Doubt

Doubt

Doubt in Greek word is (διακρίνω), when Romanized it becomes diakrinō (pronounced as dee-ak-ree'-no) which means hesitate, oppose, withdraw from, stagger, waver.

Google in its documentary says doubt is from Old French word dote, which means “fear, dread”.

Colin S. Smith says doubt affects everyone living in the world, because you can only doubt what you already believe in. Doubt shouldn’t be considered as absence of faith, but it is questioning the faith already has. When believers in Jesus Christ doubts, he fears the existence of God, questions the existence and would say “maybe God does not exist after all, and all this trust is a fluke”. Therefore, in doing this, he questions what he already believes. On another note, when atheist doubts, his doubt is opposite of believers, because he fears God may be in existence contrary to his erstwhile believe that God does not exist. This shows that the atheist would question the unbelief he has. Therefore, we can see that doubt itself has some degrees of faith in it. It, doubt, is one of the most common struggles every believer faces in life.

In understanding doubt, Andrew Wommack says that no one born of woman is immune to doubt, because it can happen to anyone as it was recorded of Prophet Elijah and Prophet John who were among the greatest men of God recorded in the bible that they doubted when trouble rise against them. Prophet Elijah doubted when Jezebel threatened him,

“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

“Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

“And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

“But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” (1 Ki. 19:1-4)

And Prophet John doubted the Messiah when he was in the prison with no respite in view.

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

“Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

“And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” (Mat. 11:1-3)

These example show us that even the supposedly strongest persons in the world also have one or two things that they are pondering over that could this be true, could this be right after all, though they may at a time or another believe that such was true, but on another instance, they are reconsidering it because of what they are passing through.

This could reveal to us the dilemma in which the father and mother of faith, (Abraham and Sarah) passed through when they were repeatedly being promised by Yahweh that they would have a child that would have inside of him their genomes.

This would clear express to us what befell them that made Sarah to offer the suggestion unto her love to have intercourse with Hagar their maid, “maybe, maybe, that was what God meant after all”, she reasoned said.

Origin

Reading through the revelations of Isaiah in his fourteenth chapter one shall discover that doubt began in heaven when he was being conceived in the heart of Lucifer. (Isa. 14:13-14)

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isa. 14:13-14)

However, doubt’s origin on earth could be traced to the garden of Eden when the devil sold lies unto the first woman, Eve, and after buying the lie and opposed what the Lord had told them, she sold it unto her husband, Adam.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

“But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” (Gen. 3:1-7)

And that was how the cancer called doubt began to spread in the world from a generation to another until this moment.

These cases show that their doubt was directed against God characterized by rebellion and disobedience which is sin.

Causes of Doubt

In this place I will want us to see some of the things that bring about wavering in our hearts to what we have initially believed were true or false as the case maybe.

Experience

1. Experience: As could be seen from the above discussions, doubt is rejecting, opposing, ignoring scripturally positive changes because of what you have passed through over the days, weeks, months or years.

“Then Elisha said, hear ye the word of the LORD; thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

“Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” (2 Kings 7:1-2)

The king of Syria has led his army against the city of Samaria, they besieged it such that there couldn’t be importation of things, and even those who could go to farm to go and harvest things were unable to go because the city has been besieged. The people of Samaria thought the issue would be resolved soon, but they were mistaken as the situation grows from bad to worse such that people started killing themselves. They were in such dilemma when a woman confronted the king and narrated to him what has transpired between her and her friends,

“And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.

“And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?

“And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.

“So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.

“And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.” (2 Ki. 6:26-30)

Because of the dire situation of the city and that the armies of Syria still surround the city, this made the chief to oppose what Prophet Elisha said. The lord may think that he was directing his wavering to the prophet but unknown to him that he was directing the wavering to God, because the man of God was speaking on the behalf of the Lord.

We can see what experience has done for the man, the experience, and the continuing untoward experience made the man to oppose what was in the mind of God. He though has some measures of believe that miracle could happen, but in that case, he just couldn’t see how miracle would happen, how what the man of God said would be effected, “not even by angels”, he opposed in his speech.

2. Fixing Attention: It could arise when one fixes his attention to the deplorable condition one is in other than unto God or his Word.

