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First would be those people who have doubted. This is not just a Christian experience. It is a human experience.
It is not Christians who doubt, atheists also doubt their position from time to time. How do you prevent this virus from ravaging your faith? What can one do? Many people think that doubt is the opposite of faith. Actually the opposite of faith is unbelief. Unbelief is a willful refusal to believe.
Doubt is to be indecisive or ambivalent over an issue. Sort of up in the air over a particular issue. You may have questions or concerns about some facet of the Christian faith. In fact you can have a strong faith and still have some doubts. You can be heaven bound and still have some uncertainty about some theological issues. If you want a biblical example just peruse the Psalms sometimes.
Did David have a weak faith? He had a strong faith. A great biblical example of this is John the Baptist. He gets thrown into jail. There he comes down with the virus of doubt. Or should we be looking for someone else? They track Jesus down and they ask Jesus that question. Does He now think that John is worthless and could do no good for the kingdom of God anymore? He wants to dialogue with us. The Bible never says that. But it does say, I think, that in any relationship, we want honesty.
In our relationship with Him, He wants us to be honest. You get an immunization to help your body fight off the future disease. What they do is, through the shots they give you; they give you a little bit of that disease. I know my faith is going to be stronger having been tested by questions. A good biblical example is doubting Thomas. If you leave it unchecked it can do great damage to your faith. Basically in three ways? Doubt Infects Our Mind. Often intellectual doubts come in through our mind. We read the Bible, put it down — wait a second! Often we have a misunderstanding about who God is and you have to review who God is.
You may know a lot about the love and the forgiveness and the mercy of God. The problem is never with God. Doubt Infects Our Emotions. This can happen in several ways.
Some people have a faith that is fundamentally built on feelings. With some people it is an emotional high. It begins to taper off. When that emotional high tapers off people begin to think that their faith is going away. Faith is not fundamentally about feelings and emotions. Faith is fundamentally a decision of the will to follow Jesus Christ. Certain personality types are more susceptible to doubt. These are the melancholy kind of personalities. God wired them that way.
The problem comes in when they compare themselves to other people. God wired you up this way. Just be aware you may wrestle with issues more than other people. For instance, you may have suffered abuse from a parent when you were a child. Or a dad may have walked out on your family or your parents may have gone through a divorce. Or maybe a spouse left you.
Uncertainties that are deep down inside. Doubt Infects Our Will. Doubt can come in through our point of decision. Because sin introduces a lack of peace in our life. So doubts can breed in our minds, our emotions, our wills. I call them the five steps to faith. So you can remember these steps more easily.
F-ind the root of your doubt. Go deep and ask the tough questions of yourself. A-sk God and others for help. Be honest with God. Would you help me? I have this problem with doubt. Jesus responded to him and He healed His Son. Now we have a list we can work on. There is an answer to every question we have in our mind! By the way New Life staff is here to help you! We have people, resources. We can get you help to get you resolution on the questions you have. Where are you holding back from God? T-ake care of your spiritual health.
Basically, suspend judgment for a while on some questions you might have. Let me put this into context. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that we now understand in part. I sort of picture heaven like a third grade classroom. That Jesus died for my sins. But the truly dire consequences in our lives come from avoiding things that we need to learn about or discover.
Of the things you have, select the best and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them. Petit Senn "To be content means that you realize you contain what you seek. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory. You can't keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on. Barr "View your life from your funeral: Looking back at your life experiences, what have you accomplished?
What would you have wanted to accomplish but didn't? What were the happy moments?
What were the sad? What would you do again, and what wouldn't you do? The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. Stevenson II "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be. He is the one that gets people to do the greatest things.
Do your thing, and don't care if they like it. A leader isn't someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others.
Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. Maybe you question whether the Bible can really be trusted these days by thinking, twenty-first century people. All one had to do is commit completely to Jesus and follow his path. My search for answers on doubts brought me to this amazing blog and I must say this piece has been very very helpful! It's only really modern scholarship, if you want to call it that, that's begun to say "Well hold on a minute. Neil McGregor, Director of the British Museum, surveys the face of Jesus portrayed in art, starting with what may well be the earliest image there is: The blind receive sight.
Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men. Eisenhower "Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan. Kennedy "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.
Drucker "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.
It is the only thing. Maxwell "The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones. It is about one life influencing another. Maxwell "You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you're not passionate enough from the start, you'll never stick it out.
He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Lee "The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care.
Either case is a failure of leadership. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner: A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go but ought to be.
Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust. Solomon "In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.
I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark. Whether it's cattle, or horses, or men, the least government is the best government. It is very easy to say yes. You have to not only know what to do and when to do it, but you have to also be brave enough to follow through.
No, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic behind it. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability. Try to please everybody. Morgan "If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything. Agu "Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision. Drucker "When you put together deep knowledge about a subject that intensely matters to you, charisma happens. You gain courage to share your passion, and when you do that, folks follow.
A great leader leads the people from within them. Arnold "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet.
Hesburgh "It is absolutely necessary You lead by going to that place and making a case. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better. Chesterton "'Enough' is a feast.
Kennedy "Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance. Clark "If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity It has enough lush forests, flowered fields, and sandy beaches.
It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Their actions are a living witness of their strong faith in Him. My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe.
At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him!
Farther On: A true story challenging those who doubt and encouraging those who believe. [Karen Gryder] on www.farmersmarketmusic.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A True Story Challenging Those Who Doubt and Encouraging Those Who Believe. Karen Gryder would help them out 'stead of anyone forkin' out cash.
If you ever doubt that, consider these four divine principles:. Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith. Fourth and finally, please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be.
You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed. Be assured that if you but hold on, believe in Him, and remain faithful in keeping the commandments, one day you will experience for yourselves the promises revealed to the Apostle Paul: Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit.
He loves you with a perfect love. God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him. May we ever believe, trust, and align our lives so that we will understand our true eternal worth and potential. May we be worthy of the precious blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for us is my prayer in the name of His Son, even Jesus Christ, amen.
October April October April All conferences Russell Ballard All speakers Atonement Jesus Christ plan of salvation Sabbath All topics October You Matter to Him. Your browser does not support the audio element. Play Pause Skip Backward 10 Seconds Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency. Audio Download Print Share close Audio.
Abraham Lincoln is said to have loved a poem that reads: Oh why should the spirit of mortal be proud? Like a swift-flitting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave, Man passeth from life to his rest in the grave. The Sustaining of Church Officers. Taking upon Ourselves the Name of Jesus Christ. Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually.