From Doubt to Faith

What does it mean… to be invincible?

Indestructible? Unshakable? Unbreakable?

When this word is used, maybe someone like Superman comes to mind or a superstructure that is over engineered to withstand catastrophes, etc.

Defined, Invincible means too powerful to be defeated or overcome

I LOVE that definition! Why? Because it emphasizes that NOTHING else has the power needed to take down that which is… invincible.

This definition not only looks to the power of the subject at hand… but it also considers the lack of power of ANYTHING that comes against it.

Our God is truly… INVINCIBLE! Nothing in or of this world even comes close to His power and authority!

AND… God wants to make you and me… invincible as well!

And immediately we might think… that we have faced trials that are bigger than us, seasons larger than our resources, challenges greater than our wisdom, mountains that are mightier than our strength… this is all very true… but these things are NOT GREATER THAN THE POWER OF GOD THAT IS AT WORK WITHIN YOU!

God is IN you… His Spirit resides WITHIN you… His power is at work WITHIN you… are you getting this? He is working IN you and THROUGH you.

So we continue our series called Invincible with messages that call out the trials… call out the storms or the mountains we might face and struggle with. And some of the names of these “storms” might surprise you.

Maybe your mind moves to something.... like cancer… which is a big deal. Maybe your mind moves to something like family or relationships… which are big deals. Maybe your mind moves to finances, job changes, or paying bills. All of these things can cause great amounts of stress and worry.

But we are going to go… deeper. Remember, we cannot control the frequencies or intensities of the storms we face in life… BUT WE CAN PREPARE FOR THEM. We do this by strengthening our foundation.

And tonight… we hit a big one. The name of the storm we look at tonight… is doubt.

Doubt can lead to major trouble in our walk with the Lord. Doubt can leave a believer… shaken… unsettled… and questioning what might happen next.

We started by defining what it means to be invincible… now let’s define what doubt is.

Doubt defined is a feeling of uncertainty or a lack of conviction.

Doubt… is a crack in the foundation. Doubt, if left unchecked, can lead to severe foundational problems that place all that is built upon it at risk.

And here’s the deal… we all doubt.

Oh pastor! How could you possibly say that?

Just bear with me… I don’t say that in judgement, I say that to get our attention. Why? Because I don’t want to see your foundation damaged by doubt. If we ignore the problem, it will ONLY get worse.

And before we get super righteous in here, let’s remember that some of hero’s of faith had to contend with doubt in their own lives.

Moses doubted his ability as deliverer.

David doubted that God would rescue him from king Saul.

Elijah doubted he would survive Queen Jezebel’s hit squad.

Jeremiah doubted his call as a prophet

And we don’t have time enough to talk about the doubts of king Solomon, John the Baptist, and the apostle Paul.

AND… many respected men and women of the faith in recent decades and centuries have had their fair share of… doubt.

So let’s start off by first being real. Doubt is a real thing that we need to be aware of and that we need to address.

I read a quote from author Dr. Robert Jeffress that said, “I am convinced that those who don’t doubt much are those who don’t think much or experience much. Airtight conclusions usually come from people who haven’t known the sting of disappointment or the confusion of unanswered prayers.”

Church… we’ve all taken hits. We’ve all been in the valley before. And many of us… have all wrestled with doubts while in that season.

It’s not something we go looking for… but it is something that tries to threaten the integrity of our spiritual foundation.

Doubt… is real. Doubt… happens to good believers.

We need not be ashamed of doubt… but we need to know what to do with it should it try to creep into our hearts.

And I want to make a clear distinction between a couple of terms… Doubt and unbelief are two different things.

Unbelief says “I don’t believe God can.” Unbelief moves us more into ourselves and less to faith.

Doubt… can have the opposite effect. Consider this: If your doubts cause you to run to God with sincere questions about what He is doing or not doing in a season, seeking God and asking God is an act of faith.

Here’s the key: If you are NOT demanding answers but drying out to God for answers only He can provide in accordance to His will for your life, then you are open for what God might have for you in that moment.

We are NOT always going to understand what God is doing and why He is doing it! God operates in ways that are higher than us.