Prophet John (the Baptist) when he fixed his gaze on what he was passing through in the prison custody, he wavered on the status of Jesus. When we fix our gaze on what we are passing though we set barriers for the Lord, we limit his movement on our case. Zachariah the father of John also doubted the message brought unto him by the angel because he was looking at his position, thinking how could it be, how could it happen at that age?

“And Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

“And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

“And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.” (Luk. 1:18-20)

He wavered at the promise of God because of his age and her wife’s age as the bible says, “they both were now well stricken in years.” (Luk. 1:7c)

The Greek word for stricken is “προβαίνω”, Romanized it is probainō, which has this phonetical spelling prob-ah'ee-no) it means to be advanced in years, be of great age. Their case is not as if the man married lately, and when he married, he got married to a younger woman, neither does it mean that the man’s first wife died and he re-married. This was not the case, the man and the woman married themselves when they were young, (Mal. 2:14) their love perhaps was one in town those years but unfortunately, they keep growing childless, they have claimed and reclaimed so many of the promises (Exo. 23:26) of the Lord as contained in their laws but those did not work for them, though working for others who came to them to offer sacrifices being priest, but for them those promises never worked till they be advanced in age such that they had written themselves off of given birth to a child in life.

It was in this frame of mind that the angel approached the man, having been sent by the Lord and the man being short of words could not but oppose what the man said, and opposing that means opposing what the Lord has said.

We should note that it was not that the man does not wish to have a son, but they questioned what they earlier on believed and hoped for because of their position.

That is how the spirit of doubt works in us, what we have been expecting for long, what we have believed would happen, when the promises of its fulfilment comes at the late hours, when we have given up all on the fulfilment of the promise we cannot but oppose the word of promise because of our nature, human nature.

“For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” (Psa. 78:39)

“For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” (Psa. 103:14)

This God recognizes, he knows that we are flesh, we are dust that appeared and disappeared within fraction of seconds, he knows how limited our thoughts are and therefore he fills up the gap for us.

3. Time: when the promises of God are not manifesting as at when we ought they would manifest, doubts would set into our hearts. This was experienced by the father of faith himself, Abraham, and therefore the author of the book of Romans says he wavered not at the promises when the duration is getting longer than expected (Rom. 4:20)

“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” (Rom. 4:20)

When the promise is not manifesting, he did not allow doubt to overcome him. Staggering here in Greek is “διακρίνω”, diakrinō, this word means oppose, hesitate. His mind sometimes may want to oppose the promise, but he will quickly rise to silence the doubts knowing that faithful is the one who has promised and will also do it.

4. Reproach: Persistent words of reproach from those who do not know God’s promise with and for you could make you start doubting.

“My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, where is thy God?

“As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, where is thy God?” (Psa. 42:3 & 10)

Because the reproach with which Elizabeth has been reproached by people she and her husband have wavered in their minds of the probability of their conceiving in the world.

“And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

“Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” (Luk. 1:24-25)

The Greek word for reproach is “ὄνειδος”, oneidos (phonetic spelling on'-i-dos) which means taunt, disgrace. It was the grace of God for which they continued to worship in the temple and perhaps because Zachariah was one of the Levites maybe that was why they continued to worship in the temple. The many disgrace they have experienced from the people made them to waver at the promise of God.

In the same light is it with us in the world today when we are repeatedly being disgraced by people because they couldn’t see what we see, neither hear what we have heard, but the supposedly heard and seen couldn’t be seen, we would continue to waver at those seen or heard things.

5. Disaster: When tragedies befell the family of Job, his wife couldn’t withstand it any longer and he started doubting God, such that he cursed the day he was given birth to.

“After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.” (Job 3:1)

He couldn’t fathom what he was passing through and did not know how to express himself without going against God contrary to the earlier utterance of his wife.

It takes a stronger mind not to leave God during the time of terrible disaster like that of Job.

Pride

6. Pride: as the case of Lucifer, when he wants to exalt his throne above that of God. (Isa. 14:12-14)

Pride pushes man to oppose God, this happened also to King Nebuchadnezzar when proud fills his heart he was sent off the throne for seven years.

“The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

“While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

“And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” (Dan. 4:30-32)

When we see ourselves and might in all that we do, we tend to question the existence of God. Therefore, it is of importance that we see all in all that we are doing lest we fall into the error of Lucifer.

