Conquering DoubtSample

Remind Yourself of the Gospel

After scrolling for a few minutes, I looked up from my phone and saw the digital clock in the distance. It had been almost an hour, and I didn’t feel any better about my life. I felt worse. In fact, a quick audit of my emotions at that moment told me I was more anxious and lonely after scrolling than I was before I started.

The solution to my needs wouldn’t ever be found in self-medicating on my phone, that was for sure. I needed something much more than what I was searching for on my device. I needed something deeper and more potent—something eternal. A solution that would address the everyday problems in my life (like loneliness, anxiousness, and doubt) and also the more booming issues that bothered me when I’d try to sleep at night. In short, I needed to remind myself of the gospel.

One of the best ways to fight against doubt is to repeatedly remind yourself of the truth. Our culture can have a hypnotizing effect on us as it attempts to sway us to unbelief. Social media, advertising, YouTube, movies, TV, podcasts—practically everything, all the time, is pushing us away from God.

Consequently, if you don’t spend consistent time renewing your mind with the gospel, you’ll give in to culture’s push and abandon Christ. Each of us must gaze into the beauty of the gospel if we’re going to have a fighting chance to live in a way that honors God and shuns unbelief.

But what does it mean to gaze into the gospel? It’s always a good idea to start first with regular time in God’s Word. Scripture is how God chooses to communicate with us, so why would we ever treat something like that with apathy or take it for granted? Our perspective in life should be shaped by the Word, knowing that its central message is all about Jesus Christ.

The fact that God came down in the form of a human, lived a life of perfection, was executed unjustly, and conquered death in the Resurrection is astounding. Even though we as Christians may have heard this over and over again, we should never grow tired of how magnificent the gospel is. When we truly grasp the lengths God went to in order to rescue us from our own rebellion, it snaps the binding ropes of doubt that tie up our hearts.

The gospel is everything, and in it, we wield the most powerful of all weapons to be used against doubt. Show me a heart that forgets the gospel, and I’ll show you a life that is swallowed by the crushing effects of doubt. But show me a life that continually reminds itself of the truth of who Jesus is and who we are as a result of Jesus’s work, and I’ll show you a life of joy that is overwhelmed with God’s goodness and love.

Preach the gospel to yourself at all times. Drink deeply from the Scriptures and break free from the shackles of doubt.