God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! Ephesians 3:20-21 MSG
It’s an established fact that we all struggle with doubt and faith. It’s also a certainty that God wants our faith to grow and become a real force in life. And the most significant fact of all is that God has the desire and power to do that as we work with His Spirit working within us. How do we cooperate with Him?
First, acknowledge and embrace your doubt as an opportunity to know God better and develop a stronger, more resilient faith. Deeply realize that doubt does not negate your faith.
Do your due diligence to grow closer to God. Intimacy always increases faith and trust. Read the Bible with specific intention. Ask God to show you Himself and His character. Nothing grows my faith and dispels belief more for me than regular reading of the Gospels and the Book of Acts. I see God working in and through people’s lives in far worse situations than I have. My small faith gets energized, and I can see it start to get stronger and leave my doubts behind.
Specifically pray for God’s help and insight. Directly ask God to help you with your doubt, to give you answers where He sees you need them, and to give you peace without answers as He sees necessary. Ask for wisdom and insight to live out your faith in Jesus. Freely pray, “Lord, I believe! Help me where I don’t believe.” Then listen for His voice. He will answer you – maybe not exactly in that moment or as you thought, but you can be sure He will answer.
State your “aspirational faith” aloud to yourself and God. Confess that God has resources far beyond your own, and you are counting on Him to provide unexpected opportunities, supernatural provision, and to experience His Spirit giving birth to the creativity you need for the situation.
Lean into the community of faith. God uses His people to help each other, and you will often get just the right input and always encouraging love as you allow your struggle to bind you to others instead of isolating.
- If you struggle with doubt, you’re in good company. Most of us end up identifying our most transformational times of growth as periods of struggle. Don’t deny or suppress it or give in to shame – embrace doubt as a catalyst for growth.