Lesson 2/Chapter 2

When Your Faith is Weak: Without a Doubt

When we think of doubt, we are usually reminded of Thomas, who doubted Jesus rose from the dead. However, all the disciples refused to believe he was resurrected (Mark 16:11,14).

Read James 1:5-8. Doubt wavers between faith and unbelief, unable to make up its mind what it wants to be. Why is the one who doubts like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind?

Waves are controlled by whichever way the wind blows. So is the one who doubts. He or she is driven and tossed by the wind and waves of circumstances rather than guided by the rudder of faith.

How can doubt affect the decisions we make (James 1:8)?

It brings fear and uncertainty into the decision-making process, thus influencing us to make the wrong decisions.

How can every wind of doctrine toss us to and fro (Eph. 4:14)?

False doctrines will lead us astray from the truth. Satan inspires false doctrines to make us question truth and sidetrack us. "Every wind of doctrine" are those teachings that contradict God's Word and throws off our spiritual equilibrium.

Read Matt. 14:28-31. When Peter was walking on the water, what caused him to doubt (v.30-31)?

He took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind and the waves. These were the circumstances that he was trying to overcome.

What role does circumstances play in causing us to waver in our faith?

Circumstances can contradict what God is telling us. Jesus told Peter to "come" out of the boat and walk on water, but circumstances told him he couldn't do it. When we are attempting to tackle "impossible" situations, circumstances will always tell us it can't be done. Having one eye on Jesus and the other on the waves will cause us to doubt. We must keep both eyes on Jesus, which will give us the supernatural faith to overcome natural circumstance.

What does it mean to question your doubts, rather than your faith? Give an example.

Doubt is an attack on the truth of scripture. We need to turn it around and attack the attack. For example, whenever someone attacks creation, we need to respond by attacking evolution. Most people don't realize there is far more scientific information supporting creation and refuting evolution than vice versa. Turning the attack around can be applied on all doubts.

John the Baptist was confused because he expected Jesus to correct all injustice, which he will do at his 2^nd coming to earth. How did John's misunderstanding of Scripture cause him to doubt?

John thought the Messiah would correct all injustice when he arrived on earth. Because John was in prison and Jesus hadn't set him free, he doubted Jesus was the Messiah. If he would have understood that God will allow injustice to take place until the second coming, he would not have doubted.

Give an example how misunderstanding the Scriptures can cause someone to doubt.

Read Matthew 22:23-30. The Sadducees doubted the resurrection because they misunderstood the scriptures.

Read John 9:1, 6-8, 18-21, 25. When the blind man was healed, the Pharisees wanted to know how Jesus performed the miracle. Rather than trying to explain something he didn't understand, what was his response (v.25)?

He concentrated upon the one thing he knew to be true.

We don't have to understand everything completely before we can believe. What lesson can we learn from this former blind man?

We need to concentrate on the things we know to be true (the healing occurred even though the blind man didn't understand how it happened), rather than wondering about things we don’t have the answers to (like HOW the miracle took place).

Read Phil. 4:8. How can letting our minds dwell on the right things keep us from doubting?

It's not enough to just pull the weeds out of the ground. We must also plant grass to displace the weeds. Having grass cover the ground will prevent weeds from taking over. The same is true with our thoughts. Filling our minds with the thoughts of faith will displace thoughts of doubt.

Read Prov. 3:5. What does it mean to lean on your own understanding?

It means allowing our own logic to lead us, rather than God. Our own understanding will only lead us down paths that we understand. God wants to lead us down many paths that logic will keep us from walking. We can miss many of God's blessings if we depend upon logic to lead us.

What does it mean to trust the Lord with all your heart?

How can depending upon our logic keep us from trusting God?

Logic tells us what it thinks is best for us, rather than what God says is best. Logic will cause us to make decisions which can harm us, and cause us to miss God's blessings. We can't trust God and our logic at the same time.