doubt – Oh Lord Help Us

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Doubt: Eliminating Foolish, Hopeless Lies from Our Lives

DevotionalsAugust 13, 2019August 12, 2019

It’s easy to allow doubt to clog our minds. We must eliminate foolish, hopeless lies that distract us from living for Christ.

My dad manages an auto mechanic shop and he can tell you some crazy stories about clients and their cars. I heard this story about a car and a squirrel the other day on the radio. A lady took excellent care of her car and did all the proper maintenance, however, she noticed her car would not run over 40 miles an hour.

She took it into the shop to see if they could solve the problem. When the mechanic looked under the hood you will never believe what he found! A squirrel had packed her air filter full of nuts!!! The air filter was clogged and the car could not run properly. After the squirrel’s nuts were removed, the car ran like new!

What squirrels do we have in our spiritual lives that are keeping us from living for Christ? Squirrels–I am going to be honest–are one animal I really do not care for. There are so many of them and they are so annoying! Now, I know every animal serves a purpose according to God’s plan, but today we are going to talk about getting rid of the metaphorical squirrels in our lives.

The Foolish Squirrel

The definition of a fool is a person who acts unwisely or lacks judgment. Now I am sure all of us have fit into this category more than one time in our lives. But a fool is also someone who seeks to trick or deceive someone. The foolish squirrel is there to trick us into taking our eyes off of Christ.

A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart.
Proverbs 18:2, NKJV

If we allow the foolish squirrel to trick us, then we become foolish as well. This keeps us from pursuing wisdom and happiness with the Lord.

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
Proverbs 10:8, NIV

I do not want to become a fool and have my life in ruin as I am sure none of you do as well. Let us keep our focus on Christ and let His words bring wisdom and discernment into our hearts and lives.

Remember, when we fear the Lord (reverent obedience), then we begin to have knowledge. The foolish will always despise His wisdom and instruction. The book of Proverbs discusses the foolish and the wise. Get rid of the foolishness and seek wisdom instead.

The Hopeless Squirrel

There were days not too long ago when I felt hopeless. My heart and my life were broken and I felt no hope of ever being happy again. If any of you suffer from depression, then you understand this ache.

On those dark days, you think ‘why bother’ or ‘why should I try?’ This is when the hopeless squirrel comes to fill our mind with chatter. He feeds on our worries and doubts. This is when we know the devil is lurking and must not give in to his lies.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10, NKJV

The Doubting Squirrel

When we give in to the hopeless squirrel, then we allow the devil to place seeds of doubt in our mind. If we are not careful, then we will start to doubt God. We will doubt His love, His will, and His plan for us.

Doubt is Satan’s sharpest arrow. Throughout the Bible, the devil has shot arrows of doubt in the human heart. I think back to the Garden of Eden where Eve doubted God’s warning. The children of Israel doubted God and ended up wandering 40 years in the desert. Sarah and Abraham both doubted God could provide a child in their old age, they even laughed at God.

I encourage you, not to give in to your doubts and fears. Is it easy? No! Is it worth it? Yes!

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is doubleminded and unstable in all they do.
James 1:5-8, NIV

Wow! Do we want to be double-minded and unstable, or do we want to seek wisdom from God?

Hopelessness leads to doubt, which can lead to doubting God. But we will not be double-minded or unstable, we will seek His wisdom! Click To Tweet

Keeping the Squirrels at Bay

Now that we know which squirrels are so destructive to our lives, how do we keep them at bay? Let your faith roar so loudly you cannot hear what doubt is saying!

Saturate your mind with God’s word and His promises. There are many wonderful promises in the Bible that are like gems waiting to be discovered. Hold His words in your heart and recite them when needed.

There are many days when I am driving down the road and the devil brings horrible thoughts to my mind or images that he knows will hurt me. During those times I recite the verses I have held in my heart over and over again. The doubt begins to lessen, the grip of hopelessness fades, and the foolishness goes away.

Stay faithful to the house of the Lord and the fellowship of believers. God reminds us of how important this is in Hebrews.

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25, NKJV

We need the fellowship and camaraderie we find in our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need accountability, mutual friendship, understanding, support, and trust we find in God’s people. But, we also need the instruction and guidance we receive when we are faithful to the church. Do not let the foolish, the hopeless, or the doubting squirrels distract us from living our lives for Christ.

Until we meet again…Gracie

Yannick Menard

doubt, fear, vulnerable, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Vulnerable: Letting Go of Fear and Embracing God’s Guidance

DevotionalsFebruary 12, 2019February 13, 2019

Fear is the enemy and the answer is becoming vulnerable. That seems crazy, yet God calls us to be a little crazy. Let go of the fear and embrace God’s guidance.

“I don’t know.”

Why do these three little words cause such fear and anxiety in us? I hate saying these words. They make me feel weak, vulnerable and most of all like a failure.

