How to Deal With Doubt
Matthew 11:1-6
We all have times when we tend to believe everything is going just as planned for everyone else. You look around and see people’s lives and their families and marriages, and it looks like everything is “clicking” for everybody. Doubt begins to creep into our thoughts about what we know to be true or what we believe. That is the “mind” side of doubt. Then there are our present circumstances right in front of us that are real-life, day-to-day events that seem to pile on the mind side of doubt to weaken our faith.
Excessive doubt can actually increase our faith in God… if we tear away from our hope and trust in our circumstances, then turn our hopelessness to God. As our circumstances are spiraling out of control, we lose more and more confidence in them which can increase our faith in God.
There are certain things God has revealed: That’s what makes faith possible.
There are certain things God has kept secret: That’s what makes faith necessary.
Doubt is not the absence of faith; doubt is the questioning of faith. You can only doubt what you already believe. Doubt is one of the most common struggles in the Christian life. So, let’s just get this one thing straight right now, those of us who doubt at times are all in good company.
Doubt is questioning what you believe.
Unbelief is a determined refusal to believe.
Doubt is a struggle faced by all believers.
Unbelief is a condition of the unbeliever.
You can see the difference in the story of a married couple – Job and his wife – who experienced a great family tragedy. In one day, they lost their business, wealth, property, and every one of their seven children died when a house where they were holding a party collapsed on them.
Job and his wife were thrown into a tailspin. They responded in completely different ways. Suffering exposed Job’s love for God as he wrestled with mysteries he could not understand. But it exposed his wife’s unbelief, “Curse God and die,” she said.
Their response to suffering was the most revealing thing about them, and it will be one of the most revealing things about us.
Here’s an amusing story I found. A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guile, but there was no corpse. In the defense’s closing statement, the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. “Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.” He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened.
Finally, the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all looked on with anticipation. I, therefore, put to you that you have a reasonable doubt I this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.”
The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty.” But how?” inquired the lawyer. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door.” The jury foreman stood up and replied, “Oh yeah. We looked, but your client never looked….”
Let’s look at our text this morning.
Matthew 11:1-2 (NLT)
1 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.
2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus,
So, how do we deal with doubt?
1). We need to verbalize our doubt
John the Baptist might have been thinking along these lines… Lord, have you forgotten about me? Remember, I was the guy that pointed you out in the wilderness.
John 1:29-34 (NLT)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’
31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from Heaven and resting upon him.
33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God
Jesus, remember not long ago, I called you out. I told everyone you were far greater than me, that you existed long before me, that you were the man… The God-Man – Jesus. I was right there when the whole dove thing happened when the Holy Spirit landed on you in the form of a dove. I heard the heavens open with a voice, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” That day was so real to me as it was yesterday. But since that day, things have been really going downhill.
It all started when I told King Herod that he should not have taken his brother Philip’s wife; I still can’t figure out why everyone got so mad. Now, I’ve been arrested and thrown into the dungeons of the fortress Machaerus in the mountains near the Dead Sea. I’m waiting in this cold, dark, damp prison waiting to be executed.
If you are waiting for me to ask for help, or if I missed something here, I am running out of time, so show me what you’ve got; I’m in a tough spot. This is not going like I thought. I heard you speak; I saw you move; I watched the Spirit of God fall from Heaven. But my circumstances that I find myself in right now are causing me doubt, what I believe to be true, and what I have seen and heard.
Doubt is something that must be addressed; it will lay low and keep us off the battlefield, right where the enemy would have us.
Here are some signs you are experiencing doubt.
Sensitivity to criticism
Isolating oneself
Irritability or hostility
Fixation on personal problems
Physical symptoms (such as fatigue, insomnia, headaches, etc.)
poor self-image
Negative thoughts about oneself
Feelings of worthlessness and depression
Intense criticism after failure
You feel lost, don’t you? Confused because what you think and what you see are so different? Things seem to be in a fog and unclear.
Perplexed – a feeling of the inability to understand
Disoriented – a feeling of losing your sense of direction
Bewildered – a puzzled, temporary loss of direction
To John, it seems like everyone has forgotten about him. Asking himself, how come you didn’t keep me from getting arrested and thrown in prison? So, because you know I’m in prison and everything else seems to be going as planned, I just need to ask this one question. I know it sounds crazy, but…
Matthew 11:3 (NLT)
3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
This is a picture of doubt based on circumstances that are suppressing the truth.
