Monday, November 26, 2012

Redemption~Doubt (Part 1)


Genesis 3:1-5
1  Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2  The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.
3  But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'"
4  "No!  You will not die," the serpent said to the woman.
5  "In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Satan was trying to fill Eve's mind with doubt.  He asked the question in a way that made it seem like he was looking out for her.  Satan was trying to make God's command appear negative.  He tried to make God look controling rather than loving. 

There are many times when people, and the world in general, fill our heads with doubt.  Christians can be called boring Bettys and no fun Sallys.  We can be made to feel so ignorant and out of the loop that we question what God really wants for us.  Really?  I can't watch that TV program?  We try to be in charge of our lives.  We tell ourselves that we can handle it.  This little bit won't hurt.  We hear ourselves say, "I need to fit in because if I don't, how else will I share Jesus?"  Ah, we turn it around on our Savior.  We are hopeless creatures without Him in front of us leading our every step.  Any time we try and rationalize that something is for Jesus, it is most certainly not.

Doubt, in and of itself, is not a sin.  God made us to have questioning minds.  Because of our doubts, we are able to go deeper in our relationship with Christ.  We are able to search His word and pray about doubts.  If we never doubted, we would believe everything we ever heard and our relationship would be shaky, at best.  Doubt becomes a sin when we act upon it or we turn our backs on God's truths.  When doubt creeps into our minds, we must immediately turn to God's word.  We must determine what He wants us to do.  

Think about a time when you were filled with doubt and began thinking you were too uptight.  (It could be over a TV show, book others were reading, gossip, etc.)  What choice did you make and what was the outcome of that choice?

As I ponder that question, I realize that everytime I have turned my back on Jesus, I have been miserable.  Choosing Him will never disappoint you. 

If you are currently experiencing doubt in your life, turn to Jesus.  He hears His children call every single time.  He will redeem your heart and give you a peace like nothing else can.  When in doubt, choose God. 



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