Doubt in The Eyes of The Scriptures

In the scriptures it would be discovered that doubt affects both believers and unbelievers. For believers it is staggering at the promises of God while for unbelievers it is outright denial of the grace of God. In all instances that doubt would be seen it will be discovered that it is in the negative sense and the bible neither commends it nor approves it.

Take as instance these bible chapters and verses, (Matt. 12:38-42; 14:31; 21:21; Mark 11:23), we shall discover that doubt therein is used in the negative sense. However, when some disciples questioned the truth of the risen Lord, an example of whom was Thomas, such could not be said to be unbelief because Jesus did not outrightly rebuked him neither did he commend his cynicism, but our Lord says unto him as well as others who perhaps were unable to freely express themselves as he does in the gathering that, “be not faithless, but believing.” (Joh. 20:27d)

When the author of the book of Romans talks about Abraham’s faith, that he did not stagger at the promise through unbelief but was strong in faith, as per the promise of God to him, he was referring to doubt.

“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Rom. 4:20)

“διακρίνω” which if Romanized is diakrinō (phonetic spelling is dee-ak-ree'-no) is the word used for staggered by apostle Paul in this book and it means to oppose, waver.

From this definition from the Strong’s Bible dictionary we shall see that staggering here means doubt and it will be directed to God were it to have been allowed in his heart.

James in his perspective of a doubting man says he is an unstable man, he is a person with divided mind on the promises of God for him.

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

“For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (Jam. 1:6-8)

Because his heart has been divided, he has inevitably been questioning the character, authenticity, goodness and integrity of God in staying by what he has promised him. While doing this, he has inevitably forgetting that God never changes.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (Jam. 1:17)

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Mal. 3:6)

It should be noted from the book of second kings chapter seven verse two that doubt has its tap roots situated within the heart and sometimes it does not necessarily have to be verbally expressed, because God checks our hearts, he knows the position of our hearts and would decipher whether or nay it is in alignment with him or full of doubts.

If you doubt within your heart, you have allowed mixed seeds to be implanted into your heart and it will grow rapidly that it will lead to physical degeneration of the situation you are trusting God on at the initial, this is because anything that has to do with the spirit moves swiftly than physically manifesting things.

Apostle Paul in talking about the importance of conscience adds another dimension to it in his epistle to the Romans chapter 14 the twenty-third verse saying whatsoever it is done out of faith, whatsoever is done doubtfully is a sin. This verse is related to eating things offered to idol. Even at that it clarifies the position of God on anyone who allows doubts to rule over his mind as per what God has in his mind doing for the person.

“And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:23)

Doubt’s Good Side

Daniel L. Aiken says anyone can have doubts (or raise questions) about intentions, matters and or people. Ethically, doubt has been found to be a treasured composition of honesty and balanced inquiry. For by doing this, man is guided against making swift deductions or commitments to fly-by-night and dishonest sources. This is considered splendid and thus, doubt in this light couldn’t be an enemy of faith. This perhaps was what the Bereans did in Acts 17:11

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

Interrogating or doubting motives moves us to search more and dig deep to have more understanding of faith.

It is only rare example like the above that doubt could be found in positive light in the scriptures all others are negative because it is directed towards God by man (or evil spirits), the word shows weakness in faith or unbelief.

How To Overcome Doubt

Having known that as humans we are not immune to doubt, we however, need to know how to handle this when passing through the stage. In handling this phase, Bible.org proffers some of the things that we can do to overcome doubt when it arises like a flood.

1. When passing through doubtful phase, we should submit our hearts to God’s revelation concerning his only Son, Jesus,

2. We need to hold on to Jesus revelation as being shared in our hearts despite whatsoever the difficulties are, we are passing through,

3. Talk to Jesus about the doubts you have

4. Consider his (Jesus) personality

5. Address it instantly: Since doubt settles in our hearts, we need to know that it does not necessarily have to be verbal uttered before it becomes malignant, all it needs is to be allowed within one’s heart and by so doing, one has given room (occasion) to the devil (Eph. 4:27). Therefore, as the thought comes into one’s mind, one needs to address it instantly, renouncing it, countering it by the word of faith.

