If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.            James 1:5-8

We all, at one time or another, struggle with anxiety, frustration, and fear.  Sometimes these feelings pop up when we doubt God’s ability to fix a problem or protect us or protect someone we love. At other times we’re anxious because we question His willingness to handle a situation.  Often times we can become unsure due to a lack of knowledge about God’s character, or perhaps confusion about His promises or maybe it’s due to misunderstanding His plans.  That’s why it’s so important to continually fill our minds with the truths of Scripture.  Focusing on the Lord’s sufficiency instead of our circumstances gives us hope and strength.

There are many situations that may cause our faith to waiver.  It could be that our own sin motivates us to question the truth of the Scriptures in order to justify ourselves.  Or failures we’ve experienced in the past might lead us to having a pessimistic outlook about present or future situations.  Added to that, is the fact that we have an enemy who loves to make us doubt and take our mind off our loving Father and to doubt Him.  Our common enemy does this by reminding us of past mistakes and maybe times when our prayers seemed to have gone unanswered.  Satan’s age-old technique of questioning God’s truthfulness can make us wonder whether the Lord is really trustworthy.

When doubts come up, confess them to God.  Then remember and focus on past situations of His faithfulness and meditate on, think about, and yes, ponder His promises. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth so you can stand firm.