Why Doubt Prevails
Do you have faith problems?
Much of the Christianity we have in our western culture is tainted with doubt.
Doubtful questions plague many minds...Is God's word really true? Is He really real? Will He actually do what He promised? Doubts about the plainly spoken things in scripture overshadow how His word is even heard.
Others have more subtle doubts.
Maybe we just wonder if He really loves us.
Maybe we question our position before Him.
Maybe we live as if He never thinks about us and thus have little to no thought of Him.
Maybe we wonder if He really can forgive us for our most recent sin or failing.
I know all of us struggle or have struggled with doubt from one degree to another, simply because faith is something that starts out small, like a mustard seed, planted in the soil of our hearts where doubt grows wild. And since faith starts out small, it has to grow, and as it grows, it is meant to replace the doubts that once resided deep in the soul.
But there is a great enemy to our faith. A villain that undermines it, often in subtle ways.
This villain stands guard at the heart of every unbeliever, and when the unbeliever is confronted with the truth of who Jesus is, the villain speaks lies in order to prevent faith from being planted there.
If this villain does not succeed at that, he will do all in his power to keep it from taking root by adding pressure to the life of the one who heard the truth or distracting them from what they heard.
Then, if he fails again to prevent it from taking root, he works hard to keep it from growing, for faith is the victory in the heart of every believer that overcomes the world. (1 John 5:4)
This villain knows that if faith grows, he himself will be overcome.
"Who," you might be asking, "Is this villain?"
Ah, good question.
He comes in many forms. He has many names.
"Fear of Man."
"Peer Pressure".
"Popularity" or "Self-advancement."
"Self-preservation," or "self-pity."
You might know him as the voice that speaks in your head and says, "They won't approve of this." Or "such-and-such will happen to me if I go in that direction."
He appears attractive, for he veils himself in fame, honor, and praise from men. He can also appear overbearing, pushing us to act in fear of what others will think.
We follow him blindly, because that is what everyone does. We think that if we do, we will gain something.
More praise from men. More likes and comments on our social media posts. More friends. More approval. More honor and accolades.
And if that doesn't work, he pushes us into silence, causing us to cooperate with whatever the fad is, or whatever everyone says is right.
If they hide in fear, we do too. If they come out in the open and start celebrating things that are wrong, we do too.
Or maybe we have grown to recognize those things for what they are, so he takes on a more subtle form.
It can look like elaborate prayers that are meant to impress the listeners.
It can look like jumping in to serve so that others will think you are a super Christian.
It can take on the form of worshipping outwardly, but inwardly thinking about how you must look to those who can see you.
It can take on the form of making huge sacrifices, being compelled by pressure or pride, instead of by love.
How can we believe God, who is the Source of all Truth, when we put so much emphasis on what people say, or what the culture around us is doing, or even our own feelings about what's true, which is all at least partially tainted -if not fully tainted- with lies that distort God's character and His word?
This villain's ultimate goal is always to stamp out our faith.
But... if you turn on him, he will turn on you too.
How passionately he speaks when we start to listen to God! How hard he tugs at us, how strongly He pushes us. He does everything he can to drown out the voice of God with his own lies. He uses the opinions of others to tear us down. He himself speaks degrading things to us.
In the question Jesus posed to the doubters of His day, He brings out a contrast. Let's revisit the question:
"How can you believe, who receive honor from one another (what I have just described above) and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"
There is honor that comes from God, my friends. Maybe we don't even realize most of the time that God wants to honor us, not shame us.
He wants to crown us with His love. (Psalm 103:4)
He wants to call us His beloved sons and daughters. (Romans 9:25-26)
He wants to someday serve us when we finally see Him. (Luke 12:37)
He wants to call us His own precious possession. (Ephesians 1:14)
He wants to praise us, saying "well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21)
He wants to meet our deepest needs. (Psalm 107:9)
He wants to love on us the same way He loved on His own Son while He walked the earth, saying "this is my beloved son or daughter in whom I am well pleased." (John 15:9; Luke 3:22)
He wants to deeply and eternally satisfy us with Himself and fulfill our need for approval with His own praise. (Ephesians 1:6)
...Another thing I want to bring out is this: the honor we ought to seek is the honor that comes from the only God.
In other words, if I am seeking man's approval of me, I am elevating myself above God. Shouldn't I, a created one, care only for the honor and praise of the God who created me?
HE is the only God, so I should not compete with Him. It is futile to do that anyways.
Man's opinion should not be elevated to the position of a god in my life. Only the God who created me should have that position.
Think about what the verses below are saying, and ask yourself, "am I seeking the honor that comes from the only God?"
"...Many believed in Him, but...they did not confess Him...For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:42-43)
"But now, the Lord says, '...Those who honor Me, I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.'" (2 Samuel 2:30)
"But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God." (Romans 2:29)
If you want your faith to grow, you must only have one opinion that influences your beliefs, thoughts and actions -that being God's.
Believe me, I know this is easier said than done.
We live in a world that is constantly pushing us to fear man, pressuring us to cave to the fads and trends of the day, cowing us into utter silence over the Jesus that we follow. We live in a culture that hates God and will not acknowledge His right to have the final say in our lives.
But we cannot and should not live like the world in fear of what man thinks, for there awaits One who will praise us for following Him and exalting His word.
There is One who will honor us for seeking His good opinion of us above what others say.
When we come to the end of our lives, we will not regret loyalty to Him.
Nor will we regret giving up our lives for Him and allowing His love to consume us and then compel us into His service.
We will not regret elevating His word above the opinions of man.
We will not regret forsaking the doubt-inducing fear of man that held us back from fully believing Him and following Him with our whole heart.
So, stop concerning yourself with what people are saying, what others are doing, what is the trend of the day, or even what is going to happen to you if you start following Jesus with everything you are, and look up.
Jesus is there, ready to help you, to grow your faith, and to give you the eyes to see His smile over you and ears to hear the applause of heaven as you follow Him.
"Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for He that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
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