It’s Okay to Struggle

As I’m writing this I’m listening to my son try to work through a hard coding problem and he is really struggling. He has worked on this problem for at least four hours. I keep hearing things like: What do you mean? Ohhh now I get it! Why won’t this thing work? Can’t you just…

But here is what I am learning by watching him struggle – he keeps struggling. Eventually, he will get it, because he doesn’t give up. As a young kid, I don’t know doesn’t fill him with fear. He is okay not knowing the answers. He accepts that as a child, as a student, he is learning. I don’t hear I don’t know followed by silence. He quickly follows up with a question, a wondering, or a workaround.

Isn’t that what God is calling us to – to be like children. He wants us to realize we don’t know it all. To ask Him for help, wonder and search for the answers in His name, and call on Him to be our guide.

Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me […] Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come.

Matthew 18:4-5,7 NET

Let Go of the Fear

We can’t fear I don’t know. Vulnerability is not easy but we must embrace it and let God lead us. Sometimes the path to the answer is long and difficult, full of those stumbling blocks. Sometimes the struggle is the answer. That can feel difficult and leave you wondering if it was worthwhile. I find myself struggling with many uncertainties in times like this. The fear and vulnerabilities of I don’t know often creep in.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us.

Hebrews 12:1, NET

This verse is the answer to my feelings. Feelings of not wanting to say those dreaded words. Cling to those who are steadfast in God’s corner. Let them be my touchstones and have faith in the journey. It’s not a sprint. Ask questions, be vulnerable, admit when you are unsure. Don’t be a stumbling block for others, but be a witness to God’s endurance.

Be Vulnerable

A friend and I were talking recently and sharing some hard fought truths. What struck me most was that despite being hurt and broken at times in her life, she was not bound to that in her faith. Her faith is strong and supersedes any hardships life has given her. I read a quote recently in Tim Tebow’s book Shaken: “God will never waste pain that’s offered to Him.”

But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV

My friend has such a child-like spirit and asks a million questions. She is always searching for God’s answer, His will. Truly, she is a beautiful example of running the race with endurance and grace. Being vulnerable is her gift and she shares it to God’s glory. I want to be more like that.

Get to Work

Admitting our limitations gives God room to work. He is the one that makes all things possible. But I am such a sinner. I need to be vulnerable. I need to find the edge of my possibilities so that I can stop relying on myself and trust in my Creator.

Wow, that is a powerful lesson I feel God working to teach me in this season of my life. Trust in God, be vulnerable, and put fear aside.

So I am in a battle of wills over this, right now. I know in my heart that this is right and good. It is God’s will. My head keeps getting in the way though. I hold on to fear: not knowing the answers, letting God lead my life, trusting in a future that sometimes seems murky.

Admitting our limitations gives God room to work. He is the one that makes all things possible. We need to be vulnerable. To find the edge of our possibilities and fully trust in our Creator. Click To Tweet

Vulnerable Prayer

But every day I am waking up right. Praying this prayer:

Dear God,

Help me loosen the fist of fear that lives inside of me. I am so weak and can’t do it. You have to do it for me. Let me, let You be strong for me. I know that You are my answer. I feel that truth in my heart. Quiet the doubt that creeps into my head. Thank you for the encouragement you place in front of me. Thank you for not abandoning me when I waiver. You are my rock and foundation.

love,

If you are on the journey to vulnerability with me, bless you. It is hard. But have faith in our Creator. And remember His promise:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28, KJV

Katarzyna Urbanek

questions, doubt, Oh Lord Help Us, mentor, women, ministry

Questions: Being Honest With God About Our Doubts

Devotionals, Stay SaneSeptember 19, 2018January 13, 2019

God does not feel offended when we wrestle with doubt. Asking questions can lead us to surrender, and can change our perspective.

The eight years we lived in Chicago can best be described as a desert season in my life. Yes, there were definitely times we rejoiced in the occasional “oasis” that we would encounter. But as a whole, it was a whole lot of hard. In that extended season of hard, I experienced a lot of anger, causing me to question and doubt. What was it that I really believed?

Even now, while I am in a season of adventure, I have had to wrestle with questions. Mainly being, “Are you really for me, God? Are you going to teach me yet another lesson? Can I trust you?”

Please know, I am no “super Christian”. I mess up, big time. I struggle, big time. In fact, I find it difficult to trust “Super Christians”. The ones who chirp, God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. Now, I know that I do not know their heart. Perhaps they truly do feel that way. Perhaps I come across that way! However, if someone has not struggled with their faith, then is it really their own?

Crying out…

Someone who struggles with their faith, making it their own, cries out…

Why do bad things happen? Why is my life so hard? Will I always struggle? When will this anxiety and depression go away? What good could ever come from this?

Lord, HELP ME! Don’t you care? Are you even there? Is this a waste of time?

These are the questions and doubts all of us have come face to face with. And the enemy would love nothing more to dump a big ol’ heap of shame and despair on top of that. But… God can handle our questions, and God is not offended by our doubt. He honors our honesty, and because He wants nothing more than all of our hearts, He will meet us where we are.

Even if that means we are living in one gigantic mess of how-can-God-ever-forgive-this sin.

Even if that means we are living a life so full of abuse and neglect, we cannot even imagine how we can ever trust another human being again.

Asking questions is a sign of humility. It’s admitting we don’t have the answer. Even if it is done in anger. Anger and hate are not the opposite of love. Indifference is. There is no shame in calling out to the Lord with our hurt, anger, questions, or doubt. This is what leads us to a place of surrender.

