What to do when facing times of doubt?
Next, on Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Doubt is an indication that we are in desperate need of the grace of God every moment of every day. So don't be afraid of doubt. Doubt comes to all of us.
But the question is, how do you turn the times of doubt into a time of loving Jesus more? Doubt is part of life. We sometimes doubt our own abilities. We doubt our circumstances.
And sometimes, yes, we even doubt God. Well, today, as Dr. Michael Youssef continues his series, Deepening Your Love for Christ, you'll see how doubt can also become an incentive for growth. Leading the Way is listener-supported, made possible by your prayers and your sacrificial gifts.
Learn ways to stand with Dr. Youssef at ltw.org or call us at 866-626-4356. Wait till later, though, because right now, here's Dr. Youssef to begin today's teaching. One of the things that are absolutely astounding to me and to Elizabeth as we travel around the globe and around this country is that how many people are asking us a question? Are we living in the end times? Are we living in the last days?
We were asked that in every stop we made. And these are real and genuine questions. And as I probe a little further as to why people are asking that, I found that they were not necessarily focusing on the Middle East and what's happening in Israel and the things that you would normally think about. But their questioning is arising from these faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who are so alarmed at the condition of the Church of Jesus Christ. Even just in our lifetime, their questions are stemming from a deeply felt pain at how many churches and how many professing Christians are no longer in the faith. Churches at once were fervent evangelical churches and now preaching pop psychology. Christians who were so committed as Bible believers are now doubting the authority of the Scripture.
Christians who were supporters of evangelical causes and evangelical institutions and have used their money and their influence, now they're doing that in order to water down and to change the biblical stance of these institutions. In my file, I have chapter and verse of what I'm telling you right now. So the questions that people are asking regarding the last days and the end times are based on the words of Jesus in Luke 18 8 when he said, Will the Son of Man find faith when he comes back? The questions that people are asking regarding the last days are based on the words of Jesus in Matthew 24 24 that in the last days, even the elect will be deceived.
And a lady was sitting with a couple over dinner back in Australia and she said, I'm looking at the elect and I'm seeing them deceived all around me. Whether we're living in the last days or the last hours, it really makes no difference to me. I live every day of every moment of every day waiting for the Lord to come back. And either whether I go to him first or he comes to us first, it really doesn't make any difference to me. The question is this, what do we do with doubt and doubters? That's the question.
That's the issue. Here's something I want you to listen to very carefully. I want you to please accept what I'm going to tell you and I want you never to be afraid to face this question. And the question about doubt is this, that doubt comes to every one of us. Doubt is part and parcel of living in this sinful world.
It's a reminder that we have a fallen nature. Doubt is an indication that sin and Satan are hard at work. Doubt is an indication that we are in desperate need of the grace of God every moment of every day.
Doubt is an indication that we're not home yet. So don't be afraid of doubt. Doubt comes to all of us. But the question is not whether you go through doubts or you go through periods of doubts in your life and in your walk with the Lord. The question is how do you turn the times of doubt into a time of loving Jesus more? You see, I want you to listen to what I'm going to tell you. There is a world of difference between going through doubt and sitting in doubt.
A world of difference. The reason these people and these churches and these institutions that once loved the Lord and now the love for the Lord is so cold is because when they went through a period of time they sat in it. There are some people who would say that you should never, ever go through doubt.
Not even for a second. In fact, I heard some preachers, bless their hearts, lambasting Gideon for doubting God. You know, remember that Gideon, he wasn't sure and he said, Lord, you know, I was afraid.
I don't know what was the circumstances were. I probably was scared out of his wits. And he said, Lord, if it rains on the fleece and dry everywhere else, I know you're calling me. So he goes out and sure enough, he gets a lot of water out of that fleece and it's dry everywhere else. And he said, Lord, just one more time.
Just have the fleece dry and wet everywhere else. God said, okay, here it is. I hear preachers lambasting the poor guy. It's true, he had a hard time in this area. But listen to me. God is not going to fall off his throne when you go through periods of doubt.
Did you hear what I just said? God is not going to fall off the throne when you go through periods of doubt. What is dishonoring to the Lord is that you're staying in your doubt.
What is dishonoring to the Lord is that you're not asking him and pleading with him to give you power and strength and victory over doubt. Now please understand, doubt comes to all of us and it comes in many shapes and forms. Doubt comes to all of us and it comes for many reasons. Doubt comes to all of us and it comes as a result of the circumstances in which we go through.
Let me give you another comprehensive list. But just give you a sample of the times when we go through times of doubt. There are some people who go through doubt because they don't have the accurate information.
