What If I Have Doubts?

Certainly, it's okay to have doubts because we all have them. The important thing is not to dwell in them and believe them. Uh I've often quoted from a bishop of the Pentecostal assemblies of the world, Bishop Morris Golder from a number of years ago. He made a statement that resonated with me. He said, "Don't doubt your beliefs and don't believe your doubts." Now, that's simple but profound. You should have certain core beliefs that are established through a deep study of the word of God and confirmed by your own personal experience.

So when fear and doubt assales, you go back to those core convictions and you say, "I don't have to renegotiate them. I don't have to revisit them because I settled them long ago." So don't doubt your beliefs. And then everybody's going to have doubts from time to time. Uh but the key is when that thought comes, as 2 Corinthians 10 tells us, we can take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. So it's not a sin to be tempted. Uh but if you dwell on that temptation and fantasize on it and desire it and let it consume you, it can become a sin in your life, in your heart.

And then if you act on it, then it becomes a sin that you commit. Well, similarly with doubts, if you dwell on that, let it take control of you, it can lead you to unbelief, which in is sinful and can lead you to sinful acts. But the fact that it comes to you, that's not sin. Uh but you have to do something about it. You have to take it captive. Uh you have to deal with it. Uh and so don't live in fear, intimidation. Don't let the devil condemn you. um in in fact uh is you know so so don't doubt don't believe your doubts it'll come but just don't let them take over don't believe them but the fact that you might have doubts and we need to think about it and investigate it that's scriptural Isaiah 1 God says come and let us reason together Peter 3:15 says we ought to have an answer to everyone of the hope that lies within us 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Test all things and hold fast to what is good." So the Lord is encouraging us if a doubt comes, not to just try to pretend it doesn't exist and pretend you're so spiritual that you could never have a doubt or if if a doubt comes, you don't admit it to anybody or don't even admit it to yourself.

That's not realistic. But as the scriptures I've just given you would indicate, if a doubt comes, we address it. If questions come, we address it. Because here's another Limporton's saying, truth bears investigation. Don't be intimidated by a sincere, honest question. Because truth is going to win if you give it a fair chance, if you listen to it. And in fact, I wrote a book called Anchor Points, which I would would highly suggest that you look if you're interested in this because it's designed to directly address the questions, the doubts that we have. Now, how do you handle those doubts? What do you do? Well, I think first of all, we do have reason.

As I've already stated, God wants us to examine things reasonably. And through reason, we can solve many things. For example, probably all of us at some point have wondered, is there really a God? I mean, that seems incredible, an infinite God. He's always existed. There's never was a time when he was not. He fills the universe. He can control all things. But, okay, look at the alternatives. Just use reason. So, we're here. The universe is here. And I I think I had another podcast that went into detail, so I might go into it. But you have to either say the universe has always existed, eternal universe.

So that's incomprehensible. That's just as hard to believe as eternal God. Or there was nothing and the universe create itself. So how could nothing create something? That's not scientific. It's that means there's nothing. An act absolute vacuum is all powerful. So which is more incredible? An all powerful God or nothing is all powerful? A nothingness is all powerful. So the bottom line is whatever your worldview is, you take it by faith. You can't prove it. So that's the use of reason to show there's something beyond reason. Uh then the second thing is experience. We can have personal experiences with God. And although experiences are subjective, when we take the word of God and we take our human reason to try to understand the word of God and then we have an experience that matches the word of God, then that becomes another thing we can hold on to.

So my book anchor points says there we there are should be some beliefs and some experiences that match those beliefs that give you confirmation that your belief is not just irrational or subjective and that your experience uh has a basis in reality. Now having said that so these are the two basic ways of human knowledge reason and experience. But neither by themselves are sufficient to know God. But God will reveal himself through reason and God will reveal himself through experience. But at the end of the day, we must have faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith, it's impossible to please God." Those who come to God must believe that God is and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.

So, here's the wonderful thing. Yes, at the end of the day, you're going to have to have faith, but it's a reasonable faith. It's a faith that bears investigation. It's a faith that if you seek God, he will reveal himself to you. And I've challenged people who are agnostics or atheists to say, "Look, you're not even sure that God exists." Try this experiment. Start praying and say, "God, if you're really there, I want to know you. God, if I can be filled with your spirit, as these Pentecostals say, I want that experience. I want to feel your presence and I will be willing to submit to that and open my heart to that and and receive that experience.

And I say if you pray sincerely uh seeking God now you can't manipulate him. You have to let him answer in the way at the time he chooses. You can't bargain or demand or say well if you're real I want you to do XYZ. He doesn't have to do anything um to please you. But over time, if you let God be God, he will reveal truth to you. And uh I I remember uh I've had I've shared that with a number of people. I remember one woman in particular with that very situation and we I later was able to baptize her in Jesus name. God filled her with the Holy Spirit.

So there was a dramatic vindication of the truth of his word. So going back to Psalm 73, Asaf, you know, he doubted God. As he saw the prosperity of the wicked, as he saw the trials that he went through, uh, he questioned, "Is there really a God? If he is there, why does he seem to reward bad people and punish good people?" And that doesn't seem to be what God said he would do. So is there really a God? And if he is, does he even care? But then the turning point of the psalm, he says, "Until I went into the sanctuary." And so it's in the context of worship and the context of relationship that our doubts are addressed and our questions are answered.

And sometimes we may get a reasonable answer from from the word of God. Sometimes we may get an experience that validates the word of God. Sometimes the process of reasoning as I try to do in anchor points uh looking at evidence will give us a a good answer. But sometimes it's just the presence of the Lord. And so at the end of the day, it's not just an intellectual exercise and it's not just an emotionalism. It's a true relationship with God. As we worship him, as we love him, as we commune with him, then we become confident that he is real and he will lead and guide us into all truth.

So the bottom line is we need to cultivate, pursue a relationship with God.