Grief Bites: Doubt RevealedMinta

Doubt is a difficult, and miserable, place to be...and it slowly destroys our fellowship with God. Spiritually, it is a "silent killer" of our soul. Doubt has many origins. It can be a coping mechanism due to not understanding how to handle a tough situation...a desperate silent cry for help after a terrible experience has happened in life...or an arrogant attitude of pride that believes God owes us more. We may doubt that God would ever want to truly work in our lives or through a tough situation we are going through...after all, who are we compared to God? And what about the times we contribute to the tough situation we are facing due to unwise past decisions we have made? Does God just leave us stuck with our consequences with no mercy or forgiveness in sight? Not at all. It is understandable to have feelings of doubt after a terrible loss has taken place. It takes time to come to terms with a situation that has broken your heart or impacted your life. What about tough times where an unfair loss takes place through no fault of our own? God works in..and through..every situation we face. Nothing takes God by surprise. He can redeem any circumstance by causing good to come from it. Many times, He shows His mercy as He allows us to help others who later go through a similar grief experience or loss. He never wastes a trial, heartache, or hurt...as long as we submit our heartaches and doubts to Him. I doubted God after a tragic heartbreaking circumstance took place. I could not grasp why it was allowed to happen. Doubt plagued and engulfed me. It wasn't until years later that I could realize the purpose for what God allowed. In circumstances where something bad happens...God is so patient with us. He knows it is going to take a toll on us...and He is the answer to restoring our hope and faith. When you take refuge in Him, He is faithful to guide you through the doubt(s) you have so you can come back to a place of complete trust. In times when we are self-saturated and upset that God didn't do exactly what we thought was best, I believe that is directly challenging God. We want what we want...and are upset that God doesn't bend to our plans. This kind of doubt is eventually lethal to our relationship with God...and many times, it can affect our other relationships too. In these times, we must quickly humble ourselves and repent. It is imperative to understand that God has a plan for each and every situation or heartache we experience or go through. If God allows us to go through a trying situation that attempts to make us doubt, or a situation that stretches us, we can trust that He has plans to increase the flexibility of ways He can use us for His glory in the future. It is never fun to go through tough life events, and they can truly attempt to knock us out. Life challenges can tempt us to be bitter towards God. We must realize and embrace the truth that God genuinely wants what is best for us, and doubt attempts to lead us away from God's best. God sees the "big picture" when we cannot. When tempted to doubt, use that as a signal to have a genuine heart-to-heart talk with God. He truly works out every situation we face for the greater good. Today, ask God to take total control of your life. Completely give Him "you". Pour your heart out to Him...share with Him all your doubts, hurts, worries, frustrations, disappointments, fears, and failures. Ask Him to grant you wisdom and to help you to see the greater purpose for your doubt and circumstances. Ask Him to resolve any bitterness in your heart towards Him, others, or any situation. Tell Him you would like to repent of your doubt and begin trusting Him today. He has a heart filled with love and mercy for you!