Either they have the wrong information or the facts are wrong or they misunderstood the facts or they have the wrong facts. In fact, I heard about a minister who was ministering to college students. He ministered to thousands of college students and one day one of the college students just blew in his office and he sat down and he said, I cannot and I will not believe in God. And the minister said, okay, tell me about your God. And he went ahead and started sketching a picture of God that he has in his mind upon which when he finished, the minister said to him, he said, you know what?
We're in the same boat. I don't believe in that God either and I cannot believe in that God because you see, people have the wrong facts that go through doubt. Secondly, there are those who go through doubt that comes from overwhelming confusion. And don't we have confusion in our society today? We got so many blabbermouths out there and they call them experts on everything. I mean, I'm amazed where they find these experts on every subject. Confusion comes from listening to many voices other than the voice of the word of God.
And let me tell you something. We have so many false teachers and false preachers today and they are bound in our culture and that is why you need to listen only to the word of God. False interpretation of the scripture abounds in our time and that is why you have to be extremely careful because doubt can come from confusion. Thirdly, there are those who go through doubt because they're going through emotional stress.
That happens to all of us. Elijah was a man who had power with God. I mean, I'm telling you, I mean, he said, God, let it rain and it rained. They said, God, stop it from raining and stop. He prays that God send fire and fire came down from heaven, let everything in sight, including water. You know, we use water to let out fire.
No, fire let out water. That's power. But then he ran a marathon in fear and in hunger and he became so despairing of life that before God even could minister to him, God had to feed him and get him to rest because times of doubt can come when you're emotionally exhausted, when you're emotionally tired. The fourth is this, that there are those who go through doubt as a result of sensing their personal inadequacy. You say, what does that mean? It's when the times that you begin to focus on your weaknesses, the time when you begin to focus on your limitations, the time when you begin to focus of what you cannot do instead of what God can do, instead of the power of God, instead of the promises of God, and then they begin to doubt God.
Let me tell you something. John the Baptist, he was first cousin of Jesus. John the Baptist knew Jesus as the Messiah. John the Baptist grew up with Jesus. John the Baptist testified to the fact that he is the forerunner of Jesus. John the Baptist testified that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John the Baptist testified to the fact that Jesus is the one and he alone can baptize with the Holy Spirit in fire. But when he got into Herod's prison and he sensed a sense of helplessness, he sent some people to Jesus to say, are you the one? John, what do you mean you're asking if Jesus is the one?
You know he's the one. But he is going through times of weakness in a time of helplessness and doubt comes when you focus on your inadequacy rather than God's adequacy. Let me tell you something. Doubt comes to all of us. It's what you do with those doubting times that can make all the difference. How you deal with doubt is what can make or break your relationship with the Lord. Whether you see doubt as a dead-end street or a detour, it will make all the difference in your life. Whether you see doubt as an opportunity to stay in sin or an opportunity to grow in your love for the Lord Jesus Christ will make all the difference in the world. Abraham, Gideon, Elijah, John the Baptist, the Apostle Thomas, they all went through doubt and doubting times. But they all allowed their doubt to draw them closer to the Lord instead of remaining in their doubt. Listen, I believe with every fiber of my being that God is compassionate upon honest doubters. So many Christians have this attitude that if you're going through honest doubt, then you are sinful. And they say, doubt should be squelched. Doubt should be avoided at any cost. Doubt should be uprooted. And I understand that.
I really do. And I'm going to tell you why. Because doubt is frightening to the child of God.
And for good reason. Listen to what James said. For those who stay in their doubt. Listen to what the Apostle James said. He said that the habitual doubter is double-minded and unstable in all his ways.
Hit me right on this one. If doubting is left unchecked, this is the important part now. If doubting left unchecked, if doubting is not repented of, if doubt is not confessed to the Lord, it can do a whole lot of harm. If you do not seek God with all of your heart during the times of doubt, Satan will use it to freeze your heart.
Here's what most people stumble over. Because they can only see a tiny glimpse of what God sees, they often draw the wrong conclusion about God. Because God looks upon his children, listen to me, even when they are going through a period of doubt.
Because God looks upon his children, and he sees them as washed and cleansed through the blood of his son. But we don't. We fall and we stumble.
We really do. But here's the paradox. The more you love Jesus, the more you become conscious of sin and failure. And the more you become conscious of your sin and failure, the more deeply you treasure and appreciate the love of Jesus. And the more deeply you treasure and appreciate the love of Jesus, the more deeply you love him.
