Dealing With Doubt

Most of us have to admit that from time to time we go through times of that. The problem is, there have been so many prevailing thoughts in teaching about how to deal with that letter, not necessarily biblical to give you some of those prevailing teachings and attitudes about about some say that is a sin and you must never allow it to even cross your mind. Others have said that thou must be so uprooted permanently. That you would never experience it again.

While the question is what is the biblical teaching about that. The Bible teaches that from time to time depending on when you are in life that can creep in all of us. The question is what you do with it and how you deal with it and when you deal with it is the most important thing. What you do you ignore it.

No do you accept it. No, do you believe it now thou must be faced head-on, thou must be dealt with immediately. Doubt must be acknowledged.

Honestly, that must be processed and the reason thou now don't misunderstand me dealt is frightening.

It really is and that is why the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. James tells us in chapter 1 verses seven and eight. He said the habit you will doubt her. The continuous data. The person who lives in doubt is a double minded man and is troubled in all his ways. Why do I tell you that doubt must be dealt with and acknowledge decisively and immediately because if doubt is left unchecked.

If doubt is not dealt with immediately. It can lead to greater trouble in our lives.

If doubt is not dealt with immediately. It can erode the foundation of the faith. It can cause you self-condemnation and it can cause you depression it can corrode your joy and your peace with God and with others. It can make use; it can make you critical and that is why the apostle John gives us ways by which we must deal with thou as soon as it shows its ugly head. Turn with me to first John chapter 3, beginning in verse 11. As John gives us the tools to deal with death, and to demolish doubt in order to continue in the journey of life at its best. Why, because if doubt is not dealt with will lead to further trouble. Verse 14 really sums it up. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. Now listen to me he is not saying that sometimes we get disappointed and angry with a brother or sister in Christ. He's not saying that sometimes we strongly disagree with other believers. He's not saying that sometimes we get irritated by other believers is not saying that sometimes we may feel it necessary not to do business with another believer.

He's not saying that now he is saying what you do with these disagreements.

What you do with this anger. What you do with these disappointments is what matters the most.

Why, because if you allow these things to turn into hatred. It hatred begins to possess you, and once it possesses you. It can turn you into a murder and that's why he goes on to give us the example of Caleb and the comfort that the minute but all of that process begins without the process of hatred in the process of murder in the mind begins without further question is how did you without which leads to hatred and which derails you away from living life at its best. I know other people in this world. Like the T-shirt that I saw a not so long ago that reads as follows. I love mankind.

It's people I can't stand. I have one dime of a guy saying to mother goddesses listen, don't introduce me to this guy because I want to continue on hating him is never matter now I'm aware of all that, but what John is saying here because love is the very essence of God.

Therefore no one who can come into real relationship with a loving God without being transformed into a loving person. By contrast, John said Kane, the son of Adam and Eve allowed his whole life and attitude to be dominated by hatred and when hatred blossomed in his life. He killed his brother Abel is what hatred produces. But you know that it all began with doubt as to how come it all began with that I will show you how come Adam and Eve got the boys about the garden of Eden. They taught them why they were kicked out of the garden of Eden.

They taught them how they were evicted from paradise and why the flaming sword regarding the tree of life, and how God himself killed an innocent lamb and chit and innocent blood in order to redeem them and redeem their sin.

There's no doubt that they taught their children that animal sacrifice is God's way for repentance is God's way for redemption of sin able obey God's instruction through his parents able obey God's teaching through his parents able follow the principle of animal sacrifice, but Kane doubted it is all begins with that he doubted God's work. He doubted his parents teaching. He doubted the validity of God's principal and when doubt is not dealt with it turns into hatred and anger and when anger is not dealt with. Turns into murder but that's not all. In Genesis 47 God pleaded with Kane turn away from your anger turn away from you, but he wouldn't. He stubbornly refused. His doubt which turned into anger led him into killing his brother doubt caused him to refuse to acknowledge God's way and God's authority and when God tried to reason with him. When God tried to explain right from wrong to him. When God tried to heal him to curb his anger. He turned from him. He refused and that conflict still rages today. You see it on your television screen. Every night the hatred that is so deep the resentment that could not care less who gets hurt.

