Doubt and unbelief are two sides to the same coin. It means to waver in opinion or judgment; to question; to deem uncertain; to distrust. It is a lack of belief or faith in God and His provision. We see in the third chapter of Genesis, that the devil was able to use doubt to weaken the trust that Eve had in God. The devil, the serpent, tempted Eve by getting her to doubt God�s goodness, he implied that God was strict,
stingy, and selfish for not wanting her to share His knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5) �and the serpent said to the woman, you shall not surely die. For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil�. Satan made Eve forget all that God had given her and instead focus on the one thing she couldn�t have. We can fall into trouble, too, when we dwell on the few things we don�t have rather than on the countless things God has given us. The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself in what you don�t have, consider all you do have and thank God, then your doubts
won�t lead you into sin.
Completely depending upon God is essential, regardless of our level of spiritual maturity. When we begin to rely on our own understanding, we are in danger of ignoring God�s assessment of the situation. But by remembering His past works and His present power, we can be sure that we are not cutting off His potential help. David is a good example of this; he rehearsed what God did when He helped him defeat the lion and the bear, and his faith level increased and he was able to defeat the giant.
Doubt weakens your trust in God, but Proverbs 3:5-8 says �trust in the Lord Yahweh with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord Yahweh and depart from evil. It shall be health to our navel, and
marrow to your bones�.
The unbelief of many Israelites, for example, kept them from seeing the Promise Land (Numbers 13 and 14); the twelve spies returned from spying out the promise land and ten of them came back with an evil report of unbelief. They look in the natural and saw the giants, but forgot that God had given them the land. And because they murmured and complained, they caused all the congregation to weep and even wanted to pick another leader and return to Egypt (Hebrews 3:12-4:2,11) says �take heed, brethren, less there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; less any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.
While it is said, today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke; however not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom swear He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore be careful, less a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, less any man fall after the same example of unbelief�. We have to learn from Israel�s mistakes, Psalms 78:40-42 says �how often did they provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert. Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not His hand, and the day when He delivered them from the enemy�.
Doubt blocks your receiver; just as we know that there are signals all around us, radio waves, television signals, and all we have to do to receive their transmission, is to tune in.
Doubting skeptics are limited in what they might see or know, while Jesus said �all things are possible to him who believes� (Matthew 9:23). Peter walked on the water until he began to doubt (Matthew 14:28-31) �and Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be You, bid me come to You on the water. And He said, come, and when Peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But
when he saw the win boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying Lord save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught
him, and said to him, O you of little faith, wherefore did you doubt?
So you can see why this scheme of the devil is to get you into doubt and unbelief, to keep your from receiving all that God has for you.
The level of your faith or doubt is determined by the way you respond to the problems when they come. The faith level is low when people walk by sight responding to the circumstances, instead of speaking the word of God against
them. But James tells us �my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing�; James tells us to ask God for direction and warns us not to be double minded �if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering, for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways� (James 1:2-8).
Doubt leaves a person as unsettled as the restless waves. If you want to stop being tossed about, rely on God to show you what is best. Ask Him for wisdom, and trust that He will give it to you. Then your decisions will be sure and solid.
To believe and not doubt means more than believing in the existence of God. It also means believing in his loving care. It includes relying on God and expecting that He will hear and
answer when we pray.
We must have confidence that God is able to supply all of our needs (I John 5:14-15) �and this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we
ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of Him�.
Jesus told His disciples in Mark 11:23 �for verily, I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, be you removed, and be you cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to
pass, he shall have whatsoever he says�.
Our part in the equation is to keep doubt out of our heart. We must be careful what we hear, because doubt comes by
hearing and hearing the word of the world, words contrary to the word of God. Proverbs 4:23 warns us to �keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it (your heart) are the issues of life�.
We can have enough faith, but it�s the unbelief that will negate your faith. Jesus rebuked His disciples when they could not cast out the dumb spirit out of the boy, and said that it was because of their unbelief (Matthew 14:20, Mark 9:17-29). And He tells them that �prayer and fasting drives out unbelief�.
