To Doubt or not to Doubt…That is the question

I like doubting Thomas. He has been given a bad rap. So has Gideon.

Neither were afraid of making sure that they were hearing, or knowing the truth. These guys hearts were pure in following the Lord, of that there is no doubt.

God led Gideon to scale down his army. Nothing God said seemed to make sense to him. The poor guy was probably confused as all get out. No wonder he wanted to make sure it was God's voice. It went against every bit of logic. A lesson that the Lord really will lead down a path that makes zero sense until hindsight makes the vision 20/20.

Let’s take Thomas

Joh 11:7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.
Joh 11:8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

Joh 11:16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

He was the only disciple that wanted to follow Jesus straight into Jerusalem where the Jews were seeking to kill Him. He was the only one who voiced his willingness to die with the Lord. Even though that did not turn out to be the case, God had other plans, it shows the heart of this disciple.

Joh 20:24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
Joh 20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
Joh 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Joh 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

Thomas was the great skeptic who needed to make sure that he was following the True Savior. He never doubted that Jesus was the Savior, but he had to make sure that the person standing in front of him WAS the Savior. True to the character of the Lord, it took 8 days before He showed Himself again to the disciples when Thomas was there. If the Lord was angry with him, He would have chosen another day when Thomas was absent.

Joh 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Thomas did not trust his own eyes. Sometimes what we see can appear to be true when in fact it is false. His name, after all was Didymus which is a prolonged from the word again, or twice. He liked to make sure that what appeared to be true was actually the truth. I bet, later, he also tested every direction that he thought the Lord was showing his own ministry to go as well. Once he was convinced in his own heart that it was indeed Jesus standing in front of him, then there was no stopping him. He made sure who he was bowing down to. There is probably a message in there somewhere for the Body today.

It was because of Thomas’ requirement to know for sure it was Jesus standing before him that we now have the record of the holes in the hands and the gash in the side being on this person who claimed to be Jesus. That right there dispels any doubt that it indeed was the risen Lord that had come back from the Father for the last leg of His physical ministry on this earth until His second coming. That evidence came about only because of an insistence from a faithful disciple for the truth.

Sometimes I wonder if doubt is actually a good thing. Not doubting that God is God, and His only begotten Son, Jesus came into the world to redeem us back to God, but doubting enough to make sure each step is ordered by Him. Wanting the truth enough to risk asking, is this really You, Lord, or am I looking at an imposter who would cause me to stray from You.

Where doubt becomes a snare, and can steal the reward is when it is proven the way is of the Lord, and ordered by His Word, and there is still doubt that remains. That is when the kingdom of Satan can come in with a temptation of giving up. Tossing in the towel, falling into fear, unbelief, double mindedness that cannot please Him. When the testing of the spirit, or a fleece is placed out, and there can be no doubt that God has directed the path, or shown a situation to be true, then it is our duty to believe. To bow down before the Lord as Thomas did in surrender giving all allegiance to Him, and do what He says even in the face of a stronger enemy as Gideon faced.

Sometimes the walk is alone. Thomas stood his ground when all others believed without testing as he did. At least there is no documentation of such. Gideon tested the way the Lord was leading. But then their actions speak volumes. They went with the Lord no matter what. They believed Him. The Lord knows what to answer for each of us. He proves Himself to each individual in the way that will be undeniable for each heart. What would convince one is not all the time the same as what would convince another.

Doubting in the way of making sure of the truth is honored by the Lord. Doubting after He has convinced of the truth is another matter all together. That tendency could bring the demon Bast upon you. Something that should be avoided and fought at all costs.


Here is the line of snare or beguile of reward which is the one Bast is over..
The legion of pagis-snare
Idun (Peirasmos-temptation)
Hybris (Pusioo-puff up)
Vor (Embateuo -intrude into)
Dolos (demon of katabrabeuo-beguile of reward)
Lahash (fallen angel of tala-doubt/neged against)
Apate (demon of deceit)
Balan (demon of pithanologia-enticing words)

The demons will come with enticing words, deceit, and doubt. They make situations, and conversations out to look the opposite of what the Lord has shown as truth. The false evidence that looks true, but is wrapped up in falsehood. But they keep enough truth in the mix to keep you wrapped in doubt to where the reaction is giving up on what the Lord has said to do, or what He has proved to be true. Which in effect will beguile a person of their rewards in heaven, and the blessings of the Lord on this earth.

When the truth of the Lord is thrown into doubt, then the temptation is to go searching for the truth, intruding into things He has warned not to spend time on, or to leave alone. That search for the truth, which is actually a rejection of the truth He has told you, or rejection of His instructions, will lead straight into a snare for the soul.

So, to doubt or not to doubt. The answer is both, at the right times. Once the questions and tests have all been confirmed by the Lord, then cast the doubt aside and walk on doing and saying what He has said. Believing that He has everything under control and is more than able to bring the saint through every trial and tribulation all for the glory of God.

Here are the counters for beguile of reward.

To loose over legion:
Chashak(be darkened)Ps 69
Maad(shake)
Zaam(indignation)
Aph(anger)
Shamem(desolate)

To loose over subject:
Prosecho (take heed),
Agrupneo (watch)
Deomai (pray)
Ananepho(recover)2Ti 2:26
Pheugo(flee)1Ti 6:11
Dikaiosune(righteousness)
Eusebeia(godliness)
Pistis(faith)
Agape(love)
Hupomone(patience)
Praotes(meekness)
Halal(praise the Lord)Ps 69

Those counters over the subject should be looked at more as an action, with prayer to the Lord for His enabling. The prayers over the legions should be looked at as more of handing the demon over to the Lord for His intervention, and binding the spirits behind the actions of others. Then we react toward the people/person who is acting as the demonic agent as the Lord leads. Always giving praise to God, resting in the righteousness of Christ to work godliness in us by faith and love with patience and humility. Watching and praying, taking heed of a snare, and fleeing to the Lord for recovery.

