AS A CHRISTIAN, WHY WOULD I HAVE DOUBTS AND HOW DO I HANDLE THEM?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs 
through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 
(John 2:11)

MEDITATION:
If you have been a Christian for some time, 
do you ever have periods of doubt and need reassurance?
Does it create guilty feelings in you?

The disciples of Jesus had given up everything to follow Him 
and yet it appears they experienced some doubts at times 
(especially during the early years).
When the scriptures say, “His disciples believed in Him”, 
apparently they were struggling with their belief until now.

Jesus had just performed His first miracle of turning water into wine and 
apparently this event provided the disciples with the reassurance they needed. 
And why wouldn’t it? 
Imagine witnessing a miracle such as this.

As could be expected, there were probably some skeptics, 
but the disciples were not included in that group.
They knew their commitment to the Lord had been confirmed as a wise decision.

The disciples were reassured again whenever Jesus 
drove the people out of the temple courts for desecrating God’s house. 
So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, 
both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers 
and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these 
out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:15-16)

How did that event encourage the disciples?
They remembered what the scriptures said 
about His passion for His Father’s house, and they had seen it 
on full display as He stopped the desecration of the temple.
His disciples remembered that it is written: 
“Zeal for your house will consume me.”  (John 2:17)

ACTION:
You may experience periods of doubt, 
but it’s what you do with those doubts that is important.
If you allow guilt to consume you, Satan can seize the opportunity 
to discourage you as much as possible.

He cannot take away the salvation God has given you, 
but He can render you ineffective as an obedient servant of the Lord.
If you are not careful, overwhelming guilt can cause you to fall back into 
some sinful habits of the past in an effort to numb your guilty feelings.

When doubt arises in your mind “out of the blue”, 
remember how the disciples were reassured.
They thought about the miracles of Jesus, 
and they remembered how the scriptures had been fulfilled through Him.

That is reason enough to read the Bible often and with purpose.
When you see how the scriptures of the Old Testament 
are fulfilled in the New Testament, 
it provides assurance that Jesus is real and the scriptures can be trusted.
As an example, read Isaiah 40:3 and compare it to John 1:23;
and compare Isaiah 42:3 to John 1:32-34.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me that doubts can arise, 
but Your Word teaches me how to respond when they invade my 
mind. Help me to dedicate more time to reading the scriptures and 
to use them as a source for battling doubt, and for encouraging me 
to stay true to my commitment. Remind me that Satan will seize
every opportunity to discourage me from being a dedicated follower 
of Jesus and an effective contributor to Your earthly ministry.”

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