In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley
May 12, 2008 - When Our Faith Wavers - James 1:1-8 Welcome to the In Touch Devotional.
The Bible warns against "wavering faith." This is the attitude of someone who goes from feeling certain that God will answer a prayer to merely hoping that He might or becoming convinced He won't. Of course, since we're human, we all experience periods of doubt. But what Scripture warns against is a lifestyle of spiritual disbelief.
Wavering can have many causes. For instance, one might fail to see God at work in a situation. Or he might worry that trusting Jesus in that predicament conflicts with human reasoning. Another believer, focusing on circumstances rather than the Lord, may allow feelings to overcome faith.
A person, who is "driven and tossed by the wind", may lose confidence in God and find his spiritual growth stunted. He can become a "double-minded man" because even as he prays, he tends to jump ahead of the Lord's timing to manipulate a situation for his own desired outcome. When a Christian pays attention to his doubts in this way, he'll often make costly, wrong decisions. After all the maneuvering, he will frequently end up dissatisfied with the results and bothered by his lack of peace. Even worse, his faith may diminish.
Wavering is dangerous, so believers must develop confidence in the Lord. In Mark 11:24, Jesus says, "All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." The closest we get to perfect faith while on earth is the ability to trust that what we ask in God's will is as good as done.
FEATURED RESOURCE
The Life Principles Bible
This Bible combines the wisdom of Scripture with the principles that guide Dr. Stanley's life and empower his ministry. Order your copy.
To see more resources from In Touch Ministries, please visit us at www.intouch.org or go directly to our bookstore at In Touch Ministries.
Crosswalk Home
No comments:
Post a Comment