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?

Psalm 13:1-2

Questions can lead to surrender…

The journey to surrender is a difficult battle. We want to keep fighting. Fighting for hope. Fighting for happiness. We want our life to be better, easier. But because we resist the surrender, it gets even harder before we finally submit. It seems easier to keep trying to do all the right stuff. Honestly, though, this is prideful. We are trying to provide our own salvation. There are not enough self-help books in all the world to bring us the peace that comes from Christ.

Surrendering is the final release of our pride. It is our embracement of humility. It is by our walk from pride to humility that we are able to receive and experience redemption. There is nothing we can do to earn favor from God. His favor is freely given. We need only to receive it.

After we surrender, we begin to practice our own faith. Not the faith of our parents, or our friends, or our church. Faith is when we choose to believe God is good even when we don’t feel IT. IT being the warm fuzzies we experience. IT is when we feel so in love with the Lord, that nothing will shake our belief. Sometimes, however, we don’t feel IT. We are too worn down. Too tired. Too beaten up. And all we can do is surrender. In a moment of surrender, our prayer may simply be to lie in a heap on the floor. Imagining in that moment, we are lying in the palm of His hand, being held in his embrace.

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Change in perspective…

Once we reach the moment of surrender, once we are in His hand, we may find ourselves still asking the questions. But now the position of our hearts have changed. We have a new perspective. Now the questions are…

What do You want me to do with this bad thing that happened? Will you please comfort me in this hard season? Will You show me Your goodness in this struggle?

But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

Psalm 13:5-6

No, God is not offended by our doubts. He will meet us in the middle of them, and show us His truth.

God can handle our questions, and God is not offended by our doubt. He honors our honesty, and because He wants nothing more than all of our hearts, He will meet us where we are. Click To Tweet

All scripture is from the NLT Bible

Remembered, God cares, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, ministry, encouragement

Remembered: Being Comforted and Held by the God Who Sees

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 29, 2018September 8, 2019

We are told to take care of our heart, because that is where the enemy will attack. In these attacks, we may not be able to trust our feelings, but we can trust the God who sees. We are remembered and cared for.

Soon, my son, Evan, and I will get on a plane and fly to Philadelphia. There we will meet with a transplant team that will discuss the possibility of a bone marrow transplant. To say I am beside myself does not seem to give justice to the feelings I have. This is not our first difficult decision where Evan is concerned. He has had something health related going on since birth and we have been faced with tough choices all along the way, but this feels different.

When I share this possibility with people – friends and strangers – they all look at me in wonder. Concerned. Worried. They, just like me, know the gravity of this. It’s not a broken arm. Evan has a broken immune system and its over activity is working havoc all over his body. His joints, his muscles, his pancreas, his colon, and my heart.

The attack of the heart …

Do you ever wonder why we are told over and over to take care with our heart. To know that our heart is deceitful. To take our thoughts captive. And to guard our heart. Because that is where the enemy strikes. He strikes at my heart and that is, at its very essence, my thoughts.

And where does the enemy want my thoughts to linger? Oh that’s easy. God, but not the good stuff. It’s not thoughts like: God will supply and God will show up. It’s thoughts like: how dare God and why would he, and where is he? Just like Hagar. Do you remember her?

So [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.

Genesis 16:13, ESV

Scripture tells us that Sarai gave Hagar to Abraham as a means to bear an heir. But it all went horribly wrong. Sarai became jealous of Hagar. The scripture says dealt harshly with her and Hagar ran off. And in the midst of all this mess, the angel of the Lord came and gave Hagar a command and a promise. And Hagar knew she was remembered. She knew she had dealt with the God who sees.

The feelings that lie…

Often, I tell my children that my feelings lie. I tell them that to remind them and to remind me. I have choices with what I do with my fear and how I view my feelings. As a believer, I have a hope. It is founded in the cross and resurrection of Jesus and in the very character and nature of God. He never changes and he is always the same yesterday today and forever. Satan’s objective is to cause me to doubt that good character and to doubt that God sees and that He remembers. He also wants me to feel that I am being harshly dealt with, that what I am enduring is not a good Father but one I cannot trust and who does not care.

The God who sees…

So what do I do when my feelings feel like the only truth I can see or my thoughts keep finding their way to despair or doubt? This is actually one of the few things I can control. I cannot control what comes into my thoughts, but I can control what I allow my heart to meditate on. That can be as simple as carrying an index card in my purse with a verse on God’s faithfulness or as complicated as memorizing several passages that remind me of what my heart is prone to forget. There have been times when every wall in my home had a scripture verse attached to it. And not beautiful framed verses but copy paper written with markers.

I am in control of so little. But this I know, I can bounce my thoughts to his word and allow his word to develop in me a heart that flees to him for comfort and truth. I too, like Hagar, may find myself fleeing from harsh situations in dry and desert-like conditions. But, I am not abandoned. God hears me and He sees. I can believe that, trust him, and meditate on his good promises.

I am not abandoned. God hears me and He sees. Click To Tweet