Doubtless: Faith that Overcomes the World by Jennifer Leclaire

Author:Jennifer Leclaire
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-03-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTONS OF DOUBTAHOLISM

Doubt is the doorway to unbelief because the skeptic must first question the Source of information before he is finally unwilling to accept the truth. If doubt is dangerous, then, as we’ve seen in early chapters, unbelief can be deadly. At the very least it can cripple your prayer life. Ponder this: If it only takes faith the size of a grain if mustard seed to move a mountain, then how much doubt does it take to cancel out a prayer? Selah. Jesus said, “Only believe.”

Even the Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism who is better known as Bhudda, knew doubt was a worthless endeavor, and he wasn’t even a believer. He once said, “There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.”

Like any disease, doubtaholism doesn’t usually kill your belief all at once. Rather, it manifests in progressive stages. The early symptoms are confusion and inaction. Left unchecked, we move on to fear and anxiety. Finally, we continue to instability, double-mindedness and backtracking that leave us unable to receive the wisdom of God. James, the apostle of practical faith, encourages believers to ask the Lord for direction as needed – in faith, with no wavering, hesitating or doubting.

“For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such person imagine he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord, [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides] (James 1:6-8 AMP).

Double-minded and dubious? That may seem like a pretty harsh statement to the doubter, but no worse, I suppose, than God’s indictment of the evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12). What we have to understand is this: God takes doubt and unbelief seriously. Doubting His Word is a blight on His character. Suggesting God won’t do what His Word promises is an insult to God, a slap in His holy face. When you understand the heart of God, you’ll understand that He has done everything in His power to get you what you need. He gave you His only begotten Son. He gave you His blood. He gave you His name. He gave you His Word. He gave you His Spirit. Now it’s up to you – and doubt is enemy number one.

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