Are you a doubting Thomas?

Thomas was one of Jesus disciples and after Jesus had risen from the dead, he appeared in the upper room with his disciples but Thomas wasn't there and he wouldn't believe the disciples report that they had seen the Lord, he said he had to see the nail prints in His hands and thrust his hand in His side where the spear pierced Him for him to believe.  Sometimes or maybe I should say a lot of times we are like Thomas.  Jesus makes promises for us to live by and because He doesn't answer us like we think He should or we pray for something not knowing that it will hurt us and we don't receive the answer that we want and it leaves us doubting that He really does answer prayer.  I know that He does answer prayer but it takes a surrender of our own thoughts and ideas and let Him have His way in our lives.

Believing is the opposite of doubting so let's see what the Scriptures say regarding either one of these words.

Mark 9:23,24  "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.'  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.'"

Can't you just hear the father, he was desperate to have his child healed and cried out 'Help my unbelief or help my doubting.  God heard his cry when he cried with tears for help.  His child was healed.

Matthew 21:22  "All things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."  God requires us to believe and not doubt His word to us.

Mark 5:36  "Jesus told the synagogue ruler, don't be afraid, just believe."

So what do we do with doubt?  Pray to be filled with God's Holy Spirit and God will answer a prayer like that and read His word and the more you read and study His word the less you will doubt and the more you will believe His word and His promises. That's what I am doing and it works.  If it works for me, it will work for you.  I am learning to love studying the word and it is instilling faith in me in His promises.  Try it you just might fall in love with Jesus and His word.  Pray before studying and let the Holy Spirit lead you and He will cause you to understand what you are reading, if you truly want to understand.  There can be no faking with God, He knows our hearts in and out and knows just where we stand.

Romans 4:3  "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness."  See how important it is for us to believe God.  It is a beautiful thing. Grandma Joan