Doubt

• God will help us overcome doubts (Psalm 42: 5-6)-Why am I discouraged?  Why so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise Him again-my Savior and my God!  Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember your kindness-from Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.  Sometimes, life can present us with situations which make us feel discouraged.  Sad.  We must remember to put our hope in God!  We should give Him praise; even in times when we feel discouraged, or sad.  We give Him praise because, we know that though we are going through difficult times, just as the disciples did, His promises never fail.  Even when we feel we've done all we could possibly do to see a situation go in a more positive direction; we should not lose our faith if it hasn't gone that way-just yet.  The LORD has proven time and time again, that we have Him, so we will receive His promise of victory!  We know that He will see us through our difficult times, trials, and tribulations.  Even when we think He will not; that just as He is victorious; so we are, victorious!  Amen!  We should keep our faith.
• God doesn't leave us during our time of doubt (Isaiah 40: 27-28)-O Israel, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles?  Have you never heard or understood?  Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth?  He never grows faint or weary.  No one can measure the depths of His understanding.  Sometimes, when we are in doubt, we tend to think that the LORD has left us.  That maybe He has left our side.  But, we forget that our LORD is EVERLASTING.  He is the creator of everything we see; and even those things that we don't see.  He NEVER grows faint, or weary.  His understanding is IMMEASURABLE.  If we read on to verse 29 it reads: He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.  What this means is that His power is also never ending!  Jesus felt the same doubt when He was on the cross; He said "Father, why has thou forsaken me?"  He thought that the Father had forsaken Him.  We need to remember that during difficult times, the LORD loves us, and will never leave us.  Just as it seems that the Father has turned His face on our suffering, and we think that the Father has forsaken us, just when things don't seem to be changing for the better, or we must endure certain suffering for growth purposes.  The Father's power still remains within us.  We believers have neverending power, and strength also!  So we need to remember this when we are feeling doubtful on whether or not the LORD God is still with us, and ask Him for new power and strength to see us through those difficult times!
• Help those who have spiritual doubts (Hebrews 3: 12)-Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.  Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.  We must exercise care in our walk in faith; not to allow our hearts to be overcome by evil; and unbelieving-this turns us away from our living God.  When we allow doubt, or evil to enter, it can destroy your faith.  Because evil begets evil.  The more evil you harbor in your heart, the less faith you will have.  This will turn you away from God because God is good.  So when we keep His goodness in our hearts, and do not accept evil, we grow in faith, because we are blessed; thus we grow in strength and grow closer to God.  Faith produces blessings and good works.  Lack of faith produces doubt, failure, and curses over our lives.  When we feel our hearts becoming doubtful, we need to call on our God to help us overcome that feeling of doubt so that we are not consumed by it.
• Doubt inhibits our prayers (James 1: 5-7)-If you need wisdom-if you want to know what God wants you to do-ask him, and he will gladly tell you.  He will not resent your asking.  But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  People like that should not expect to receive anything from the LORD.  Doubt can stop the effectiveness of our prayers.  If we need anything from God, all we need to do is ask Him for it.  He will gladly respond to our request.  He will not be angry with us for asking.  We have to remember that when we are asking, that we are actually expecting a response.  If we have doubt, we will not get a response.  The LORD does not react to doubt.  The LORD only reacts to faith.  Our faith will produce the results that we really want.  If we lack faith, we will not get what we were originally looking for.  That's how some prayers go unanswered.  Lets keep the faith in it's entirety when we are praying so that we can get the results we really want.

This study is about doubt, and the negative impact it can have both on our lives, and in the lives of others.  Our faith is what carries us through life, and our prayer; thus resulting in the blessings that God pours out on all who believe.  Notice I said all; not some who believe.  We need to realize how important it is for us to have faith in order to see the full glory of God that God wants to reveal to all of mankind.  We only need to believe; and God will do the rest.  So, when life takes us through the rough spots, those times when our faith is being tested, lets remember not to lose our faith even when it feels like God is not listening, or answering that prayer..because when we least expect it, He gives us that light, in those dark places; and we again can feel His presence in our lives.  I hope this serves as a reminder to keep your faith; and please share this blog with a friend-everyone can use His boost of energy during difficult times-until the next study-Have faith, be blessed, and spread His love with others!!!  The LORD be with you and yours.  Amen!