You see, only Jesus Christ can change your heart and that's what that's a business within because we know without Jesus Christ was probably inflamed and engulfed in hatred and murder. The bottom line is this for everyone who calls themselves a Christian, a child of God. The question is this. The bottom line is this is it. His will or mine as a bottom line verse 13, chapter 3, first John gives us a warning as a don't be surprised when your love is met with hatred. Don't be surprised. In fact, Jesus Texas attitude of hatred.

Further, because he knows our hearts. He knows our attitude. Matthew five 2122. You know the passage. The sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that while the world will judge the action of the hatred mainly murder God judges the attitude because we can kill inside of our hearts, they said, you have heard that it was said to the people of long ago do not murder, and anyone who murders must be subject to judgment.

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother or hates his brother will be subject to judgment. To them I get out of the judgment of men, but they cannot get out of the judgment of God. In verse 16 makes it very clear hatred, which is the opposite of love can destroy another's life, whether it's by thought or deed that destroys another's life was so intense was the answer. John gives it to us. You keep on loving without counting the cost. You keep on loving, expecting nothing in return.

You keep on loving without deciding if the person is worthy of your love or not you keep on loving without self-interest.

Even if your love is met with ingratitude you keep on loving anyway. He said that's impossible and I agree with you on your own strength is impossible, but we been given the power to do the impossible.

And that's where that hatred comes in here wide begins with that begins without when you begin to doubt the power of God that is given to you the love and forgive. See, once you doubt that power.

You don't have the power and you get into this process. John asks how do we know that we are in the truth.

How do we know that we are at peace with God.

How do we know that we are the children of God.

How do we know that we can overcome death and life.

How can we receive answers to our prayer look at it and send the text. John said, even when our hearts condemn us even when our conscience condemn us, even when others condemn us, even when Satan condemns us, God is greater. God is greater.

I know there are some people who allow Satan's condemnation upon the life to turn into self-condemnation and they really begin to believe that condemnation. Make no mistake about it, that would lead to self-condemnation and self-condemnation is going to lead you into terrible trouble. In fact, it will lead you of living away from the Lord.

I wanted him at all in this one. The Bible said that there is no condemnation upon those who are in Christ Jesus. And when you doubt that problems of God when you doubt that the word of God, you will buy into Satan's false accusation of you.

You will believe Satan's false accusation of you.

You will believe the lie of condemnation and that will lead you to more sin. Every time you tell your story that illustrates what I'm trying to tell you sometime ago there was a special service in the Ohio penitentiary. It was in the chapel and there was the governor announcing the pardon and the release of some of the prisoners and suspension was mounting.

They did not know who whose name is going to be called out and all sitting in absolute silence in anticipation and saw the name is red Johnson come forward and receive your pardon. No one responded. No one responded the chaplain looked at the man and he said to Mr. Grogan that she will come on down.

Ruben looked behind him. Figure somebody name Ruben Johnson somewhere sitting there and then he pointed directly at him and he said June now that's right after long pause, he slowly approached the platform and to receive his pardon from the governor but that's not all. At the end of the meeting as the prisoners lined up to go back to their cells. Ruben Johnson filed in in the same line and coming back to his cell and finally the warden had to yank a mountainside, you cannot go there and you don't belong here anymore. You are a freeman beloved. There are believers like Ruben Johnson when they are playing down the date on don't deal with it. They live as if they have not been redeemed. They live as I've never been forgiven.

They live as I've never been Calvary bloodshed for them. Of course that is different from the tug of the heart upon the belief conscious heart.

The Bible talks about the hardening the totality of who we are in the tug of the heart looms as a result of saying or doing that which is which is inconsistent with our new nature which is inconsistent with God's word from the spiritual giants to the brand-new believers every one feels that tug but that's not condemnation.