We have to deal with any doubt and unbelief; and we do this by surround ourselves with people of like faith. We have to shut off the road to unbelief, by taking care what you hear and watch.
Remember that �faith comes by hearing and hearing the
word of God�. If you are dealing with doubt, you must realize that you are vulnerable to temptation; and as you search for answers, protect yourself by meditating on the unshakable
truths in God�s word (Luke 4:1-13) as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He said �it is written�. He was able to defeat the devil by knowing the word of God that contradicted what the devil was trying to tempt Him with.
We resist doubt by practicing trust. Trust in God grows as we faithfully seek Him on a daily basis. To stabilize your trust, commit yourself whole heartedly to God. If your faith is new, weak, or struggling, remember that you can trust God. That�s why it is so important to determine that the Bible is the true word of God and hang on to what it says. The Bible says to �let God be true and every man a liar�. It should not be hard to trust God because He has such a good track record. Remember that our goal is to become �fully persuaded�, like Abraham.
Seven Ways to Deal With Doubt by Dr. Ray Pritchard
Most Christians struggle with doubt at one time or another. Doubt is not sinful but it can be dangerous. It can also be a spur to enormous spiritual growth. It�s what you do with your doubt that matters. Here are seven simple suggestions about how to handle your doubt.
1. Admit your doubts and ask for help.Tell the Lord about your struggles. God is not fragile. He can handle all your questions. And find some wise Christian friends who won�t put you down when you express your doubts.
2. �Borrow� faith by hanging around those whose faith is strong. I really mean by this, stay attached to the larger body of Christ. Keep going to worship�even if it doesn�t seem to help you at the moment. Remember that you�re not the first Christian to go through the �dark night of the soul.� If you pull back from other believers, your doubts will only grow stronger.
3. Act on Your Faith, Not Your Doubts. We know that many great men and women of the Bible struggled with doubt. Sometimes believing can be very difficult indeed. Don�t let your doubts shut down your faith altogether. Noah had never seen rain, but he built the ark anyway. Abraham had no idea where he was going, but he left Ur of the Chaldees anyway. The heroes of the Bible were flesh and blood people just like you and me. They chose to believe even when they had no idea how things were going to turn out.
4. Doubt your doubts, not your faith. We will all spend some time slogging through the Valley of Doubt. When you are in that valley, remember these two words: Keep going! If you are in the Valley of Doubt, don�t stop and build a condo there. The only way out is to keep on walking. Every step forward is a way to �doubt your doubts.� Soon enough the light will shine again.
5. Sing! Since music is the language of the heart, when we sing, we are dealing with our doubts on more than just an intellectual level. Put in a Christian CD or play a good song on your iPod or pick up a hymnal and start singing. I don�t mean just listen. I mean, Sing along. Sing out loud. Jehoshaphat put the male choir at the head of the army of Judah. While they sang, God gave a victory over the vastly-larger Ammonite army (2 Chronicles 20). Singing godly music builds your faith by tattooing the truth on your soul.
6. Let go of what you cannot know with certainty. All of us have questions that we simply can�t answer. Often those questions revolve around the whys of life. Why did this happen? Why did it happen to me? Or to my children? Or to my wife? Or to my husband? Why did it happen now and not ten years from now? To all those questions of the heart, the answers will not come until we get to heaven. It is faith-building to say, �I understand that I won�t understand right now.�
7. Keep going back to what you know to be true. This, for me, is the most important point. After considering the sufferings of this life, and the perils and tribulations of following Christ, Paul concludes Romans 8 triumphantly by declaring, �For I am persuaded.� And he declares that nothing in all the universe can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In 2 Timothy 1:12 he says, �I know whom I have believed.�
Some things you think. Some things you hope.Some things you know.
