Doubt: part 1. Ambiguity and Confusion
James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (ESV)
or
James 1:6 “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” (NLT)
or
James 1:6 “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” (NASB)
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Doubt can color everything, can’t it? It can impact our trust, our understanding, our ability to connect with others and, ultimately, our ability to trust in the Lord. We often hear the phrase “I doubt it” and we may even use it ourselves. It’s our way of expressing disbelief, or at least skepticism. It can be a challenge or a simple expression of ambiguity. But when it comes to our faith, it can crack our foundation or bring rot to our roots.
What really causes doubt? Over the next few weeks we’re going to look at some other words for doubt and their antonyms to give us a bit more insight. We want to be confident in how we should pray for others who may struggle with doubt.
Look at that list. Do you see anything unique about the left column? The words are all tactics Satan uses to undermine the work of the Holy Spirit, to erode our faith and to woo people away from Christ. This week we’ll look at the first two words, ambiguity and confusion and we’ll dive into the others over the next two weeks.
If we’re ambiguous it means that we’re open to various meanings and we’re equivocal (1). We’re prone to “waffle”. Someone who is ambiguous will not say there is just one way to Heaven, that would be too narrow and exclusive. No, they’ll be more of an ‘all roads lead to Heaven” kind of person. But John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” We can be certain that Jesus is the only way to reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sin and redemption to eternal life.
Satan wants nothing more than to remove absolutes. If he can convince people that ‘being a good person’ or ‘doing good works’ will earn a spot in Heaven, then he’s accomplished his deception and lured people from the cross. Ambiguity leads to variations of the gospel, yet Galatians 1:6-7 warns us “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” Yes, there are ‘different gospels’ out there, but only One gospel is the gospel of Jesus Christ that provides grace and mercy for sinners. Romans 10:9 confirms it, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That is Biblical certainty right there- there’s nothing ambiguous about it.
We need to pray that our sons and daughters have a clear understanding of justification and redemption through Jesus Christ. Romans 4:25-5:2 “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Pray that they would have spiritual wisdom and would daily pursue Godly knowledge so that they are on guard against false gospels that would woo them from the cross. Pray that they have peace in the certainty that there is one way to the Father and that is through Jesus.
The second tactic Satan uses is confusion- a state of disorder. Have you ever been to a party where they play “pin the tail on the donkey”? The player is blindfolded and then spun around several times so they lose their bearings and have no sense of direction. Because they’re blindfolded, they have no ability to ‘see’ where they are going and their senses are confused. The spectators around them yell directions, but not everyone is honest about the destination they’re pointing toward. Just like the player in the game, those who struggle with confusion listen to those around them with no sense of who is leading them or to what they are being led. They lack a foundation of Truth and because of that, they’re vulnerable to follow the wrong path.
There are many ‘voices’ that give false direction. Oh, they ‘look the part’. They sound knowledgeable. But even Satan used scripture to tempt Jesus (Luke 4). Those struggling with spiritual confusion lack the spiritual discretion that warns them from false teachers. These other voices ‘sound good’ and the doubters begin to buy into the message. Why? Because they lack knowledge of Scripture. They lack a solid foundation. They lack spiritual discretion and a heart in tune with the Holy Spirit. Satan counts on that. He stirs confusion to pull people away from the Truth. But scripture says, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace—as in all the churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33
An understanding of Scripture brings clarity. Pursuing correct knowledge and growing in our understanding of God’s Word protects us from confusion by the enemy. We must pray that our sons and daughters are diligent to add to their Biblical knowledge and guard against deception and confusion. 2 Peter 3: 17-18 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
This week, let’s pray over our sons and daughters so ambiguity and confusion would not infect and impact their faith and cause them to doubt. Friends, the enemy is alive and well. He is the prince of the power of this earth. He is at work to draw us away from Christ and plant the seeds of doubt in our hearts. Let’s fight this!! Let’s get on our knees and intercede for those we love.