“Neither give place to the devil.” (Eph. 4:27)

Doubt Versus Unbelief

As I have above stated that doubt in Greek word is (διακρίνω), which becomes diakrinō (pronounced as dee-ak-ree'-no) when Romanized with these meanings, hesitate, oppose, withdraw from, stagger, waver. I also added that doubt shouldn’t be considered as absence of faith, but it is questioning the faith one already has. Which indubitably shows that believers and unbelievers could express this, because what one doubts (presently questions) one has some trusts in the thing before, but for some reasons or another, one starts wavering, staggering at continuing to hold on to such believe.

However, the Greek word used for unbelief in the New Testament is different from the Greek word used for doubt. Two Greek words are used for unbelief in the New Testament and they are apistia and apeitheia.

“ἀπιστία” is the Greek word for apistia (phonetical spelling is ap-is-tee'-ah) and it means faithlessness. This word “apistia” could be positively or negatively used. When positively used it is unfaithfulness and if negatively used it is disbelief (want of Christian faith). (Mat. 13:58; 17:20; Mar. 6:6; 9:24; 16:14; Rom. 3:3; 4:20; 11:20; 11:23; 1 Ti.1:13; Heb. 3:12; 3:19)

On the other hand, “ἀπείθεια” which is apeitheia (pronounced as ap-i'-thi-ah) is the second word used for unbelief in the New Testament and it means disobedience, disbelief. (Rom. 11:30; 11:32; Heb. 4:6; 4:11)

The summary of the translation of both words is that they mean unbelief. This is not the same as staggering at the promise or wavering at the promises which doubt means, but it is unfaithfulness, faithlessness, shutting one’s mind, spirit and soul against the knowledge being presented.

Colin S. Smith in his words on this says, doubt and unbelief are different. Grasping the difference between the two is vital. Doubt is interrogating what one has believe while unbelief is a resolute refusal to believe. Believers struggle with doubt every time while unbelief is a state of an unbeliever.

Apostle Paul while talking about this state says he was once “a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” (1 Ti. 1:13). He was spiritually blind and was using everything within his disposal to oppose the gospel then, because he has been blindfolded, he was ignorantly following what was not spiritually right but which he thought was right. All he was doing then, he was doing in unbelief, because of his state, his condition which was spiritual darkness.

It is worrying to discover that some people misplace this for they thought theirs is doubt whereas it is not because they have not at a time come to the knowledge of God through Jesus, they do not have the experience of salvation, what they don’t have experience of neither believe in, how could they be doubting it, how could they have wavering mind towards it? God therefore is calling you to himself, he wants you to come to the knowledge of him through his son, he wants you saved. As Saul met with God on the way to Damascus, it would be better if you can equally come to Jesus today by repenting of your sins and give your life to Jesus Christ. When Saul (Paul) discovers this, he left his spiritual darkness and position of ignorance to the light of the Gospel and he was accepted.

Another example to learn from is the case of Job. We read that Job used to offer sacrifices to God, and he was also doing so on behalf of his children which his wife would be supportive of. But when calamities befell the family such that everything, they had was destroyed in a day with their children not exempted in the terrible disasters, the mindset of the two people were revealed.

It was revealed that Job loves God and out of his love for him could not fathom what has befallen them, but his wife perhaps was just doing what her husband was telling her to do, for she has not had a conviction of God, she may at the initial also be thinking what was the necessity for all of those that Job was doing. And when calamities befell them, her initial disposition to all that her hubby was doing was revealed as she told her husband that he should curse God and die. This utterance of hers was nothing but revealing a heart that does not at a point in time have faith in a God neither in what her husband was doing.

This reveal doubt and unbelief. Job was questioning the rationale for what has befallen him while his wife never questions that but reveals her unsaved status.

Job’s continual questioning was later clarified by God and he was blessed. We never read that he divorced his wife, which may mean that at a point in time, God may have touched her life too, and she may have become sober and accept Yahweh’s leadership as her husband has done.

If you are still in this position of disbelief like Job’s wife, but unknown to you, God may wish to make this known to you through some unpalatable experiences that you will pass through. This he equally does for all believers too, to reveal our minds unto us. It is always good to be sure of which side you belong to in life and not muddle things up.