In times of trouble, keep going back to what you know to be true. This means consciously reminding yourself that God is sovereign, that Jesus is Lord, that God is good, and that there is a higher purpose at work even when I can�t see it.
Doubt is not a sin. It�s what you do with your doubt that makes all the difference. Don�t let your doubts keep you from Jesus. Come to him just as you are�and bring your doubts with you. He will not turn you away.
Now and then we encounter individuals that have abandoned faith in God. What would cause a person to end up in a condition where they distrust God? How can we help them and how can we help each other avoid such a state? Unbelief is an ever present danger (Hebrews 3:12). The eternal consequences of unbelief cry out for teaching on this subject (Mark 16:16; Revelation 21:8).
I. Definition of Terms: When we look at the various Greek words translated 'unbelief' in the New Testament we find the following concepts:
A. UNBELIEF=DISOBEDIENCE: JOHN 3:36 'OBEYETH NOT' (KJV 'Believeth not'). To refused to be persuaded, to refuse belief, disobedient. (Vine p. 319) Not to allow oneself to be persuaded, not to comply with, to refuse or withhold belief. (Thayer p. 57) Unbelief then can be viewed from the angle of willfully rejecting the evidence that should 'convince' any honest person. Jesus would agree that enough evidence exists to make 'unbelief' inexcusable. (John 20:27; Romans 11:23).
B. UNBELIEF=THE PERSON WHO CANNOT TRUST GOD: JOHN 20:27 'FAITHLESS'-without faith or trust. Unbelief is also the condition of one that cannot allow themselves to trust God. Either they don't think He exists, or something has persuaded them that God is untrusthworthy (not worthy of my trust). Unbelief is lacking confidence in God.
II. Cause #1: Religious Division: Some people reject Christianity because 'Christianity appears to be divided, divisive, contradictory and hopelessly confused'. The world is filled with many religious bodies, each claiming to be part of Christianity and yet each contradicting the other. It may be surprising to some, to find out what the Bible actually says on this point. (1) Jesus prayed for unity among His immediate followers and those that would be converted through the message preached by the apostles (JOHN 17:20-21). (2) By inspiration, Paul condemns religious division (1 CORINTHIANS 1:10) (3) The Bible predicts religious division coming upon Christianity (ACTS 20:30; 1 TIMOTHY 4:1-3; 2 TIMOTHY 4:2-4).
Conclusion: (1) The divided religious world is not the will of God. Don't blame God for that, blame man. (2) The presence of religious division in the world today only confirms the truthfulness of the Bible. (3) The world of "unbelief" is just as divided! Skeptics, atheists, agnostics, evolutionists, etc..are divided and in disagreement among themselves on many topics.
III. Cause #2: Faith in others shattered, trust betrayed: Some turn to unbelief after having been 'hurt, let down, abused' by people that professed Christianity. Christians didn't come through for them. For some reason we tend to blame God when people hurt us. One writer said: 'A sexually abused woman once told me, "When God did not intervene to stop the abuser, He lost any right to require me to do anything. He owes me; I owe Him nothing' (Bold Love. Dr. Dan B. Allender p. 70) The writer made the following comments:"Our thoughts run along this course: If only you understood the unbelievably tough decisions I am called to make everyday, you would not hold me accountable to make any more...even more, if you only understood how much I've been hurt, neglected, and abused, you would know that God requires little or next to nothing from me"
A. YET WE WANT IT BOTH WAYS: We want to be let off the hook for our own sins, mistakes, and weaknesses. We want to be able to casually dismiss them. We want them all excused and we expect (demand) that others agree. We don't want to be held accountable for our sins! And yet we DEMAND everyone else to be held accountable! While we are arguing "imperfection" for ourselves we are demanding "perfection" in others.
B. HOW OFTEN HAVE WE PLAYED THIS PART-MATTHEW 18:23-35? Like the unmerciful servant in the above parable: (1) We desire, plead for forgive forgiveness and mercy for ourselves (18:25-27). (2) And we turn around and have no patience or forgiveness for anyone else, for someone we feel that OWES US! (18:30).
