Doubts

 We all struggle with doubt at times. Doubt is often evidence of faith--faith being stretched and deepened. Such struggles. our doubts, of course, can also be dangerous. Sometimes I think we take on somebody else's doubts. He or she has said they are doubting certain truths, and we think that we should too. The greatest threat, however, arises from our attitude toward God's Word--the Sword of the Spirit, the Person whose mission is to guide us into all truth. If I doubt the authority of God's Word or spend no time in God's Word, how can the Spirit teach and lead me--confirm for me the prayer of Jesus, "Sanctify them through Your Word; Your Word is Truth. Critical thinking is essential for Christians. We need to know why we believe what we claim to believe. We need to "make it our own." We need to hold up our doubts to the light of God's Word, to the leading into truth that the Spirit promises. Honest prayer is essential. Can truth be found outside of Scripture? Yes. But if the conclusions I reach contradict Scripture, whom should I believe?--The Holy Spirit or man's reason--no matter how brilliant he may be. I must be immersed in a prayerful study of Scripture in order to face my doubts honestly. Perhaps the need is to doubt my doubts and not my faith. The Holy Spirit may show me that what I have been taught to believe is not consistent with the truth found in His Word. The Holy Spirit may teach me that my doubts are not consistent when held up to the teaching of God's Word. But He is the Teacher. My intellect--or any man's intellect and understanding of truth--cannot begin to measure up to His--the Author of Truth. Embrace your doubts--then hold them up to God's revealed truth in His Word. Let the growing and deepening of your faith take place. Remember the promise is "He will lead you into all truth." And it's a lifetime journey.