Three Reasons Why We Doubt & How to Stop It

The video footage looks amazing. The clear blue skies, the green of the trees, and the people’s faces look captivating! I was excited to be sending this promotional video to churches, asking them to considering supporting us as missionaries.

Jason arrived back home today from visiting Honduras. He had gone to take some video footage of the country, people, and hospital. We are going to be making our promo video soon. Listening to him talk about it down there, I knew I missed it. I was pleasantly surprised. I missed it and wished I was there. Seeing his pictures, and it all felt so familiar. Sure, I’ve been down there once before, but I wanted to be there again. I wanted to feel the warmth, even though it is the rainy season< I still wished to be there.

I have mixed feelings for sure, but I’m ready. The Lord is preparing my heart to make the move. Today I can’t wait to move there. Yes. It will be hard. Yes. I will cry a lot. Yes. It will be difficult and lonely and isolating. But God reminded me even today with something I read yesterday, “Psalm 73: Whom have I in heaven but You?” Yes. I have God. And if I tell people, write to people, and encourage people that He is enough, I must live it. And taking away EVERYTHING means I can rely on Him more.

I am looking forward to that. I’m looking forward to growing my faith in Him. To learning to lean on Him more and more – for my daily life. I praise God I will face the fear and the loneliness because it means His presence and His power will be seen even more.

It is extremely vulnerable and humbling to be oaths side of the mission work. I’ve been on the giving side for so long. I wonder if I believe God will supply MY needs. I always tell would-be-adoptive parents that God will supply THEIR needs, but when it comes to our family and moving to Honduras, I hesitate. I wonder and maybe even worry a little.

The other day I read that quote again by Hannah Whitall Smith:

“You have trusted Him in a few things, and He has not failed you. Trust Him now for everything, and see if He does not do or you exceedingly abundantly, above all that you could ever have asked or even thought, not according to your power or capacity, but according to his own mighty power, working in you all the good pleasure of His most blessed will.” H.W.S. Page 77 CSTHL

I have surely trusted God in a few things. I’ve trusted Him when we adopted. I trust Him when when I chose to send the boys to school. I trust Him to meet my daily needs as a stay-at-home mother. To give me hope and friendships and encouragements here – but when I think about Honduras, I think: will God be faithful there? I don’t adversely have that thought, but it is a nagging feeling.

I have no reason to doubt. My story and theme of my entire life up to this point has been: God’s faithfulness. Why do I doubt now?

Three Reasons Why We Doubt & How to Stop It

Tweet This

I think there are three reasons we doubt and how to rest in God’s faithfulness and power.

1. We want to handle it all on our own. I find myself doubting when I think about what all we need to do in order to get to the mission field. Podcasts to listen to. Books to read. Language prep and culture shock all weigh on my mind. For myself, but I worry about my children and I think it is all up to me to prepare them for the field. Sure, there are things for me to do to help them, but ultimately – God will do the work. I’m not on my own preparing for the mission field just as I’m not on my own before the mission field and after we get down there. It isn’t all up to me, and that can give me rest from my doubts.

2. We adopt the worry as our own. Doubts about details are not wrong, but as HWS says: “They are not your doubts until you accept them and adopt them as true.” I cannot help but hear the lies the enemy tries to whisper, but I can help whether to believe those lies or not. I can trust and rest in God’s faithfulness when I let doubts come into my head, and leave just as fast.

3. We question God’s goodness. So many times as Christians we talk about God’s power and love, like they are separate things. In fact, they are both equally a part of Him, they cannot exist outside each other. God’s power is not limited neither is HIs goodness. If I let doubts grow roots in my heart, I am ultimately doubting God’s goodness to me. Resting in God’s goodness is the perfect way to fight doubt in our hearts.

So that’s why we doubt, what can we do about it? I think these three steps, taken from Isaiah 26, will help keep us from believing the doubt in our hearts

1. Lean on God’s Power.

Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength: Isaiah 26:4 (KJV)

2. Lean on God’s Promises.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

3. Lean on God’s Providence.

The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. Isaiah 26:7 (KJV)

How can you lean, or trust, in God’s power, provision, and providence today?

Welcome to our link-up! Welcome Wednesday will post once a week, on Wednesday mornings at 7AM. We have SIX co-hosts (myself and five other bloggers!) Please take a moment and follow each blogger on at least ONE social media 🙂