I saw a video of a Christian philosopher being asked if he ever experiences doubts about his Christian faith, and how one can deal with such.
It's unlikely any one of can say that he or she has never experienced doubts about their faith, especially when things get challenging in life.
The answer that doctorate man gave was less than satisfying, but it did bring to mind this topic and how I handle doubts when they assault my conscious thoughts:
God.
What I mean by bringing Deity into this is that He, no matter what form doubts take, whether they be in the form of evolutionary atheism, biology claims, cosmology, or even grandma who drank and smoked for 80 years of her life while drinking two martinis a day, the Lord is the One constant who remains disproven. I say that on the basis of this:
Romans 1:20-21
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
See that? They KNEW GOD! Even atheists knew/know God, but lay claim to atheism in spite of the deep-seated knowledge we ALL have about God's existence. We ALL have a conscience that betrays every level of atheism, secular humanism, et al. It doesn't matter what they may say that they believe or disbelieve, they KNOW, and choose dishonesty...even with themselves!
See, God is too powerful to be denied by anyone, so our doubts can be easily cast aside by setting out hearts and minds upon being honest with that conscience the Lord has given to all. Deep down, we ALL know He exists, and that we as Christians have long since given ourselves over to Him, but we are still living at war with our flesh, and that flesh tries to draw us away from not just God, but also away from what we know deep down, trying to drag us down into the depths of dishonesty with ourselves, which is a spiritually deadly place to be.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Remember that REJECTION is an intentional thing, not an accidental!
We who are all in Christ are priests unto the Most High God, so the above verse has ramifications of which not even the prophets of old understood at that time, but are now fully knowledgeable...given that everyone who has ever lived is consciously alive right now.
Knowledge is therefore one of the most powerful weapons against those pesky doubts! Remember that always. Knowledge is like the belts and buckles that hold the armor of God upon us, securing upon us that most precious of armor that shields us from the poisonous and firry darts of the enemy! Knowledge also assures because of the very piece of the armor that protects the most vital of all our organs...the helmet on our head, the helmet of salvation.
The interconnectedness we see within ALL of scripture clearly paces it outside the realm of it being of human contrivance.
Amen
MM
It's unlikely any one of can say that he or she has never experienced doubts about their faith, especially when things get challenging in life.
The answer that doctorate man gave was less than satisfying, but it did bring to mind this topic and how I handle doubts when they assault my conscious thoughts:
God.
What I mean by bringing Deity into this is that He, no matter what form doubts take, whether they be in the form of evolutionary atheism, biology claims, cosmology, or even grandma who drank and smoked for 80 years of her life while drinking two martinis a day, the Lord is the One constant who remains disproven. I say that on the basis of this:
Romans 1:20-21
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
See that? They KNEW GOD! Even atheists knew/know God, but lay claim to atheism in spite of the deep-seated knowledge we ALL have about God's existence. We ALL have a conscience that betrays every level of atheism, secular humanism, et al. It doesn't matter what they may say that they believe or disbelieve, they KNOW, and choose dishonesty...even with themselves!
See, God is too powerful to be denied by anyone, so our doubts can be easily cast aside by setting out hearts and minds upon being honest with that conscience the Lord has given to all. Deep down, we ALL know He exists, and that we as Christians have long since given ourselves over to Him, but we are still living at war with our flesh, and that flesh tries to draw us away from not just God, but also away from what we know deep down, trying to drag us down into the depths of dishonesty with ourselves, which is a spiritually deadly place to be.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Remember that REJECTION is an intentional thing, not an accidental!
We who are all in Christ are priests unto the Most High God, so the above verse has ramifications of which not even the prophets of old understood at that time, but are now fully knowledgeable...given that everyone who has ever lived is consciously alive right now.
Knowledge is therefore one of the most powerful weapons against those pesky doubts! Remember that always. Knowledge is like the belts and buckles that hold the armor of God upon us, securing upon us that most precious of armor that shields us from the poisonous and firry darts of the enemy! Knowledge also assures because of the very piece of the armor that protects the most vital of all our organs...the helmet on our head, the helmet of salvation.
The interconnectedness we see within ALL of scripture clearly paces it outside the realm of it being of human contrivance.
Amen
MM
