Come and See

Look at what I found….Come and see!

Doubt is a life sucker

I have a confession…..I’m a big doubter.

Have you ever found yourself doubting God’s goodness, His promises, His faithfulness? I have but I have no reason to. He’s always proven faithful in the past, always provides in time. So what’s the deal with this false belief that we aren’t going to have the absolute best? I find myself personally praying for the best but waking up the next morning not expecting the best. There’s something wrong with this picture. I hope I’m not the only one struggling with this. And I really want to get this whole doubt thing under control.

Jeremiah 29:11 really hits home today- “For I know the plans I have for you-this is the LORD’S declaration- plans for your welfare not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

This verse is probably one of the promises I hold onto most dearly from the Lord. It is very personal to me and I find myself putting this verse on repeat. You would’ve thought it would’ve sunk in by now and I wouldn’t have anymore doubts- but I am a stubborn individual with a stronger will to be self-righteous than I like to admit. Which is why this truth is still processing in my heart. My brain knows the deal, now this knowledge just needs to make it’s way down.

Being self-righteous is an ugly trait. It’s the biggest sin I struggle with. This sin in particular comes forth in those particular times when I need to make a decision or have to make some sort of plan. That’s where I find myself at the moment….having to make a very important decision that could potentially impact and change “my life” forever. So the pressure’s on! Or atleast that’s what the world wants me to think….I don’t know about you but I feel as if we go throughout life feeling the pressure to succeed, to make it! We mark one item off our to do list and we are already on to the next goal. Then that goal, once reached, will propel us to the next level, and once we get there….well, you see where I’m going with this…..there’s always the expectation to perform, to complete something, to succeed. No wonder our society is in a constant state of distress!

So where does this come into doubt….? I think self-righteousness and doubt go hand in hand. You see, a lot of self-righteous people (or atleast this one) tend to do things all on their own. We have this fear of asking for help for whatever reason. Many of us are scaredy cats disguised as perfectionists on a mission! So why do we doubt so much….well being perfectly honest, it’s because we read the verse in Jeremiah totally wrong!

Truth: “For I (God) know the plans I(God) have for you. Plans for your welfare (benefit), not for disaster. To give you a (worthwhile) future and a hope (confidence).”

What we tell ourselves: God says He’s going to bless me and take care of everything in order to give me the comfortable life I think I should have.

Wrong!

God says He’s going to take care of our future, yes absolutely! He has no intention of striking us down or tricking us up. He desires to give us a life full of joy and richness……NOT happiness and riches! Read that last sentence again.

The world aims to give you happiness and riches yet the Lord aims to give you joy and richness. There is a fine line here, very fine. Because a nice home, good health, happy family, financial security are all good things to have. It makes life easier to get through, let’s be honest here! I don’t hear too often of someone complaining when they have all these things. I’ll be the first to admit that I personally want financial security, good health, and my family to be united. But joy and richness come from another source. Joy goes beyond happiness….it bridges the gap between our expectations and reality….and it is when joy comes that our lives truly become rich.

So again, why do we doubt God’s best for our lives? It’s not necessarily because we want the wrong things, but it has more to do with where our focus is. Yesterday I found myself doubting God’s goodness because I was focused on the good health that I so desperately want and think I should have. Today I find myself doubting God’s sovereignty because of my sister and father, of whom I’ve prayed for their salvation for years and years and I have not yet seen that change in their hearts. Tomorrow I’ll probably doubt something else. You see the problem remains in being self righteous….in the belief that we absolutely must be doing something productive, good, etc., in order to reach that goal. This is where I find myself saying at times “Well if I don’t pray for her then….” or “If I don’t get the right doctor then…..” 

Long story short: All doubt has to do with is ME and my power! It has nothing to do with HIM and His power! Doubt sucks the life right out of us while Faith puts the life back in us!

Solution: Take your eyes off yourself. Change what your focusing on!

I hope this is encouraging to someone today 🙂