Isaiah 55:8 says

Isaiah 55:8 NIV

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

How much higher are His ways and thoughts? Look at the next verse.

Isaiah 55:9 NIV

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Church, God DOES NOT SURRENDER His sovereignty to what we think He should do. Remember… God is the potter and we are the clay! And because He is God and we are not, he exercises His will to accomplish whatever He chooses in our lives. It may not be what we wanted or hoped for, but it will be exactly what we needed.

So how do we guard ourselves against experiencing doubt… that might move us to unbelief? FAITH IS THE KEY. And as we continue to study this topic, I want us to consider the dangers that come with doubt and the road to overcoming doubt.

One: The Enemy Will Attack Through Doubt

Do we understand tonight that there exists a very real enemy who wants to destroy us? His name is Satan, and he is looking for a way in… he is looking for an open door… he is looking for a weak point in your spiritual foundation to play games with.

We see this warning given in Scripture in 1 Peter 5:8-9

1 Peter 5:8–9 NIV

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

When we go through seasons of hardship or suffering, the enemy might begin taunting us with questions with the hope of planting seeds of doubt. These questions might include:

Where is God now that you need Him?

Why has God singled you out for pain and suffering?

Why isn’t God listening to your prayers?

Why does God bless others and not you?

Maybe God really doesn’t love you.

These are examples of seeds the enemy might be trying to sow in your heart tonight. He is trying to convince this world that God is unloving and unmoved by our pain, hurt, and suffering.

Satan knows if these seeds are allowed to grow, then we begin to question the nature and character and power of God and we will stop going to the Lord for help.

So the answer given in Scripture begins with… faith. RESIST THE DEVIL AND STAND FIRM IN FAITH.

Listen… God cares for you… He loves you beyond measure… and He has a plan for you!

These are truths you can take to the bank! These are the truths that the enemy wants you to forget! So the enemy will use your suffering… for your destruction.

But God can use that same suffering… for His glory. God has the power to restore, God has the power to renew, God has the power to revive, to rebuild, and to refresh. God truly is invincible… and He wants to help you overcome through His power… in Him we have the victory!

And I think sometimes the problem is… we have a wrong idea of what victory in Christ is today.

Did you know… that I can be facing physical hardships, and still have victory in Jesus?

Did you know… that you can have a bad day and still have victory in Jesus?

Did you know the victory we have in Jesus is not determined by what happens to us while living in this world? THE VICTORY IS ALL ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENED FOR US WHILE PASSING THROUGH THIS WORLD!

Christ Jesus gave it all so we could have victory over sin, death and the grave! No sickness, financial hardship, or season of suffering can take that away from you! BUT… your victory can be surrendered… through doubt. So the key is to press through, to resist the enemy, and to stand firm by faith!

Well pastor… that sounds… EASY! Woowee, I’ll never find myself in a place of doubt ever again!

I get it… it sounds easier than it is… the enemy knows how and when to hit us. But God knows how and when to lift us as well.

We understand the danger of doubt, the second thing we need to look at...

Two: The Reasons for Doubt.

These reasons are not exactly what might come to the forefront of our minds when it comes to doubt.

These reasons go deep within… to our core. They go beyond the surface to the deeper parts of our foundation.

Reason number one is: Unlived Truth

What is unlived truth? When there is a disconnect between what we believe and what we do or how we live, it doesn’t take long for doubt to creep in.

In fact, I would argue that unlived truth is the beginning or fruit of doubt.

We know the Word of God… but unlived truth demonstrates our deciding not to live by that Word.

Maybe we doubt the results or doubt the urgency. But unlived truth we create a deeper chasm of doubt in our souls.

It’s a separation of belief… from behavior. Church, you cannot talk like the pious and walk like the pagan for long.

What happens is you will eventually give up that behavior or give up your belief. The conflict will result in the loss of one of the directions.

Reason number two is Unanswered Prayer

And right out of the box I have a problem with this category and I will tell you why. God ALWAYS answers prayer.

The problem is… we don’t always like His answer. Sometimes God says yes… and sometimes He says… no. Sometimes He brings the healing, other times He pours out His grace.

God always knows what is best. But sometimes we think we have a better or deeper understanding of what God should do.