Isn't that incredible? So many preachers are running around saying, we are worthy to receive salvation. We are deserving to receive salvation. Now if you think you're worthy to receive the grace of God and salvation, pray tell me, how could you, how would you appreciate the death of Christ on the cross? If I'm such a fabulous guy and deserve everything, then that's not grace.
It's just I'm getting what's due to me, right? That's a heresy. Because the Bible from cover to cover tells me something different, something contradictory to this false teaching. Romans 5, the apostle Paul said that no one would die even for a good man, let alone die for an enemy. And yet that's what Jesus did. He died for us when we were his enemies.
Let me illustrate this. Because I know people struggle with that whole issue. Worthiness and I'm not worthy or I'm not worthy. Charlotte Elliot who lived between 1789 and 1871 became so deeply troubled with this whole question of worthiness, whether she was worthy to receive salvation, whether she's not worthy to receive salvation. And one day a visiting preacher in a little town in England challenged her that the question is not the question of worthiness, but it's a question of grace.
So 14 years later she was able to write the words that has blessed so many people. Listen to them again. Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me and that thou bidst me to come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come.
Listen to this one. Just as I am thou tossed about with many conflict, many a doubt, fighting in fear within and without, O Lamb of God, I come. The more clearly you see the radiance of Jesus, the deeper I am conscious of my sin and what my sin cost him on the cross of Calvary, not the other way around. The more I become aware of sin, the more I know that I'm growing in my love for Jesus Christ. Let me tell you something.
If you think you're so wonderful and you're so great and you make no mistakes, you have no faults, I pity you. Do you know, now this is an indication to single men who might not observe things. Do you know why women get these magnifying mirrors and lights everywhere and they look so closely to it? The reason they do that, you know what?
They're looking and seeing if there's any flaw and so they can cover it with makeup. That's biblical, do you know that? That's really biblical because it works the same way and you walk with Jesus. The closer you get to Jesus, the more his radiance shines upon you, the more he exposes sin in your life and in my life, the more failures and blemishes become exposed in my life. And that may make me doubt his love, but it shouldn't. You say, how can he love me with all of my blemishes? Oh, my friend, but that's what grace is all about. That's what grace is all about. That is why you love him more deeply because he loves you in spite of your sin and your failure and your blemishes and your doubt. I'm going to say this and I'm going to conclude.
I hope it will explain what I'm trying to say. In the late 15th century, the Florentine sculptor by the name of Augustino di Antonio, Augustino di Antonio began working on a huge block of marble and he wanted to produce a spectacular sculpture. After a few attempts to make something out of that huge block of marble, he gave it up as worthless. And that block of marble, now disfigured and worthless, sat for 40 years. Then Michelangelo took interest in it and he saw beyond the ugly disfigured block of marble to the magnificent artistic creation that he knew he could achieve with it. He couldn't see much in the beginning and even in the middle, but the final statue was the celebrated David.
It is now widely regarded as the most outstanding artistic achievement of all time. Beloved friends, I want to tell you, God does for you and for me what no one else can do, including yourself, including myself. God sees in you and in me what no one else can see, including yourself. And just as Michelangelo was able to see beyond the outward exterior of a block of marble to what he could eventually make of it, in the same way the Lord is able to see beyond your doubt, beyond your failure, beyond your blemishes. He sees beyond the sinful predicament of doubt and its consequences. He knows that he and he alone can break the power of sin in your life and mine.
He knows that he and he alone can restore us to the image and the likeness of himself. Listen, doubt might cause you not to see the face of God in the periods of doubt, but the sanctified, justified you is never hidden from the face of the Redeemer. Doubt might cause us to feel the pain and the grief of distrust in God. And yet God sees beyond our pain.
He sees out into something great like himself. And when you submit our doubt to God, he can use them to reveal himself and his love to us in an incredible new ways. And that is why the Bible tells us that our salvation is anchored in God's love and grace, not upon our feeble feelings. And that is why the Bible tells us that our adoption by God is permanent, not dependent on how we feel in a given moment. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. Well, I hope that you have been moved to deepen your love for Christ through Dr. Yusef's message, In Times of Doubt. We thank you for listening to Leading the Way. Hey, our team is often asked how listeners can deepen their connection with leading the way beyond these audio messages. Well, you can find out many ways to engage with Dr. Yusef. Go to ltw.org slash connect. When you get there, you'll see links to sign up for my journal and my devotional. Both of these take you deeper into Dr. Yusef's content. You'll also see ways that you can submit prayer requests and you can find the address to send a handwritten note and more.
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