Good Doubt  -  Bad Doubt  

Is there a difference? 

     As children of the Most High GOD, we are told to not doubt, and made to feel guilty if we do. Is there such a thing as good doubt? The answer is absolutely. I asked GOD, "Why do I doubt all the time? How can you really use me, love me, trust me, want me if I doubt the direction you are giving me? The answer I got was 

     "Child, you know that doubt is good at times, when it sends you into the Word to prove what you hear." I knew that answer was from the Holy Spirit, because it came to me before I even finished asking, and it was wisdom far beyond my limited brain could have thought on my own.  The English language is so boring whereas, Greek and Hebrew have several different kinds of words for our one English word. There is a doubt that really means, "research this," and there is a doubt that mean, "ya, right!" So, doubting is good, if it means seeking more information. 

     The best example we can see would be John-the-Baptist. He was the greatest born of women, Jesus said. Yet, while he was in a dungeon, chained to a wall, he sent his cousin a message, the one he "knew" since he was in the womb. During his despair, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the One to come, or should we look for another. We are thinking, "Really, John, it's your cousin, you lept in your mother's womb when my mother was in your presence. You baptized him and saw the Holy Spirit descending him. For Pete’s sake, how can you question all this now?”

     Jesus didn't say that, though. He just sent back a confirming answer, not yes or no, but consider the evidence: " Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is any person who does not take offense at Me.”"

     John had doubts, because of his dreadful hopeless situation, not because he was cynical, needing to prove Jesus wrong, like the Pharisees. Their doubt was different in tone and inference, theirs was from pride, from a chip on their shoulders that was permanent.  The kind John had comes from a broken contrite heart. Hopelessness and faithlessness are two different things. Hope is a feeling, while faith is fact. We can lose hope without losing our faith. Hope is an emotion and emotions have no intellect, whereas facts are truth, and facts don’t have feelings.

     When hopelessness and fear set with me and I doubt that I'm truly hearing from GOD, I compare it to what I have learned in Scripture. I research and I research until my eyes bleed and my fingers are fused to the keyboard. Life in the fiery furnace of affliction can be exhausting and scorching.  I've spent a lot of years in the Bible, and I'm mean nose to page, so I have a pretty good working knowledge of it, and I know how to get around whe Whole Counsel of GOD.  I know where to go to feed my faith with facts. Eventually, after I overdose with Scriptures that I know are facts, there is a slight whisper of hope that accompanies that faith, until the fatigue sets in. Never believe what you feel when you are tired. That’s the enemies favorite time to attack.

     When we fall in love with someone, what do we do? We study everything about that person, their mannerisms, what makes them tick, how they think, and their history. We fall all over ourselves trying to make them deliriously happy.  Yet when it comes to loving YHWH with all our hearts, souls and mind, we go to church and are spoon-fed a few verses in 43-minute sermon, and we are done for the week. We cannot really determine if we are hearing from GOD if we do that, even if we never miss a sermon. Think back, how many sermons you have heard, how many can you remember all the content? Not very many, huh? Just a few highlights of a good one, right?

     I was married to a cynic. He has always been a cynic. His attitude toward anything I told him that I thought GOD was going to do, his response was always the same. "Well, I guess we'll see if it happens." His cynicalism is a vicious cycle of doubt and disbelief, to complete unfruitfulness in the Kingdom.  It was a cancer in his spiritual life that was terminal.  When his spiritual life died, he walked away from GOD, permanently. His cynicism kept GOD from showing Himself because of chip on his shoulder. If a cynic walks away, in all likelihood, they won't come back. There is a difference between a cynic and a prodigal. The cynic walks away out of disbelief, whereas the prodigal walks away out of hurt and not knowing how to process the emotions, or the event that sent them over the edge.

     When questioning GOD, and it is fully acceptable to do so, you know an answer or direction you feel led is really from GOD if it matches with Scripture, is bathed in Wisdom, and fits in GOD's character. It is probably something you never would have thought up yourself, because it’s way beyond your any human wisdom you have achieved.   I have always said, if you look for GOD everywhere, that is exactly where you will find Him. In other words, the more we pursue the One we love, the more we will hear from Him, learn from Him, see His Hand at work, and know Him intimately. When seeking truth, let Scripture interpret Scripture. One Scripture taken out of context is not proof enough, there must a few more Scriptures in line with the historicity of GOD's dealings with His people. Therefore, one must study the Bible from cover to cover and the historical context. I tell people, if it makes no sense to humans, it's probably from the Almighty. As mere humans, we can never really know the mind of GOD or, understand the ways of GOD.

God does not fix what's wrong with 

His people, He starts all over again.

        Jesus did not have a mortgage, and he did not incorporate. He did not have office hours, nor did he assign his Apostles as CEO's, telling them to register with the emperor, and be ready to have all their financial records ready to be audited annually. Jesus never asked for money, he healed for FREE. He never pressured his followers to give toward the mortgage fund or a building project so he could expand his ministry. He did not hire a marketing firm to teach his disciples how to be good stewards. He did not initiate a fund raising campaign to increase the size of the campus, so the corporation could expand, and create more programs, branches, and differing kinds of ministries. Jesus did not rely on programs. Jesus did not seek converts, he taught disciples. He certainly did not have super-conferences with guest speakers and a ticket price upwards of near 100 talents.  He even kept the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven a secret from those he knew were in it for only how it filled their bellies.  In Matthew and Luke he said, 

     "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more will shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore, I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."

