Transformed – teen devotion – May 31, 2020
“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”
Mark 11:23
Confronting monsters: Doubt
Can you ever be sure? I mean, can you ever 100%, without-a-single-doubt, be unwaveringly confident?
Doubt is such a sneaky monster. It doesn’t rise up in front of you and scream in your face like a storm does to make you afraid. It doesn’t scratch or claw at you. It sneakily nags at you.
In today’s reading, Jesus calls us to believe and not doubt. But doubt is everywhere, and it constantly sneaks up on us. As soon as you put that answer down on a test, almost immediately the thought comes to mind, “Are you sure?” Whenever you make any sort of decision, your mind wonders, “What if it’s the wrong one?”
The same thing happens to us when we pray. We ask for something but then wonder, “What if that’s selfish? What if I’m asking for the wrong things?” On top of this, the devil inserts sinister thoughts in our mind: “Is God even listening? Does he even care? Can he even do anything about this?”
Doubt is such a sneaky monster. It nags at you, slowly breaking apart the foundation of our faith and inserting more and more the sandy foundation of doubt.
How do we fight it? What is the antidote to doubt? It isn’t what you might think. It is easy to think that faith is the antidote to doubt. It’s easy to think that we fight against doubt by believing more. But that’s not it.
The antidote to doubt is remembering your God, remembering his promises. The answer to doubt is remembering what he’s done, and letting his promises wash away the sandy foundation of doubt.
Remember your God. He is the almighty, all-knowing, all-loving, ever-present God. Even if you cannot sense his presence or see his power, you can be sure that he is present with his power in any and every situation. More than that, you can know his love by looking at the cross of Jesus. Yes, the God who was at work in the past to save you by the blood of his Son Jesus is the same God who is with you in this present moment.
Remember his promises. When Jesus went up into heaven, he made some tremendous promises. He promised to you and to me, “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He promised that nothing can separate you from his love (cf. Romans 8:32-39). He promised that he would send his Holy Spirit to remind us of all things and to be with us forever (cf. John 14:16).
When the devil whispers in your ear and says, “Are you sure?” tell him: “My God has been true to me in the past; he will be true to me in the present. He has spoken, and he will not change his mind.”
Yes. I am sure.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, so many times doubt sneaks into my thoughts, and I wonder, “How can I be sure?” When these thoughts come, remind me of your Word and promise and so crush doubt in my heart and mind. Send your Spirit to remind that your Word is always true. Amen.