I have it on a daily basis. I feel it on a daily basis, but it is different from doubt that leads into condemnation and the difference between self-condemnation and the gentle tug of the Holy Spirit that reminds us of the wrong things that we did the difference are like day and night is like Ruben who could not believe that is been set free and the other is like a judge was constantly probing question examining a Hard Rock conscious, which knows more about us than any other person except God is forever tugging us and that's all right, but unlike the accusations of Satan which is false. Often our hearts are convicting us of the truth out enlightened consciousness convicting us and these are always true, but false accusations.

So what is John saying here.) Attached. John is saying is what you do with that tug don't ignore it, don't shrug it off.market down is the peer pressure or don't pretend it exists no, but rather face it head on how realizing that God is bigger than your heart that God is bigger than your conscious that God is greater then your fear by realizing that God is more than your heart that God knows better than your heart by recognizing that God knows your strength, and he knows your weaknesses, that God knows your gains and losses that God knows your successes and failures that God knows your measurement of love toward him and toward others that God knows your imperfect God knows that you hearts cry to him for more Christ likeness for more consistent prayer life. For more consistent Christian life. God knows that. But listen to me that all to comfort us not recognize that auto blesses not hurt us. That ought to motivate us, not discourage us. That ought to give us confidence, not to refinance why because we know that the Lord already accepted this and received this and gave us his last name that he never turns us away when you come to him.

He forgives you he doesn't condemn you so we can boldly come to him face-to-face because we belong to him because he really lavished his love upon us.

Listen it is so easy for some believers to become so uptight after failure and sin that they never release that uptight through confession and repentance, and seeking God's forgiveness. John said if you stay in that uptight that's a big mistake.

It is so easy for some of us to be so hard on ourselves that we stay away from the Lord. Big mistake.

It is so easy for some us not to ask God for everything that God wants to give you. I hear people sometimes a lot allows God because in case it's against his will us and not wound like in the fall of his throne because you asked for something that may not be consistent with his will is so easy for some people not to ask God for everything that God wants for us to ask for big mistake. It is so easy for some of us to allow pride to keep us from the sunshine of his love. Big mistake. It is so easy for some of us call ourselves miserable failures, and to tell ourselves that we can never succeed.

Big mistake. On the other hand, when rhetorically resting on his grace when rhetorically resting on his mercy and love.

You will pray big prayers because you will know that you have a big God in you having that you will pray what God's desire to give you.

You will pray claiming what God had promised in his word. You will pray everything that's in his will for you, and I was thinking about the difference between condemnation and the tug that the Holy Spirit uses to bring his children closer and closer to the warden asking for forgiveness on a daily basis I follow the story is about a man in Spain who were sentenced to death. This man was an American citizen. But he was British-born.

Both the counselors of Great Britain and the United States intervened because I felt that was the wrong accusation. The man was falsely accused and they declared that the Spanish authority had no right to take this man's life, but that their protest went unheeded. Finally, they deliberately wrapped the man with both flags and flags of both countries. The Stars & Stripes and the Union Jack and they their the executioners to shoot and kill that man. In fact, they said fire if you dare. But if you do you will bring the power of these two great nations upon in the Spanish authorities did not shoot this man who was wrapped in the two flags the salvation of that man was only possible, not because of who he was but because of the flag in which he was wrapped and in a similar way, beloved brothers and sisters. Our hearts might condemn us. John says our hearts might bring us down. Our hearts might threaten to undo us but because we are wrapped in the blood of Jesus Christ that was shuttled Calvary. We cannot be condemned eternally. But when we come under conviction. We go to the father in confession, brokenness and contrite heart knowing that there is not condemnation upon those who are in Christ Jesus our hearts cannot shoot to kill. Because we are wrapped in the Christ of Calvary who is greater than our best who is greater than our fears is greater than all of self-condemnation that John saying in this passage. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that's LTW.org