wants what's best for you, he continues to fight for you, he has plans and assignments for you, not just in the here and now, but in eternity as well. On the flip side, the enemy also has plans for you. The enemy hates you and wants to destroy you, so why give the enemy the time of day or an inch of real estate in your relationship with God? Jesus said in Matthew 8 13, as your faith is, so be it. So let me ask you do you view Jesus' words as encouragement or a warning? Love you guys, and I'll talk to you Sunday.