Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Doubt is the big barrier and boulder that crushes progress. Did you know that faith and doubt can co-exist? ‘Faith’ and ‘Doubt’ are like two foxes in our soul – the fox we feed will overtake and rule our mind and thoughts. Doubt is an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty and lack of confidence.
As long as Peter’s eyes were on Jesus his faith bolstered him with courage but the moment he looked at the raging sea and the roaring wind he started to sink. Doubt is like holding on to a milestone and plunging into the river or trying to swim with a backpack on your back. The longer you are in the water with the backpack the heavier it will get and pull you down. If we have to stay afloat we must throw away the burden of doubt into the sea of disbelief. Doubt is like a hole in the vessel that is holding our faith. It will drip and drain our faith in no time.
Jesus could not do miracles in his hometown that was swamped with cynical skeptics and doubters. Jesus did not do many miracles there, because the people did not believe in him (Matthew 13:58). The pebble of doubt hinders faith and turns into a stumbling stone. Doubt distracts us with facts and sucks away faith. Doubt is a whirlpool that will drown us in facts. Peter walked with Jesus, dined, travelled and witnessed the miracles of the Messiah, yet, he got distracted by the threats of the whirlwind and the waves. Hence he began to sink.
Doubt is a whirlpool that will sink faith:
1. Focus: Doubt sneaks in when our focus turns from the Saviour to the suspicions, qualms and uncertainties. Science teaches us the ‘surface tension’ will not allow humans to float on water. If there’s more pressure up from the water than there is down from an object, an object will float. However, the mass from the human body does not permit it to float/walk on water. The facts about ‘surface tensions’ or ‘worldly concerns’ clashes with faith and sinks us in doubt. Facts conflict faith so, focus on Jesus the author of our faith.
2. Feelings: Feelings conflict with the promises of God. Feelings are driven by what we see, hear and sense. Knowledge and intellect can kill faith. This is why many intellects are atheists. They try to understand the divine wisdom of God that created the cosmos with their tiny little human brains only to fumble and fail. Feelings conflict faith and grip us with doubt.
3. Foreboding: The demons constantly inject forebodings and fret to kill faith. Defeat fearful thoughts with the Word of God.
Doubt destroys faith and kills growth.
James 1:6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit, help me to put on the shield of faith against the fiery darts of doubt that are shot at me. Amen.
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