When I allow the sin and imperfections of Chistians to move me away from God; in reality I AM NOT WILLING TO EXTEND MERCY. I AM UNWILLING TO TREAT OTHERS IN THE SAME MANNER THAT GOD HAS TREATED ME. (COLOSSIANS 3:13). I have truly forgotten MY OWN SINS!
IV. Cause #3: Life is so Unfair: Why do the innocent suffer, why does God allow bad things to happen to 'good people', why did God allow that person to hurt me... and like arguments cause some to abandon trust in God. When people ask such questions, they usually have forgotten a tremendous truth..'WHY DOES GOD ALLOW ME?' We cry out for 'justice'..but complete justice would require that all of us go to hell! (ROMANS 3:9; 1 PETER 2:24; TITUS 3:3). EACH ONE OF US HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE 'UNFAIRNESS' OF THIS LIFE...we all have sinned, we all have hurt someone else in some way. And JESUS SUFFERED THE PUNISHMENT DUE FOR OUR SINS TOO! Was that fair?
V. Cause #4: Freedom from Moral Responsibility: Aldous Huxley once argued that belief in God and viewing the world as having meaning were hindrances to sexual freedom. Some people are so 'into themselves, wrapped up in their own needs and desires' that anyone that would stand in their pursuit of what they think will bring happiness is rejected. (2 TIMOTHY 3:2-4). People who think that God 'hinders' their personal happiness have accepted the premise that 'GOD CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO BRING HAPPINESS'. (LUKE 8:14) 'Cares, riches, and pleasures' all become problems when we have lost confidence in God. 'I cannot bring myself to trust God enough to hand over my cares to Him...I cannot trust God enough to depend upon Him for my physical needs (Matthew 6:33)...I don't trust God to the point that I am willing to entrust Him with my future and present happiness..BUT MAN CAN..LOOK AT MOSES (HEBREWS 11:25).
VI. Cause # 5: Human Pride: Friedrich Nietzsche, the atheistic philosopher who made such an impact upon Hitler, once said, "If there were gods, how could I stand it to be no god?" I think I understand what was going through the above mans mind. Once that I admit, once that I face up to the truth that God is God and I am not..in the exact same moment 'I'M FIRED' FROM BEING THE BOSS OF MY OWN LIFE. Pride has caused man problems from day one (Psalm 119:21; Proverbs 6:16-17; 15:25; James 4:6). God is so dead set against human pride because pride will exalt a man (in that mans mind) above God. (Isaiah 2:11).
"As nonthesists, we begin with humans not God, nature not deity. We can discover no divine purpose or providence for the human species. While there is much that we do not know, humans are responsible for what we are or will become. No deity will save us; we must save ourselves" (Humanist Manifesto. p. 16)
"For there is one thing that man always has liked to feel..that he is sufficient for all things..that he is going to bring about a better world by his own ingenuity, that he is the greatest and highest and most important phenomenon in the world, and that beyond him there is nothing worth considering" (Therefore Stand. Wilbur M. Smith p. 151)
Some ways that pride manifests itself:
(1) It sounds like someone is going to be telling me what to do: Why do we become so stubborn and defiant when someone tries to offer us advice?
(2) Faith systems devised by man: ROMANS 1:21-23
(3) PRIDE DESIRES TO HAVE THE 'LINE ITEM VETO' IN YOUR LIFE.
(4) PRIDE SAYS THAT GOD IS WRONG: PROVERBS 9:8; ROMANS 1:30
I think most can see that the 'causes of unbelief' are 'problems within man..were the one with the problem'. What is there about God that should cause one to distrust Him? We are willing to admit that we are the sinners (Luke 5:8)? Trust/faith begins when I realize the magnitude of my sins and the greatness of God's mercy...that God still wants ME to be one of His children..do we stand in awe of God's love? LET YOURSELF BE SILENCED BY HIS MERCY.