“Father, You see the dangers we face each day and You are mighty to surround us with protection. I pray for Your divine protection over (name) today. Filter what they hear through the Truth of Scripture. Give them spiritual discernment to know when they encounter false teaching or deceptive messages. I pray that they would have unwavering commitment to walk with You so they are not easily pulled from the path of life and sidelined by the enemy. Keep their path clear of obstacles that would make them ‘trip’ and make their direction sure- always pointed toward You and moving closer each day. Lord, guard us all from ambiguity and confusion. Don’t allow the opinions of others or the pressure of the crowd to influence our commitment and certainty about following Christ. I pray Philippians 4:7 over (name) today “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.
Check Your Roots
Colossians 2:6-7 “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
As parents, we’re burdened to see our sons and daughters continue walking with the Lord and growing in their spiritual lives and understanding. We want to see them living the abundant life! We want them to live victoriously in a world that seeks to drag them down. How can we pray to that end more effectively?
The Apostle Paul, in Colossians, encourages us with several directives that are aimed at strengthening our spiritual walk and protecting us from the enemy.. The first is to “continue” to live our lives in Him. That word “continue” is the word “peripateo'' in Greek and it means to walk, to make one’s way, to progress or conduct oneself (1). It’s the word from which we get the word ‘perpetual’. So if we’re continuing in Christ it means that we are growing in our faith and our lives exemplify a continued progression toward Christ and toward becoming like Him. It doesn’t stop. We can not be static. We’re not to be passive. So our first point of prayer this week is that our sons and daughters would continue to walk with the Lord and grow in Him.
But that’s not all. We’re told to be rooted. “Rhizoo” (2) is the Greek word for “rooted” and it means to be planted…not just set or placed like plastic flowers stuck in a garden. We’re to be firmly rooted, growing, digging our roots in and blossoming gloriously, bearing fruit. We do that by digging deeply into the Word- not just listening and walking away, but taking it in and letting it change us, strengthen us and make us firm in our faith. We want deep roots, not shallow wimpy ones. Prayer point number two is that our sons and daughters would have strong, healthy roots and that the ‘fertilizer’ they apply would be spiritually organic- straight from the Word and poured out by the Holy Spirit.
The next directive is to be built up in Him. Note that it’s not just a general “building up”, but being built up in HIM. The Greek, epoikodomeo (3), defines this as being built upon. Have you ever seen a beautiful majestic tree that was uprooted by a storm? Although the tree looked sturdy, the roots spread broadly, but not deeply. It lacked a strong foundation. Whatever it chose to dig its roots into and around wasn’t strong enough to allow the tree to stand in the storm. When the storm came through, the tree was quickly toppled over. The whole thing was uprooted and what was left after the storm gave evidence that the tree lacked healthy roots... The ‘surface’ beauty of the tree belied the weakness of its foundation.
Our lives are the dwelling place of Christ. We need a good foundation for our faith, but we need to be built in Him as well so that our lives reflect His Presence. As parents, we likely laid the foundation with our children. But now it falls on them to build upon it and make it their own according to the guidelines provided in Scripture- God’s building code.. Pray that our sons and daughters continue to grow and build their faith with solid teaching and wise understanding of the Word.
Finally, Paul encourages us to be ‘established’ or made firm and sure and abounding with thanksgiving. If we’re established, we are strong in our faith and we’ll be overflowing with gratitude for the Lord’s blessings and the certainty of His promises. If we’re growing, we’ll be overflowing!
So today, let’s take some time to pray these things over our sons and daughters…and ourselves and the whole Body of believers. Let’s overflow with thankfulness because the Lord doesn’t stop working in us but continues until He completes that good work He started in us!!
“Father, thank you for the promises in Your Word that encourage us and show us the way we should go. I pray that You would help (name) today to continue to walk in You. Lord, help them to stick to the narrow way and not veer off toward the wide road that leads to destruction (Mt 7:14). Give them good teaching and healthy spiritual friendships and discipleship that will build their foundation and allow them to be properly planted. Help them to flourish and bear fruit. Lord, I pray that they would be established both in their own quiet time and in Church. Give them relationships that would sharpen and encourage them and help them to overflow with thanksgiving for all that You’ve done and will continue to do. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Pray Without Ceasing.
G4043 - peripateō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4043/kjv/tr/0-1/
G4492 - rhizoō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4492/kjv/tr/0-1/
G2026 - epoikodomeō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2026/kjv/tr/0-1/
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