What to Do When You Doubt

We all have doubts and questions from time to time. Does God exist? Are heaven and hell real? Does the Bible actually teach what our parents and teachers say it does? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Maybe it’s questions from a friend that make us doubt. Maybe it’s the media, or a book, or a teacher. Or maybe it’s just our own wondering hearts. Let me assure you: it’s absolutely okay to doubt. It can even be good! Faith is not blind belief in what someone tells us. Instead, it’s a trusting reliance on a God that we know. Doubts can help us realize what we still need to learn and what we don’t yet understand. That’s a healthy part of Christian life. It wouldn’t be healthy, though, if we just ignored our doubts, or if we gave in to them. We have to do something about them. We have to answer them. How? The way we answer any question: with thought and research. Prayer, also, is important. Ask God to make the answers clear to you so that you can know Him better. If you can’t come up with reasons why you know God exists, maybe it’s time to ask your parents for their reasons, ask a pastor, or find a book in the library by a Christian apologetics (defense of faith) expert. If you’re wondering whether something you’ve been taught is truly right, be like the Bereans in today’s reading: pick up God’s Word, the Bible, and find out what God has to say! Easy? Certainly not always. But if we don’t challenge ourselves, if we don’t ask tough questions and search for tough answers, we’ll never grow. And if we never grow, we can never reach our full potential. God can use our questionsand the things we learn from themto equip us to accomplish the missions He has for us in His kingdom! • Christiana Cudworth What doubts do you have about your faith? Do some topics make you uncomfortable? Who could you ask for help when you have questions? Is it hard to admit that you don’t have all the answers? How can you help your friends feel less awkward about dealing with honest doubts? Test all things; hold fast what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)

Read Verses:

Acts 17:10-12