Fighting the Power of Doubt
Fighting the Debilitating Power of Doubt
(Excerpts taken from the book, “Suffering” by Paul David Tripp)
As we learned from last week, doubt in and of itself is not a bad thing. Doubt can cause you to ask profoundly important questions. Doubt will make you think deeply about very important things. Doubt will allow you to expose and reject falsehood. It has the power to lead you to the One who knows and understands everything. Your capacity to doubt can drive you to God – but not always.
Doubt can also become spiritually debilitating & paralyzing when, during our suffering, we give in to the lies of our adversary whose mission is to steal, kill, and destroy the full life that Jesus promises to every believer in him (John 10:10). Our struggle with doubt is often an intense spiritual battle over whether or not we rise victoriously over the lies of the devil or become a casualty of war. In his book, Suffering, author David Tripp shares with us six ways we can fight the debilitating power of doubt.
I. Fight the devil’s lies.
When you are suffering, you have to force yourself to pay attention to your private conversations, those are the words you say to yourself that no one else hears. We are always talking to ourselves about ourselves, life, God, others, meaning and purpose, relationships, trouble, solutions, hope, the past, the future, and because we have so many conversations with ourselves, we influence ourselves more than anyone else can.
Here is the question that everyone suffering needs to ask: “Has my suffering caused me to begin to believe things that are not true and therefore say things to myself that are not true?” You need to question your own assumptions. You need to confront evidence of unbelief in your own heart and defend your heart against any perspective that would call into question the wisdom, love, goodness, grace, and faithfulness of God. This is what it means to guard your hearts from Satan’s lies by fighting them with the truth of God’s word (Proverbs 4:23, John 8:31-32). Pray that God would give you insight into your own heart and the strength to fight this spiritual battle even in those moments when you feel profoundly weak.
II. Count your blessings.
There is no more powerful tool against debilitating doubt than gratitude, which means, when suffering, stop for a moment, each day, to literally count your blessings. A thankful heart is the best defense against a doubting heart.
Early in my Christian life, when I was struggling with the painful circumstances of life, my focus was on the things I wanted and did not have. I heard a sermon where the preacher shared that when we focus on the problems we have in life, those problems become bigger than God and we live a defeated life. But when we shift our focus from the trials of life of life to our blessings and the fulfilled promises of God, those problems become opportunities to see how God will move and work for our good and his glory. Rising above our suffering is always a matter of focus (Philippians 4:4-9).
III. Daily confess your struggle to believe.
In your struggle with faith, you don’t have to give way to fear of guilt or hide in the humiliation of shame, because Jesus carried your guilt and shame on the cross. God is not surprised by your struggle…Instead of criticizing you for being weak, he comes near and reminds you that his grace is up to the task and does its best work in those moments when you feel most unable.
Since Jesus took all your judgment, God does not respond to you with judgment but with the faithful, tender love of a father (Isaiah 42:3, Psalm 34:18). He welcomes you to be honest, and he will always respond to your confession with mercy. In your struggle of faith, do you run from the Lord or to him? Remember it is always the devil’s strategy to get you to run away from the only one who can uphold you through life’s most difficult seasons.
IV. Get busy.
As I shared with you last week, the apostle Peter’s first letter was written to those who were suffering. While Peter does share words of encouragement and comfort, his letter is more a call to suffering Christians to pursue everything God called them to and blessed them to experience between their conversion and their homecoming…he calls them to base their actions, reactions, and responses not on what they are suffering, but on who they are as children of God in suffering (1 Peter 2:9-12). It is a call to be about the business of the gospel, to get busy doing what God has called you to do and to celebrate who you are as a child of God. The danger when suffering is to place the majority of your focus on what you are dealing with and what you are going through, which has the potential to greatly magnify and create a negative impact on the way you think about yourself, God, and suffering. Do not let difficulty define you or the way you live. While suffering choose each day to love for God and for others.
V. Encourage other suffering doubters.
One of the most powerful ways to be encouraged is to encourage others. Who near you needs encouragement? Who near you has lost their way? Who is about to forget their identity as children of God and quit doing the things that are good for their heart and life? You are uniquely positioned to help because you have personal experience of what they are going through. You can speak into their struggle with sympathy and authenticity…You can remind those near that they are not alone and, as you do, remember that you are not alone either. You can remind those near you that suffering does not define them and then rest in the fact that it does not define you either. Every good thing you say to someone else, God will use to encourage you (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Hebrews 3:12-13).
VI. Let doubt drive you to Jesus.
As you read the words of Jesus, do so slowly, receiving them as his words to you.
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Run to the one who intimately knows your suffering, for he is the one who suffered for you. He is there for you to strengthen, comfort, bless and shower you in his love & grace. Go to him now. He truly cares.