Don’t ever doubt when you’re in the dark what God has spoken to you in the light.
2). Take ownership of our doubt
Matthew 11:4 (NLT)
4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—
Do you feel suspended between two or more roads to travel right now? Maybe you feel indecisive. You just can’t pull the trigger based on the facts you have gathered.
Doubt causes delay, but rightly so… Like me, you have probably made some pretty big mistakes in the past, and this one decision impacts a lot of people, maybe even your family. Indecisiveness also has the fear of making a mistake woven all through it. That is the perfect reason for step two in today’s message – we need to own our doubt.
Take responsibility for what the doubt is doing to us.
Hesitation
Indecisiveness
Over-exaggerated fear to make a mistake
Self-confidence at an all-time low
Don’t be afraid to share the doubt you are experiencing in your life right now.
Doubt is a common tool of the enemy to paralyze you. Going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, it’s been a very effective tool of the enemy to cause believers to doubt. We know what is true, so it’s not unbelief. It’s doubting what we already know to be true.
Genesis 3:1-4 (NLT)
1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.
3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
There are three common tools in the enemy’s tool belt that has been working effectively since the beginning of time.
Doubt – which we are talking about today, questioning what we know to be true
Discouragement – loss of confidence or enthusiasm, paralyzing us from moving forward
Defeat – a signal of inability to go on, to tap out, to wave the white flag
These are all common tactics the devil has been using effectively since the Garden of Eden and regularly in our lives, but we don’t – many times – realize it.
What is the next step?
3). We need to disconnect the doubt
How do we disconnect from our doubt? Doubt is a feeling, so we need to re-align our decision-making process. How we feel about something is not a good foundation to stand on because our emotions seem to be centered on our circumstances. When we have a headache, we say, “I don’t feel good.” It’s based on our circumstances… we have a headache.
To disconnect from doubt, the first step is to go back to the facts about what you know to be true.
Facts – don’t change; facts are the truth, not an interpretation.
The second step is we need to exercise our faith. Not a leap of faith, not blind faith, but we need to exercise our faith based on the facts – what we know to be true.
Faith – acting on what we know to be true based on facts.
Now, step three. This is the one that gets in the way of facts and faith, which inflames doubt. You probably already know – it’s our feelings.
Feelings – an irrational emotion that drives most of our reactions.
So, let’s just get the steps in the right order to disconnect from doubt using a small train as an example.
Facts – this is the engine of the train.
Faith – is the car right behind the engine, carrying the fuel – the wood or the coal to push the engine.
Feelings – this must be the caboose of the little train that gets pulled along by the facts of the matter and our faith.
So, we have disconnected from doubt, but if we just stand there, we become easy prey for the enemy, so we need to…
4). We need to turn back to Jesus
Matthew 11:6 (NLT)
6 And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”
God blesses… not with wealth (but he could), not with stuff (but he can), not with favor (but he might). Being blessed by God is the fact of us knowing that God is happy with us, and so we are blessed. Blessed is based on our relationship with God. Our approval by God. Much like a proud parent, “That’s my boy down there! Look at him go!”
Psalm 1:1-3 (NLT)
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
The writer of Psalm 1 was happy because those are the things that make God happy.
The word Blessed, in the Greek, is MARKARIOS. It is a joy which has its secret within itself, a joy which is serene and untouchable and self-contained, a joy which is completely independent of all the chances and changes of life.
A). Return to Jesus
Pray.
1). Ask God for forgiveness for how our doubt has caused us to act by letting your feelings control your actions.
2). Sit down with the Lord and re-establish the facts
3). Beg him to give you the faith, the fuel to drive the facts so that you can begin to move forward based on the truth.
B). Remember the victories
Take a moment to stop and recall God’s faithfulness in your life in times past. Here is a great example in scripture.
Joshua 4:1-3, 6 (NLT)
1 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,
2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe.
3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
. . .
6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’
C). Remain faithful
You just stacked up at least twelve stones in your own personal life of how God has been faithful to you. Now you need to recommit your faithfulness to God by holding onto the facts empowered by faith to stay committed to him.
