Overcoming Doubt and Fear

I may lose people for this, but this morning I want to share with you one of my biggest struggles because I believe, if we are all honest with each other, we all struggle with doubt and fear. Doubt stretches from who Christ is to will he help me and you can struggle with this entire scale or you can struggle with a portion.

For months I have been preaching and prophesying that God is going to do something new. That he is going to use us, this church, and even myself in ways that we haven’t been used before and you see this is my struggle. Because I like the known. I like systems. Push this button you get this reaction. That’s comfortable for me. The button may be hard to push, I may have to struggle to get the button down, but I find comfort in knowing the outcome.

It’s why many of us stay in harmful relationships, work places, or situations. Because we know it. It’s the addicts biggest struggle-not knowing what’s to come.

But doubt and fear will creep in.

I want you to look at

Matthew 11:3 ESV

3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

A Little back story. John has been in prison now for about a year, give or take a few months. He confronted Herod about his divorce and marrying his half brother’s wife and Herod put him in Jail. A lot can happen to a person’s mind in jail for any length of time. The uncertainty of death. The lack of physical care. The other inmates who may just be planning horrible ways to torcher you.

There are many times within a Christian’s life when we begin to ask the Question

Jesus, are you who you say you are and will do what you said you will do?

Now I wouldn’t struggle with this question if it had come from any of the newly saved, or unsaved people, but this John who in

John 1:28–29 ESV

28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

In a moment of comfort John could declare Christ, the Lamb of God, but in a moment of doubt and fear John sends messengers to Jesus asking: Are you truly the one who is to come, or shall we look somewhere else?

What caused this shift in John’s thinking? What would have shaken John’s faith? It wasn’t hardship. Because John ate locusts and honey in the wild. He lived in the woods. He baptized people in the Jordan. He called out Pharisees and blatant called them names. He challenged the standard of the time all the time. He went Herod and confronted his sin which he had to have known would have had kick backs. I mean I’m a pastor and I know if you confront people’s sin people tend to bite back. John knew hard times, He knew struggles, he knew what it was to give his life to God.

I can relate in many ways to John and I believe many of us, if we search deep enough can related to John. The bible doesn’t say what broke John, but I am a big picture kind of guy. I am a graph and numbers man. So if you put it all out on the table the only thing that changed in the year is John went into a season of the great unknown. It wasn’t struggling. At least struggling you know what will happen. It wasn’t confrontation. Because he has been there and done that.

But what might have been going through his mind is this: If Harod was going to release me he would have already. If he was going to kill me that should have come too. If Jesus was going to bust in and save us all that should have happened by now?

NOW WHAT?

I pushed the button, nothing. Certainty is gone. The known is unknown. Now what? I know I’m supposed to have faith, but dark thoughts keep creeping in. I know God has taken care of me in the past, but that doesn’t guarantee the future.I see God doing miracles in other people’s life, but like John that’s only second hand knowledge.

Jesus answers John with this

Matthew 11:5 ESV

5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

John, like many Jews, was expecting Jesus on the white horse. What gave John boldness was knowing that Jesus would come and destroy everything that stood against them. But he didn’t. He came healing unknown cast aways. He came delivering gentiles. He came in ways John wasn’t ready for and that shook John to the core. That shook his believe system.

There are times in your life when Jesus doesn’t show up in the way you expected and there are times when it will shake your belief system. It might not cause you to question your salvation, but rather your ability to survive. Your ability to provide. Your ability to move on.

Here’s the issue:

What happens when the truth contradicts what we believe?

You see in my head I set up the ways Jesus was supposed to act. The things Jesus is supposed to do. I know if I press this button Jesus will do this, but what happens when he doesn’t. Just because we believed it doesn’t mean it’s true. John believed Jesus would come on a white horse and he will, but not in that moment. Jesus first came to sacrifice. John wasn’t ready for a sacrifice. He was ready for Judgement.

What happens when you deal a game of hold em and Jesus counter moves with moving the rook? I believed Jesus would always supply through a job, but then there wasn’t one. I’ve financially struggled before, but I always knew I would climb out. But what if I can’t this time? Will I still believe.

I grew up with raise a child in the Lord and when grows old he won’t depart from it, but my child’s 40 years old and he hasn’t come back yet. Will you still believe then?

Truth doesn’t conform to our believes. Our beliefs have to conform to God’s truth. And the most difficult statement in my life is even if I fail God is still in control.

Even if John’s head got lopped off—Jesus was still the coming Messiah. That friends is the biggest struggle Christians have. to get to a point where if things don’t work out the way I believed them to will I still cling to the truth of God?

YOUR GREATEST BELIEF MAY BE YOUR BIGGEST STRUGGLE IN HOLDING ONTO FAITH

For me it’s success. I believed if I follow Jesus I would always be successful. And I realized that my success deterimed my faith.

It wasn’t the word of God because listen. I found verses in the word to back up my belief system, but then we’re faced with questions like this:

What if the church fails? What if you lose your house or all your houses? What if your business’ aren’t successful? will the question come

Lord, are you who you said you are?

Matthew 11:6 NKJV

6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

That’s an odd statement to make to John. Jesus said…Do don’t trip over me.

This is the key. Rather use me to increase your faith. This isn’t the end. It’s just part of the journey. Don’t let your belief system cloud my truth. See Jesus for who he is not what you need him to be.

Jesus said. John don’t trip over what you read about me. Jesus had a word for John and I believe Jesus has a word for you I don’t know what tomorrow hold. I don’t know what the next moment is but can you stand with Joshua

Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Your determination to serve God no matter the outcome will be the fuel that will propel you deeper in your faith.