We all can have doubts in our life, it comes with the uncertainty of the future.   Confidence in God reduces our doubts.  When we line up our actions with the will of God, things change in our lives.  But, how do we really know?  The book of James addresses this issue of believing or doubt.

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Lacking wisdom will lead to bad choices.  God isn’t looking for guilt when He gives wisdom to us, but He is looking to give us hope and promise for a rich life with Him.  We must stand in the wisdom God gives us and not waver.  To do less is to doubt God.

We find it easy to doubt God, perhaps we feel He has let us down in the past.  Sometimes the answer to a prayer wasn’t as we had anticipated.  Our poor choices may have brought an undesirable outcome but we blame Him.  When we line our lives up with God, we realize He did not let us down.

Jeremiah 29: 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Unfortunately most people stop reading at this point.  God is not an anonymous benefactor even though many people treat Him that way.

Jeremiah 29: 12-13 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

We should not merely sample what God has for us, but instead commit to Him wholeheartedly.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Why should we trust God with all our heart?  Our heart is where love originates.  God loves us with a deep satisfying love.  When we know and feel we are loved by God our perspective changes.  God directs our actions through love, wanting us to have a deeper relationship with Him.  God’s love is not something to take lightly but too often we do.  When we experience God’s deep satisfying love, we will love Him at a deeper level.

How do we experience God’s love?  The first step is to spend time with Him.  This happens when we sit with our Holy Bible and heart open, looking for God.  We can know a lot about a subject or situation, but to truly experience that has to be personal.  Until knowledge is paired with experience it is just a theory.  We must let God speak to us.

Once you begin to experience God’s love our doubts lessen.  Then instead of using a theory, we are enjoying what we have experienced to be true, the deep satisfying love of God.

Written and posted by Joyce E Poggensee

Verses referenced: James 1:5-8, Jeremiah 29: 11-14, Proverbs 3:5-6