I don't know about you, but at any given moment my mind can be filled with doubt and questions.
I question who I am, whether I have any right to do what I do and whether I am any good at it. I doubt my character, my talent and my qualification. I have even questioned what gives me the right to pray to and to worship Jesus.
But, why do I doubt myself? Why do I question my ability, my character and my right to know God?
The danger of listening to others
I doubt myself because other people doubt me. They tell me I am unqualified, they say I am just a dreamer, and they say that I am just a young man.
People scrutinise my character and question my morals and people cast doubt over my future by criticising my decisions. People ignore me and often treat me as if I am sub-human. People speak to me like I am stupid and disregard both my knowledge and my feelings. I am sure that you are familiar with at least one of my experiences.
I have found that there is only one way to overcome the power of doubt and to overthrow the venom of people's malicious words, and that way is to remember and recite what God says about those who put their trust in Jesus.
1. God says you should be confident in him
There are many verses in the Bible that tell us to be confident, but I particularly like Habakkuk 3:19 which tells us to be confident because God will keep us surefooted as he leads us to a great and high place. The verse serves as a brilliant reminder that God has big plans for us despite what other people may say about us.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.
2. God says he is with you wherever you go
When we are suffering from a barrage of fear and doubt it can be easy to forget that Jesus is with us wherever we go, but he truly is. Isaiah 43:2 says:
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3. God says to commit your plans to him
Life can be a quite a challenge, especially when those around us begin to criticise us. But God tells us to trust in him and listen to the words of affirmation that he speaks about us. God wants us to trust in him that he has our best interests in mind and that he will sustain, guide and strengthen us according to his plan.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
4. God says you shouldn’t be ashamed of your youth
Through the words of Paul in his first letter to the young apostle Timothy, God reminds us that our youth shouldn’t serve as a barrier to service. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:12:
Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young.
Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
5. God says you are forgiven and set free from sin
God says that all of our sins are forgiven, it doesn’t matter how big, small, or shameful they may be. I love how God’s forgiveness is described in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Psalm 103:12, describes the awesome level of God’s forgiveness, the verse reads:
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
6. God says you are loved
God loves us passionately despite any faults or flaws we may have and he wants the best for us in every situation. I love how God describes the love he has for us in Jeremiah 31:3 and John 3:16.
Jeremiah 31:3 says:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
John 3:16 says:
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
What about you?
Here's some questions to ask when you're doubting your value in God's eyes.
- How can you learn from God’s words about you?
- What words bring you down? What does God say about them?
- Are you listening to others or listening to God?