Hebrews 11:6
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

I cannot doubt my God for He has proven Himself faithful again and again in my life, the lives of family, friends and others. For those weak in exercising or slow to use faith touching the nail holes my be the spark that ignites that dormant gift (Rom 12:3) . Still some of these "disciples" saw what Thomas saw (the resurrected Christ Mat 28: 16-17 ) and still doubted . Much to Thomas's credit he quickly repented his lack of faith.
If it is indeed by grace through faith these may not even have been real believers (Eph 2:8)

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Heb 3:18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
Heb 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Doubting when we do not know, is of course not evil. We need to be assured before embracing a belief wholeheartedly.

The cases of Gideon and Thomas are given to us to let us know that when in doubt there is a way to clarify our vision. Are not doubts enabled because we are still seeing through a glass darkly?

	"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
	And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
	And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
	After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly." Mark 8:22-25

When the man did not see clearly, Jesus touched his eyes again. When we, as Gideon and Thomas, are unable to see clearly at the first, then we also need to be touched by the hand of the Master yet again. It may require more than two touches, especially if we have been focusing on anything other than Jesus at any time since the last touch.

GOD is bigger than anybody's doubt. There is no question that is too big for GOD. If our heart is in the right place, as was Thomas', GOD will always be able to show us the truth that we are looking for. After all, He IS truth.

Maybe the point of the post was lost. Could doubt be a good thing? Not doubting God, or that Jesus is His Son who came to die for our sins, but that doubt that causes us to make sure what we are doing or who we are bowing down to IS the Lord. After that confirmation that it is indeed the Lord, then like Thomas and Gideon, is the response to give all to what the Lord said to do? After the confirmation that it is indeed the Lord then the doubts that come are not good, but a hindrance that needs to be overcome by prayer and faith in the Lord.

Of course there is the doubt of the athiest that says there is no God at all. That isn't the type of doubt that was addressed in this article.

Remember that Jesus said there is none good but One, God, so should not anything that is good to God necessarily be of God, or have God in it, or in him? Shouldn’t we be approaching a point where there is never any doubt in us?

So while we on still on the approach, is not a bit a doubt good? Shouldn’t the answer be only if the doubt is due to God in us letting us know that something is wrong?

Ok, let's put this in a practical application. Say there is an opportunity to go to a reunion with a friend you haven't seen in 16years. The trip will cost a bit of money your not sure should be spent, and there are other things at home that need attention. So, you pray about it, and ask the Lord to confirm that He has a purpose in you going. The confirmation is undeniably Him. There is no doubt in your mind that He is orchestrating something and it is important for you to be there. But there was a doubt at first, which lead you to ask Him in the first place. Just like Gideon, you pray and ask for confirmation. Just like Thomas you are asking "Is this You, Lord, or an imposter that would lead me astray"?

So, now, you know it is the Lord, and He is ordaining this reunion. What happens next? It seems that the whole of hell is against you. Your sisters baby shower gets planned for that exact day you will be gone, your kid's college orientation is scheduled for the exact same day, and a business b-b-q that you had planned attending is also scheduled for the exact same day. Not to mention your daughters school decided to start a week earlier which gives very little time to pull together all the required things. Then all of the sudden your hip does something funky and feels like a nerve is going to kill you. The chiropractor visits take more money out of pocket. You start doubting that the Lord really told you to take the trip, and are tempted to scrap the whole thing. It does not seem worth it.

Then you decide to take the whole thing back to the Lord a second time. You pray, and again the Lord confirms it is Him in the middle of the trip. So, with a sense of determined obedience, you go to the reunion. Turns out to be the most meaningful spiritual experience that you have had the privilege of being apart of for along time. The Lord blesses you and your friend with different things and in different ways. Both are impacted for the good even though all the "signs" prior to the trip would suggest that it was not of the Lord.

You come back home and the very next day, you wake up and your hip is not hurting. Totally healed up. (True story, by the way)

Michelle, shouldnt what God says be all that matters?

This thread is exactly what I was hoping to be led to.

I am a happily married dad with two kids, and I have had quite a few visions since my first vision in 2003.

I would note it all down, I would ask "Is it You doing this?" but would remain sceptical because I had not received an answer that I could discern.

Then one evening in 2011 during a social Christian gathering, I found myself saying things, warnings and mandates to my companions without planning or thinking them... prophesying, they said later.

A week ago my dad passed away. Now my 7 year old daughter sees him every few days, alongside other relatives she recognises somehow as being this one or that one, yet she was born after their deaths, and we don't have photos of them that she could have seen. What she describes is not only beyond the imagination of a child, but it is consistent and extremely detailed. During all of this, I prayed feverishly for a stamp of authenticity, so to speak, because my daughter was having conversations with spirits - it sounded like wrong and dangerous territory!..... and in a roundabout way was led to 1 Corinthians 4 which states the following:

1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

I instructed her on how to test the spirits in accordance with Scripture, and according to what she reports the test rang true - the individual she tested replied with among other things a full statement that Jesus is our Saviour, that He made us, loves us, and that we should follow Him. If that's the acid test then I would consider it passed. My daughter was also covered in armour during this.

STILL, HOWEVER: Call me a doubting Thomas or whatever you'd like, but this is not about me. It's about my daughter. Please, someone here, set me straight. I'm battling with my own visions or whatever they are as it is, and I am still trying to come to grips with my dad's passing. Now this. Is this the snare that Michelle71 wrote about?

PS: Thank you very much Michelle71, for this thread.