       He then went on to quote the prophet Isaiah, because Jesus knew intimately what was written in the Old Testament. He not only knew it, he understood it because he inspired it. I once heard an associate pastor at the church I attended say, "The Old Testament is so hard to understand, it's a difficult read and so harsh. Besides, that’s the Law, we are under grace now, so none of it really applies." When I picked my jaw back up off the floor, I gathered my flock, went home and never went back, to any church. His answer was not out of the ordinary, it's what I hear all the time. He is a New Testament Christian, or what I call a carport as opposed to a garage with a brick siding, a foundation and a solid roof, one that does not blow off with a strong wind.

       I’m not any kind of expert in the Old Testament, but I’ve studied it for eight years now, inside, outside and upside down. (A little Dr. Seuss humor there) You know what my friend, in my humble opinion, I actually find MORE grace and mercy in the Old Testament than the New. The Law and the animal sacrifices did NOT save the Israelite's, nor did it cleanse them of sin, it was the grace behind the obedience of the practice of the Law. The sacrifice was supposed to be a reminder of the curse and damage that sin does, and how much GOD hates sin. It was a reminder of Whom they served and Who saved them, as opposed to other pagan religions.

       New Testament Christians say, "We are the church, the bride of Christ, GOD will never abandon us" just like the Jews said, "This is the temple of the LORD, this is the Temple of the LORD, and they thought GOD would never leave it. SURPISE, He did.

       If someone tells you that he/she is a New Testament Christian, well, then you know that you are talking only to a carport with no walls, no foundation, and an aluminum roof that can easily be blown away.  Do not bother to argue with them, because they have their minds made up, and everyone else is wrong. Their pastor told them to be that way, to stand their ground under their carports. We can try to educate them, but most have unteachable hearts from anyone but their CEO/pastor. They are loyal to their corporations, that's for sure. After all, they have invested much of their funds into this capital venture.

     

      The more we understand the history of GOD's people, the more we can see GOD repeating Himself, over and over, again. The book of Ecclesiastes, lately, has become one of my favorites, because basically it says, “Don’t expect GOD to do anything He has never done before, because there is nothing new under the sun that GOD hasn’t already done.” Yes, you will have to get your Bible out and find that passage, also. The purpose in doing that may just help you find some wisdom GOD wants you to have before and after those verses. GOD's people throughout all generations kept becoming too corrupt to reform or repair.  Over and over again GOD pulled out a remnant and started all over again. 

     As the metaphor Mama that I am, if you need a picture, I have a good one for you. The church today is like flour. There is all-purpose, there is self-rising, and then there is this “whole-wheat,” that’s really not whole or in it’s original form. No, my friends, the Remnant is the whole grain, straight from the ground, exactly how GOD made it, in it’s original form. It’s not bleached, it’s not ground into fine powder that just becomes dust, rather in it's natural state, it has all the nutrients needed to feed the flock. 

      Where does wheat grow? Does it grow in a building, on a huge cement campus, in programs, does money grow it? It grows where the gospel was meant to go, in the fields, outside where the Wind can take it where the Wind intends for it to go. The pure Gospel is the protein in the whole grain, it’s the muscle that makes the Remnant strong. It’s not supposed to be holed up in four walls and a ceiling, keeping it contained. Jesus said "Go and make disciples," not "gather and convert people." Beloveds,  GOD made sure that the Temple was completely destroyed in AD 70, because the Temple was now the Holy Spirit living in us, and the Temple is meant to have arms, legs, and wheels, and it is supposed to be moving at all times.

    Satan entered the church in the very first century to begin the corruption.  Paul and Peter and Jude all mention false teachers and prophets. The doctrine of Balaam is alive and well and has been since the days in the wilderness.  Corrupt within, because an outside attack is not effective enough.  Christianity today is an offshoot of the corrupt religion invented by  Constantine.  He created his own brand of Christianity, one with the political advantage he needed.  He was just another false convert, using thw work of Yeshua for self-advancement.   He wiped clean any signs or practices of Judaism that GOD Himself ordered and commanded and outlawed all the appointed feasts and the seventh day Sabbath.  Imagine an emperor so bold as to take what GOD instituted and outlaw it in the name of Christ.  Constantine incorporated pagan practices, slapping a Christian name on them, and the corrupt papacy only added to this man-made deliniation of the Word of GOD. 

    I'm sorry to say, but evangelism has been the downfall of the church.  Satan always takes a little bit of truth and slides in his brand of lies to convince man that he is doing the right thing  Today, the church's recipe for salvation is NOT Biblically sound.  Just saying a prayer saves no one.  The only one who can initiate salvation is GOD Himself.  He decides who becomes His true children.  

John 1:

13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 6:

“Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

 

Matthew 16:

16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Romans 9:

11(for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),

14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

       My friends, we do not ask Jesus into our hearts.  In order for it to be a true conversion, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts before we know what's happening to us. Grace enters us in the form of conviction of our sinful state long before we invite Yeshua into our hearts.