The psalmist wrote “When doubts filled my mind…”
There’s no IF as to whether doubts will come to us. No wondering whether or not we’ll experience anxiety. He knew that doubts, fears, and anxieties come to us human-type people whether we love the Lord or not.
Somehow we’ve gotten the
mistaken notion that if we are Christians,
we will never have doubts or fears,
and we’ll certainly never have anxiety.
Yeah…. NOT!
Becoming a Christian does not mean we stop being human. It means we have a connection with the One who can walk us through the doubts, fears, and anxieties of life.
Do you see here that having doubts, fears, and anxiety is not a sin? It is not.
The sin, the displeasing God, comes in when we allow the doubts, fears, and anxieties to change us, guide us, and determine our behavior.
The palmist also reveals a truth that we need when the worries and fears of life come up: Go to God for comfort.
If His comfort gives renewed hope and cheer, wouldn’t we race toward that when the first twinge of doubt enters our mind?
Wouldn’t we run to Him when the first inkling of fear makes our heart beat faster?
Wouldn’t we draw closer to Him when anxiety brings tears to our eyes and fills us with dread?
And yet we don’t. I think the reason is that we have been led to understand that having those thoughts is sinful. We’re afraid to go to the Lord with these thoughts of doubt, fear, and anxiety because they are wrong and we’ll be punished or ignored.
Believer, hear me:
You WILL have doubts from time to time.
You WILL have fears every now and then.
You WILL feel anxiety sometimes.
Your feelings are NOT SIN.
Your actions upon those thoughts can be sinful.
What you do with the thoughts is of utmost importance. You can’t ignore them. That can isolate you from the Lord and cause you to think wrongly. You have the means to make the right choices with your thoughts. Your relationship with the Almighty opens the door to comfort, renewed hope, and even cheer.
Let God know your doubts. Share with Him your fears. Dump all your anxieties at His feet. Give them all to the Lord and let Him guide you through the mire to hope, cheer, and LIFE.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
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