Doubt and Go Without
Have you ever had one of your kids call you a liar? Ok, maybe they didn’t come out and say the words themselves, but they let you know they thought you were a liar because they didn’t believe what you were saying. I know with my three children I’ve dealt with this quite a few times over the years. Recently, I told my daughter she had “silly sock day” at school and she said, “no, I don’t think so. I never heard that”. I proceeded to explain how I knew it was silly sock day and that I truly wouldn’t make that up, that I’d get nothing in return by lying, and that just because she didn’t remember hearing it before, it didn’t mean I wasn’t telling the truth.
I know that’s a very basic example, but the point of that is to say that God isn’t making things up. He doesn’t come up with fables or say one thing and mean another. God always tells the truth, because God is love, and love always tells the truth! God is saying to Christians that He’ll provide for them if they’ll do His Word and they’re saying, “no, I don’t think so”. God’s saying He wants you healed, but so many are saying, “I’m not sure I can believe that. I’ve never heard that before”. God’s saying all kinds of things in His Word that too many of us continue to question the validity of. The truth is, you can doubt and go without or you can trust Him and see the manifestation of His promises. By faith we obtain. It’s your choice, but it’s through faith and patience that we inherit, or walk in those promises.(Hebrews 6:12)
Look at Mark 11:23-24, “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. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Well, God didn’t really mean this. He was just telling fables. Surely, this isn’t the truth. Right? No! God meant what He said and said what He meant. If you are dealing with an obstacle or a trial that seems daunting, it is as simple as trusting God’s Word and using it for your situation. Ephesians 6:17 encourages us to “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” when we’re dealing with a trial. But if we doubt God and doubt His Word, we’ll never be effective in this.
Back to a “Silly Sock Day”… even though I assured my daughter that I properly read the calendar and that it truly was “Silly Sock Day”, she still hid her silly socks under her leggings “just in case”. That may seem harmless when it comes to silly socks, but many Christians have this same mentality with God. They have “just in case” backup plans for if God doesn’t help with their situation. Remember, it’s only by faith we inherit His promises. Christians are walking around defeated and whooped. Children of God are calling Him a liar in their words, in their thoughts, and in their actions, but He’s reaching out and saying, “I’m telling the truth. Why would I lie, child?” Look at Psalm 9:10, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Then look at what the Word says in Psalm 2:12, “Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” The more we get to know our Father, the more we’ll learn to trust Him. The more we learn to trust Him, the more we’ll walk in the blessings that are only accessible by faith. No wonder the enemy always wants to try to get us in doubt!
I leave you with this familiar, but often misunderstood scripture, John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Remember, doubt and go without or faith and obtain. You choose.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Renee
