DEFEAT the doubt

Recently I heard a politician say, "it's perfectly clear in my mind, I have no doubt." This caught my attention because as a psychologist I was trained to think that the human mind can not remove doubt because of biases and other limitations. Then I read an article that explained how "tribal loyalty" has taken over our culture, especially in politics.  In other words, the truth does not matter. It's all about loyalty. Absolute allegiance ushers out all doubt.

Or does it?

Actually, this phenomenon is neither new nor reserved only for politicians. It's a condition Christians deal with as well and have for 2 thousand years. Doubt creeps in when my circumstances don't go so well. I can't seem to find the fairness in forgiving someone who has hurt me really badly. The suffering in the world doesn't fit my idea of a loving, Sovereign God.

The intellectuals take a little different path than "blind loyalty" of tribal allegiance. They prefer to use the endless and futile ways of science and philosophy to reason away doubt. Anti-intellectuals, as they are often called, are the ones who use full allegiance without proof, that's why some call it 'blind faith', to reduce effects of doubt. The fact is, both approaches repress, not resolve, doubt.

The question remains, how do I DEFEAT doubt, not just "stick on the back burner" only to jump up and bite us at inappropriate and unsuspecting times? The answer lies somewhere in between.

Faith is not unreasonable, just unseen.

The team at b4worldview has identified SIX STEPS that can guide you to resolve uncertainty and confusion about what you believe. We call this “DEFEAT the doubt.” We agree that transformation in your life requires the work of the Holy Spirit, but Scripture suggests many times that we participate. To “repent” is to change our minds completely. The question is “from what to what” and “how”?
“DEFEAT the doubt” is a transformative process in the tradition of Romans 12.

Taken together these six steps can protect you in the storms of life by reducing your uncertainty about what God wills for you to believe deep down in your soul. This is the solid rock of faith (Matt 7) when the storms come. DEFEAT can create a firm foundation for further studies on Christian worldviews.

Discover the beliefs you actually hold dear to answer the ageless questions “how do I know?”, “who/what do I trust?”, and “am I OK?”

Explore uncertainty in your beliefs by contrasting the benefits and appeal of grace to the futility you inherited from the fall.

Find a “common sense” reason to believe there is a more excellent way.

Establish in your heart that God is the only source and authority that is trustworthy for all things good.

Alter worldviews to become a clear and defendable perspective, anchored in the mind of Christ and understandable to the culture.

Take ownership of biblical beliefs in common language that helps you control narratives at school and at work, strengthening your testimony when you might otherwise be confused about your faith.

Uncertainty and confusion in your life is doubt. This is Jesus' warning to all Christians. In a biography of Martin Luther, Eric Metaxas finds Luther’s quest for a deeper understanding (heart knowledge) of Scripture afforded him this - “at last a way out of the miserable doubt that had plagued him.” For example, Luther experienced a sense of freedom when an understanding of faith moved from his head to his heart.  He discovered that contrary to a prevailing influence of his human nature, faith is not unreasonable, just unseen - an interesting place right between intellectualism and anti-intellectualism.

b4worldview, a Christian education organization,has developed an online course that takes you slowly and surely though these steps. The b4worldview course helps put you in that same place as Luther.

Also, the b4worldview team will shortly begin emailing tips weekly that help you DEFEAT the doubt. If you wish to receive these tips, email us at info@b4worldview.com with the words "DEFEAT tips" in the subject line and we will be delighted to include you in each week's distribution of tips.