Dealing with Doubt

By Tricia Lovejoy

 
It’s a part of life.      

Even for the wife of a pastor. As a matter of fact, if anyone tells you that they haven’t struggled with doubts/questions about God, they haven’t faced a trial in their life. ALL of us will face doubts….multiple times over our lives.

I certainly have. I wrote about it in a post called Confessions of a Pastor’s Wife: Doubting God’s Love. Maybe reading it would encourage you. From what I read in Scripture –  and from my experience – I can say that doubt usually comes in the middle of a struggle, a trial, or a big decision. During those times, it is extremely easy to doubt God’s existence or His love because our circumstances SCREAM that we are alone. Yet, our circumstances aren’t the truth of the situation….they are simply the details of a particular season of our lives.  The truth of the situation is:

• God is real

• God loves humanity

• God is orchestrating a grand world-wide plan to draw people back to Himself

• God is interested in YOU!

How do I know that?  How can I type that with confidence without even knowing the details of your situation? Scripture tells me so, and God has proven His Scripture to be true time and time again.  Hundreds of fulfilled prophecies are listed in the bible about foretold events that came to pass and about the Messiah. If ever my mind is tempted to think that God isn’t real, these fulfilled prophecies banish those thoughts!


In the midst of trials and difficult circumstances, don’t allow Satan to win another battle by tricking you into thinking that you are alone, that God is not real, or that He does not love you.  Jesus, Himself, told us we would face many unpleasant battles in this life. We would be foolish to think that He was wrong.  We WILL face hurtful circumstances that we don’t understand, but it doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us. Let’s not allow our faith to be destroyed by our misunderstanding.  Instead, claim the truth: when difficulties come, let’s stand and fight….learn more about God…..get to know Him and His ways as we walk through the fire…..experience His love IN the trial.

If you are dealing with doubt today, dive into your Bible!  Get busy reading about how God deals with people, what He expects of us, the compassion He has on us when we’re hurting, how merciful He is……read those stories and STUDY them.  You will learn MUCH about the validity and character of God.  If you want to know Someone, spend time getting to know Him.  I promise He will reveal Himself to you when you are seeking Him.

You don’t have to deal with doubt. You CAN stand firm in your faith – confident in the God who loves you and equips you. May you find strength in Him today.

What about you?  How do you deal with doubts?


Published September 25, 2013

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Tricia Lovejoy

Tricia lives in Birmingham, Ala., and is married to Shawn Lovejoy, an author and the founder of CourageToLead, a coaching resource for pastors. She blogs at SharpenHer.com with insights into our Christian life, a little fun, and a lot of real-life transparency. Together, she and her husband lead out in ministry and life. They have three children.