Bible Study - Take Off Doubt and Put On Faith

“5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Proverbs 4:7 says “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”

We are always growing in the knowledge of the truth and we still lack certain things to bring us to where God wants us to be.

Wisdom and knowledge are two different things. I can get a degree in engineering but until I learn how to apply what I’ve learned, all those long class hours won’t do me or anyone else any good.

Wisdom is knowing how to and when to use what I’ve learned. Now we have a choice between earthly wisdom and divine wisdom. James 3:13-18 lets us know that earthly wisdom is demonic because its of the flesh, and divine wisdom is pure, peaceable and has all the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit.

We need divine wisdom to be able to live holy and separated lives from a world that thrives on immorality, violence and idol worship.

Now if we lack wisdom, all we have to do is ask for it and the Lord will give us all the wisdom we need and He won’t rebuke us for asking, or belittle us because we don’t have it.

But when we ask we have to ask for it without doubting.

Doubting places us in an unstable position like waves on a sea. We all have seen waves in a large body of water. They go up and down. Our lives will constantly be in in an up and down motion if we waver between doubt and faith.

If we doubt God, we won’t receive what we ask for.

Trying to have faith and doubting God at the same time makes us unstable in our minds instead of being transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2) We become double-minded and when that happens we are easy prey for the wiles of the devil.

Hebrews 11:6

“6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

If we want to please God, we must have faith in Him. Describe what faith in God look like using one word?

Obedience

Look at Abraham. He believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.

What did Abraham do?

He left all he knew, all he loved and his pagan culture and started walking toward a strange land all because God told him to do so and he believed God’s promise (Genesis 15:6)

God is calling us out of what and who we are familiar with, and what we’re used to doing and he wants us to start moving in faith and not doubt Him.

So we can say we have faith in God, and love God but until our lives are lined up with His word, we have become subject to His word and we are obeying Him, all we’re doing is talking.

If we seek God, I mean really seek Him we will be rewarded. There is a promise written in Jeremiah 29:13 “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” And in James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Mark 11:20-24

“20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Jesus and His disciples were walking from Bethany when He got hungry. He saw a fig tree that didn’t have any figs on it, all it had was leaves on it. Jesus said “let no man eat fruit from you ever again.

When they got to Jerusalem, Jesus went in the temple and cleaned it out. The scribes and the pharisees started plotting to kill Him.

On the next morning, they passed by the fig tree and it was dead. Peter remembered what Jesus spoke on the fig tree. And Jesus said;

“Have faith in God.”

Then Jesus went on to teach them about how important faith in God is:

If we have faith we can speak to these mountainous and overpowering situations we’re faced with. But we must speak in faith!

If we don’t doubt in our heart (the seat of our emotions). We hear the word with our ears, we process these words with our minds, and what we decide to keep settles in our heart.) So our faith settles in our heart once the word of God has settled there.

Romans 10:14 says “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

As a preacher I must rightfully divide the word of truth 2 Timothy 2:15 tells me that I must Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

So I encourage you, through what has already been written and through what I am in total agreement with that we have to take off doubt and put on faith in God.

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