The real issue is… we want what we want… and we struggle to get beyond that want.

So we need to do a couple of things here.

One, pray with the right motivation: Not my will but Your will be done.

Two, pray with patience: God’s timing is not always our timing.

Three, pray knowing He will answer: His answer will be according to HIS plan, His understanding, and His power.

Reason number three is: Undeserved Suffering

Oh boy… this is a BIG one. In fact, I would say the enemy uses this reason more than most. “If God is so big and so strong and so mighty, then why does He allow for people to suffer? Why do bad things happen?”

And the answer is simple: Because of sin. God DID NOT CREATE US FOR SIN… He created us for His glory.

But we chose sin… we chose to introduce this suffering to the world.

The enemy spun the lie to Adam and Eve… he led them to believe God was withholding something good from them… but all they had know at that point was nothing but good!

But they took the bait and landed in suffering.

SIN, NOT GOD, IS THE CAUSE OF SUFFERING IN THIS WORLD.

And never forget, Jesus Himself suffered for the sins of the entire world. He took on our suffering, our pain, our punishment… and offers peace instead.

He took on our brokenness so that we could be made whole again. Talk about unfair suffering… but He did this because of His love for us!

Suffering is never fun or easy… no one ever goes looking for it. But when it comes, be assured that God sees you and desires to help you through the valley.

These are the most common reasons… the most common factors to damaged faith foundations.

The good news is… God is in this place to turn your doubt around. So how exactly does God do this? We will find that answer by looking at the disciple that is known for His doubt in the gospels.

Three: Enter Into the Presence of Jesus

Thomas is known for his doubt in the gospels because of one moment where he was willing to speak it out… Thomas was willing to be honest about his doubt.

John 20:25 NIV

25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

The others had seen Jesus… specifically after His resurrection from the grave. But Thomas missed the opportunity. Thomas was not with the others when Jesus appeared.

We don’t know where Thomas was the moment Jesus appeared to the other disciples… all we know is that he was alone… in his doubt.

Doubt has a way of isolating us. Doubt has a way of creating distance between us and those without doubt.

Thomas had made the mistake of withdrawing to isolation in his doubt and grief. And this bring up a solid point we must consider: distance from others is dangerous for doubters.

The enemy looks for those… who are isolated. The enemy looks for those… who are vulnerable.

And I want you to notice something about this story… When Thomas comes out of isolation and comes back into fellowship with the other disciples, he is honest about his doubt… even in the face of the hope they offered… “We have seen the Lord.”

Thomas asks for proof that the disciples simply could not give him. BUT… Thomas chose to stay with the other disciples.

Jesus was the only source of proof that would satisfy Thomas’ doubt… but I have to believe that the testimony of his fellow believers gave Thomas hope. Why do I believe this? Because Jesus did not reappear before them for another week. Thomas waited in fellowship.

And then, in the presence of His Savior, Thomas’s doubt is dealt with. And then Thomas says something unique in John 20:28

John 20:28 NIV

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

No one had addressed Jesus like that before. Thomas’s doubt had given way to faith in the presence of Jesus.

Thomas believed because he saw the evidence. But look at what Jesus said to him in verse 29.

John 20:29 NIV

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I have never seen Jesus… but I have felt His presence. I have never touched His hands or side… but I know He died and rose from the grave for me. My eyes have yet to see His glory… yet I have seen His power at work.

Jesus is as real to me as the people in this room are real to me. And I must admit, when walking through doubts of my own, it was the church that came along side me and helped me find renewed faith in the presence of Jesus.

Come back to the Lord. Come back to His presence. Have your faith renewed as He refreshes your soul.

Do not doubt His Word, His power, His authority, His majesty, His will, His love, his peace, or His grace. He is FOR you. He gave His Son FOR YOU. Have faith in Him.

Our call to prayer this evening echos the words of Jesus found in John 20:27, “Stop doubting and believe.”

Maybe you are wrestling with doubt in your life. It is time to call it out… it is time to stand by faith.

Doubt will weaken your spiritual foundation. Christ wants to strengthen you again. Will you come into His presence? Will you allow His Spirit to strengthen your faith as you let go of the doubt.

He is in this room.

He is with you now.