I know people get tired of me saying this but you can do anything, be anyone. You just need to BELIEVE. You need to have faith.
The problem is doubt. I guarantee that as you read this right now you have doubt. The idea of faith allowing us to do seemingly impossible things—do anything, be anyone—sounds absurd. That is exactly the point—we let doubt hold us back.
One of the most important lessons in the Bible is to BELIEVE in God—to completely put our trust in him. However, the story of humankind is the story of doubt and lack of trust in God. It starts with Adam who did not trust what God told him. Doubt opened up the door to Satan’s temptation. The result was Paradise lost.
The story of doubt continues with Abraham who doubted that Sarah at her age could conceive a son. Moses doubted his ability to lead the Israelites out of captivity—the same Israelites who not only lost faith in God, but also turned their backs on him. The Israelites wandered the desert for forty years doubting God, even though he fed and clothed them. When God led them into the Promised Land they repeatedly lost faith in him and rebelled against him.
Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their backs and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. Nehemiah 9:21, 26
Peter not only doubted the Son of God but also denied that he knew him when put to the test.
“Surely this man was with him; for he is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:59-62
Doubt keeps us from God. Satan feeds our doubt, which anchors us to our safe places and away from our true safe place with God. Doubt limits our potential and obscures what God’s purpose is for us. God wants us to have faith in him so that we realize our full potential in life. Satan wants us so bogged down in doubt that we can’t move ahead in life.
It is ironic that as I read over these very words that I have written I am consumed by a wave of doubt. “Who will ever read this?” I doubt my ability to deliver any message on The Real Secrets to Life. “Who am I to give anyone advice on how to live their lives? I am no expert or prophet. Why am I wasting time with this blog?”
So, I stopped reading for a minute and thought about this wave of doubt. Why did it come now, especially as I am reading something that I have written about believing in the almighty power of God? I don’t have to dig too deep to realize that on occasion I rely on myself, not God. Not long ago I was at a conference where I was a speaker and was the focus of some attention. I let myself become too absorbed in myself, putting God on hold during the process. My faith was too centered on me and not God—even though everything I have been given has come from God.
I am far from the model of perfection. I am just like you and every other person on this planet. We are all on a journey. For all of us there are twists and turns on the road of life, and even a dead end here and again.
God never turned away from me. He was always there, and always will be there. I turned my back on God. We all do on occasion. God doesn’t abandon us. We abandon God. That is the saga of the Israelites in the Old Testament.
When you place more faith in yourself, and start believing that you are the end-all-be-all, you have a big target for Satan to shoot at. It’s only a matter of time before he interjects that self-faith with doubt and, ultimately, fear.
True faith in God overcomes all doubt and fear in our lives. Having faith in God is tossing all doubt and fear in our lives totally aside. It is saying to God, “Take me and do with me what is your purpose. Whatever happens in my life, I put my complete faith in you.”
Faith is easy when things are going well. “Oh, yea, I have faith in God.” Having faith when things are less than perfect in our lives is a challenge. However, that is when we need faith the most.
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2
BELIEVE—It’s the 5th Secret to Life. You can do anything, be anyone. Don’t let doubt stop you from eroding your faith. Realize you full God-given purpose in life. BELIEVE!
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