D). Hold fast to what is good
As hard as it may be, look for any good in all this decision-making process, and when you see some good pieces that are mixed in with all the bad, difficult, or impossible – hold fast to what is good
Let’s just look at one powerful scripture.
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Excessive doubt can actually increase our faith in God… if we tear away from our hope and trust in our circumstances, then turn our hopelessness to God. As our circumstances are spiraling out of control, we lose more and more confidence in them which can increase our faith in God.
There are certain things God has revealed: That’s what makes faith possible.
There are certain things God has kept secret: That’s what makes faith necessary.
Doubt is not the absence of faith; doubt is the questioning of faith. You can only doubt what you already believe. Doubt is one of the most common struggles in the Christian life. So, let’s just get this one thing straight right now, those of us who doubt at times are all in good company.
Doubt is questioning what you believe.
Unbelief is a determined refusal to believe.
Doubt is a struggle faced by all believers.
Unbelief is a condition of the unbeliever.
You can see the difference in the story of a married couple – Job and his wife – who experienced a great family tragedy. In one day, they lost their business, wealth, property, and every one of their seven children died when a house where they were holding a party collapsed on them.
Job and his wife were thrown into a tailspin. They responded in completely different ways. Suffering exposed Job’s love for God as he wrestled with mysteries he could not understand. But it exposed his wife’s unbelief, “Curse God and die,” she said.
Their response to suffering was the most revealing thing about them, and it will be one of the most revealing things about us.
Here’s an amusing story I found. A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guile, but there was no corpse. In the defense’s closing statement, the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. “Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.” He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened.
Finally, the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all looked on with anticipation. I, therefore, put to you that you have a reasonable doubt I this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.”
The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty.” But how?” inquired the lawyer. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door.” The jury foreman stood up and replied, “Oh yeah. We looked, but your client never looked….”
Let’s look at our text this morning.
Matthew 11:1-2 (NLT)
1 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.
2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus,
So, how do we deal with doubt?
1). We need to verbalize our doubt
John the Baptist might have been thinking along these lines… Lord, have you forgotten about me? Remember, I was the guy that pointed you out in the wilderness.
John 1:29-34 (NLT)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’
31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from Heaven and resting upon him.
33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God
Jesus, remember not long ago, I called you out. I told everyone you were far greater than me, that you existed long before me, that you were the man… The God-Man – Jesus. I was right there when the whole dove thing happened when the Holy Spirit landed on you in the form of a dove. I heard the heavens open with a voice, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” That day was so real to me as it was yesterday. But since that day, things have been really going downhill.
It all started when I told King Herod that he should not have taken his brother Philip’s wife; I still can’t figure out why everyone got so mad. Now, I’ve been arrested and thrown into the dungeons of the fortress Machaerus in the mountains near the Dead Sea. I’m waiting in this cold, dark, damp prison waiting to be executed.
If you are waiting for me to ask for help, or if I missed something here, I am running out of time, so show me what you’ve got; I’m in a tough spot. This is not going like I thought. I heard you speak; I saw you move; I watched the Spirit of God fall from Heaven. But my circumstances that I find myself in right now are causing me doubt, what I believe to be true, and what I have seen and heard.
Doubt is something that must be addressed; it will lay low and keep us off the battlefield, right where the enemy would have us.
Here are some signs you are experiencing doubt.
Sensitivity to criticism
Isolating oneself
Irritability or hostility
Fixation on personal problems
Physical symptoms (such as fatigue, insomnia, headaches, etc.)
poor self-image
Negative thoughts about oneself
Feelings of worthlessness and depression
Intense criticism after failure
You feel lost, don’t you? Confused because what you think and what you see are so different? Things seem to be in a fog and unclear.
Perplexed – a feeling of the inability to understand
Disoriented – a feeling of losing your sense of direction
Bewildered – a puzzled, temporary loss of direction
To John, it seems like everyone has forgotten about him. Asking himself, how come you didn’t keep me from getting arrested and thrown in prison? So, because you know I’m in prison and everything else seems to be going as planned, I just need to ask this one question. I know it sounds crazy, but…
Matthew 11:3 (NLT)
3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
This is a picture of doubt based on circumstances that are suppressing the truth.
Don’t ever doubt when you’re in the dark what God has spoken to you in the light.
