Young People's Group

DEALING WITH OUR DOUBTS

by Pastor Mitch
November 04, 2012

Highlighting The Problem Of Doubt

Youth Conference is about one month away and I am sure many of us cannot wait for it to come. As we gear towards Youth Conference 2012, it is good for us to start thinking about what the theme “Great Faith” is about. From our initial response, many of us can honestly say that we do not have great faith. Why is this so? Perhaps, our faith may be defective in some way or another. James in his epistle was dealing with people who were going through trials of life and concurrently, they were struggling with a faith that was defective. One of the problems that they struggled with was doubts.

“For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” 
James 1:6-8

The word “doubt” lexically means to be of “two judgments” about something. A person who doubts struggles with the dilemma of vacillating between two mental positions. He is like a wave that is constantly moving from one position to another by the “wind”. In one moment, he thinks that God will answer his prayers but in the next moment, he thinks that God will not do so. Let’s not be deceived into thinking that it is alright to have such a faith and that God would still hear our prayers if we are constantly doubting. He will not answer our prayers. Young people, let’s be challenged to deal with our doubts and to pray with faith.

The Challenge To Deal With Our Doubts As We Pray

How can we deal with our doubts as we pray?

1. Faith To Ask With Our Focus On A Most Compassionate God

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” 
James 1:5

There is an imperatival aspect with reference to the idea of asking of God. When Jesus taught His disciples, He taught them to ask of God with the same imperatival sense (Matthew 7:7). Of course, this was in the light all that Jesus had taught about prayer in Matthew 5-7. The Lord God had already declared in the text of Isaiah 45:11 to command Him concerning His sons and the works of His hands. Our part is to boldly ask the Lord for wisdom because He is a God who gives it most willingly and with much compassion. If we ask boldly, we will receive according to His grace and will.

2. Faith To Believe We Will Receive What We Ask

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting” 
James 1:6

“Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Mark 11:23

Our challenge is to really exercise faith even as we ask things of God. The means to receiving is faith. We have to believe that we will receive what we ask. The Lord Jesus also taught this idea of asking with faith and not doubting in the gospels. The crux of prayer is faith in God. The Lord Jesus challenged His disciples to have faith in God. If they truly believe in God and in prayer, even the impossible can be possible. Let’s seek to ask the Lord for wisdom and other things, even impossible matters, without doubting. Let’s ask in faith and the Lord will hear us.

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