Battling Your Doubt and Fear

If you missed Jared Wilson's post on Battling Doubt let me recommend it to you. It's worth a read. His five points are:

1. Concentrate on the historical fact of the cross.
2. Do not seek refuge or advice with those who would shame you for doubting as if they never did.
3. Pray. Or, more specifically, hurl yourself at God.
4. Re-focus your doubts toward your own failings and inability. Doubt yourself, in other words.
5. Read your Bible. More specifically, meditate on Scriptural promises related to your area of doubt.

Permit me to quote him entirely on his fourth point. It should speak volumes to us:

4. Re-focus your doubts toward your own failings and inability. Doubt yourself, in other words.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.-- 1 Corinthians 1:25

This is counter-intuitive to some, and it sounds like bad advice in this age of “Believe in yourself” and self-help and the therapeutic gospel of human potential, but we will not believe God more fully until we despair of ourselves more fully.

In this sense, the counter-attack is not to “stop doubting God” – telling someone awash in doubt to simply “stop doubting” is like telling a drowning man to thrash harder – but to start doubting yourself. It is telling a drowning man to stop thrashing, to doubt his own ability to thrash his way into safety. And in fact, when a drowning man relaxes and stops “fighting,” giving up trust in his ability to save himself, his rescuer is better able to swim him to safety.

If you think God can’t be trusted, think about yourself. How together are you? How well do YOU have it figured out? How in control are you? How are your plans coming together for a great life? How is “following your heart,” which is deceitful above all things, working out for you?

If we are honest with ourselves, we will realize our utter dependence and feebleness. And when we doubt ourselves, we are ready to trust God.
He must become greater; I must become less.-- John 3:30

Thanks Jared for a great post. A Godly reminder for us all!