2). Take ownership of our doubt
Matthew 11:4 (NLT)
4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—
Do you feel suspended between two or more roads to travel right now? Maybe you feel indecisive. You just can’t pull the trigger based on the facts you have gathered.
Doubt causes delay, but rightly so… Like me, you have probably made some pretty big mistakes in the past, and this one decision impacts a lot of people, maybe even your family. Indecisiveness also has the fear of making a mistake woven all through it. That is the perfect reason for step two in today’s message – we need to own our doubt.
Take responsibility for what the doubt is doing to us.
Hesitation
Indecisiveness
Over-exaggerated fear to make a mistake
Self-confidence at an all-time low
Don’t be afraid to share the doubt you are experiencing in your life right now.
Doubt is a common tool of the enemy to paralyze you. Going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, it’s been a very effective tool of the enemy to cause believers to doubt. We know what is true, so it’s not unbelief. It’s doubting what we already know to be true.
Genesis 3:1-4 (NLT)
1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.
3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
There are three common tools in the enemy’s tool belt that has been working effectively since the beginning of time.
Doubt – which we are talking about today, questioning what we know to be true
Discouragement – loss of confidence or enthusiasm, paralyzing us from moving forward
Defeat – a signal of inability to go on, to tap out, to wave the white flag
These are all common tactics the devil has been using effectively since the Garden of Eden and regularly in our lives, but we don’t – many times – realize it.
What is the next step?
3). We need to disconnect the doubt
How do we disconnect from our doubt? Doubt is a feeling, so we need to re-align our decision-making process. How we feel about something is not a good foundation to stand on because our emotions seem to be centered on our circumstances. When we have a headache, we say, “I don’t feel good.” It’s based on our circumstances… we have a headache.
To disconnect from doubt, the first step is to go back to the facts about what you know to be true.
Facts – don’t change; facts are the truth, not an interpretation.
The second step is we need to exercise our faith. Not a leap of faith, not blind faith, but we need to exercise our faith based on the facts – what we know to be true.
Faith – acting on what we know to be true based on facts.
Now, step three. This is the one that gets in the way of facts and faith, which inflames doubt. You probably already know – it’s our feelings.
Feelings – an irrational emotion that drives most of our reactions.
So, let’s just get the steps in the right order to disconnect from doubt using a small train as an example.
Facts – this is the engine of the train.
Faith – is the car right behind the engine, carrying the fuel – the wood or the coal to push the engine.
Feelings – this must be the caboose of the little train that gets pulled along by the facts of the matter and our faith.
So, we have disconnected from doubt, but if we just stand there, we become easy prey for the enemy, so we need to…
4). We need to turn back to Jesus
Matthew 11:6 (NLT)
6 And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”
God blesses… not with wealth (but he could), not with stuff (but he can), not with favor (but he might). Being blessed by God is the fact of us knowing that God is happy with us, and so we are blessed. Blessed is based on our relationship with God. Our approval by God. Much like a proud parent, “That’s my boy down there! Look at him go!”
Psalm 1:1-3 (NLT)
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
The writer of Psalm 1 was happy because those are the things that make God happy.
The word Blessed, in the Greek, is MARKARIOS. It is a joy which has its secret within itself, a joy which is serene and untouchable and self-contained, a joy which is completely independent of all the chances and changes of life.
A). Return to Jesus
Pray.
1). Ask God for forgiveness for how our doubt has caused us to act by letting your feelings control your actions.
2). Sit down with the Lord and re-establish the facts
3). Beg him to give you the faith, the fuel to drive the facts so that you can begin to move forward based on the truth.
B). Remember the victories
Take a moment to stop and recall God’s faithfulness in your life in times past. Here is a great example in scripture.
Joshua 4:1-3, 6 (NLT)
1 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,
2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe.
3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
. . .
6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’
C). Remain faithful
You just stacked up at least twelve stones in your own personal life of how God has been faithful to you. Now you need to recommit your faithfulness to God by holding onto the facts empowered by faith to stay committed to him.
D). Hold fast to what is good
As hard as it may be, look for any good in all this decision-making process, and when you see some good pieces that are mixed in with all the bad, difficult, or impossible – hold fast to what is good
Let’s just look at one powerful scripture.
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.