"Doubt can only be removed by action".....Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

     Doubt can be one of the most debilitating things to creep up in our lives. Whether it be self doubt or the doubt we have about what God is doing in our lives, it can, and usually does, stop us dead in our tracks. So, what offsets this doubt within us? The world will tell you to have faith in yourself, believe in you and you can overcome anything. Well, they're close. Battling doubt is done by having faith and believing, but not so much in yourself, but in God. James 2:17 says: "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." Our works are the very thing that gives our faith legs. Imagine a football player that wants to get bigger and put on muscle for the upcoming season. He can have all the faith in the world that he can build muscle and get stronger, but until he hits the gym and lifts the weights his faith is just unused potential. It's the same way in our Christian lives. We can want to do things for God. We can want to grow in our faith, but until we do the things that God asks we will never grow and that is when doubt sets in. Will God ever be able to use me? Will I ever amount to anything? Am I even truly a Christian? Yes, that doubt can run so deep that Satan can even have us doubting our own salvation. 
     So, we must take action to remove that doubt. When we pray, we must ask God not only what he wants us to do, but what we are to do on our part to accomplish His will. Faith is so important to following God's will that the Bible says this: "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." Hebrews 11:6 and "The righteous shall live by faith." Romans 1:17 The part that jumps out at me is "live" by faith, that part is indeed an action. When the football player sees his bench press increase by fifty pounds and sees his on field stats improve, there is no room for doubt that his work is paying off.
     When doubt comes up in our lives it is important to seek God in the mist of that doubt. A father brought his son, who was possessed, to Jesus and asked "if" He could help in Mark 9:23. " 'If you can?! All things are possible for one who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said 'I believe; help my unbelief!' " No matter how much faith we have, doubt can always creep in. Ask God when you pray to take away that doubt and realize through Him all things are possible. It's not a sin to have doubt, but it is a sin to let it affect your walk with God. He will show you what to do. It may be as simple as praying and reading the Bible or it may be something that takes a much larger amount of work and effort, depending on what He is wanting to accomplish at that point in your life. Remember, God is always working on our behalf, whether we can see it or not. 

Have a great week and remember doubt in your heart is taking up room for a blessing!