The Power of Faith and Doubt

Faith and doubt, doubt and faith; these two things seem to be connected the same way that light and dark, hot and cold are. If darkness is the absence of light and cold is the absence of heat, it would make sense that doubt is the absence of faith! However, doubt is not the absence of faith. You see, when we measure temperature we only measure heat, we don’t measure cold; what we consider “cold” is just the absence of it (there is no thermometer that measures how “cold” it is, only how hot, or lack thereof, it is). Doubt is not like cold. It’s true that doubt cannot exist without faith in the same way that cold cannot philosophically exist without heat, but doubt is its own, standalone phenomenon. You can measure doubt! Just remember that having doubt doesn’t mean you don’t have faith!

Why is this important to understand? Because the power of faith can move mountains, heal people, and even raise them from the dead, but the power of doubt can actively resist God’s miraculous work. Your doubt can, in fact, overpower your faith, resulting in the diminishing work of the Holy Spirit (not because the infinite God lacks the power but because doubt acts as an active agent against our trust in Him). Some people believe Jesus wouldn’t allow people into the house (except for His three disciples and the girl's parents) in Luke 8:49-56 because He wanted to “limit the publicity” of the event (as if everyone outside of the house wouldn’t know that the girl was brought back to life). No! The reason He kept them out is because they were full of doubt. Their doubt would have actively resisted His miraculous plan.

Why, then, did Jesus not need to “shoo” anyone away from the area when He brought the boy back to life in Luke 7:11-17? Wouldn’t everyone at the funeral procession also be full of doubt? Not if they had no idea what Jesus was about to do! Jesus walked right up and brought the boy back to life. No one had time to be doubtful and resist Jesus’ work! Don’t dismiss the power of doubt. Additionally, notice how Jesus remarks on the disciple's lack of faith during the storm in Luke 8:22-25. They weren’t full of fear because their doubt was too great, they were full of fear because their faith was too limited. Both doubt and faith are powerful factors in our daily lives, never forget that!

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Is my doubt overpowering my faith in any areas of my life?

2. Is there any hidden doubt in God, His promises, or my salvation overtly or covertly taking root in my heart and mind?

What’s next?

1. Go to the Lord and ask Him to help you with any doubt that may be in your life. Ask Him for a strengthening of your faith and a diminishing of your doubt.

2. Over the next week pay attention to all of the times you feel like you have doubt when it comes to God and His Word. Every time you have a doubting thought, write it down and take it to the Lord at the end of the day!

Pray this prayer

Jesus thank you for giving me the ability to believe. Though I’m not always perfect in my faith, I believe you are all that you say you are. As for the blessings and work you want to accomplish in and through me, I pray that you would help me rid myself of any doubt that I may be harboring in my heart.