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Mark 9:14-27
The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (v.24).
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When doubts filled my mind, Your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer (Psalm 94:19).
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What doubts have you been wrestling with? Why is it vital that you bring them to God and not keep them to yourself?
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Recently, I found myself chuckling over a radio commercial for car stereos. A couple of men joked about two things you don’t want to do on your own. The first was to perform surgery on yourself: “Hmmm . . . I think I’ll take out my appendix this weekend.” That’s definitely not a good idea. The second was attempting to install your own car stereo system. I have to agree with them on that one too—don’t try to do it on your own.
After I stopped laughing, I realized these guys were on to something. There are many things we shouldn’t try to tackle by ourselves. Generally speaking, it’s not a good idea to go through life in complete solitude. Going through life without regular involvement with others isn’t healthy and can be dangerous (Hebrews 3:13). And it’s truly unwise to fly solo without God (James 4:7).
Surrendering to God is not a one-time event. We need to come daily before Him and center ourselves in His friendship and authority. Some days we surrender gladly and willingly. Other times it’s not so easy. Painful experiences can wear down our faith and tempt us to assume the worst about God.
When we find ourselves in a crisis of faith—tempted to go it alone—it’s important not to pretend that everything is okay. Faking surrender can be just as bad as not surrendering. That’s why it’s important to be honest.
Like Gideon or Jeremiah, there are times we have to wrestle with doubts before we can truly surrender to God (Judges 6:1-22; Jeremiah 20:7). While we may still have some questions, a sincere desire to surrender can emerge from our hearts—one that reflects the words a struggling man once expressed to Jesus, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).
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Sometimes I have doubts that God can even help when I have anxiety and I want to give up. Last night I asked my mother if she would pray with me. It boosted my faith a lot to pray with another believer. I just pray that God will allow me not to have these doubts when I am struggling mentally.
Also, I have some difficulty of surrendering my problems to God. It’s good to know that there are always believer who are willing to pray for you and pray with you. I am always asking God for the strength and courage to trust in Him and always lean on His name.
Because I am not perfect and sometimes I find myself having done something I know God would not
Because I am not perfect and sometimes I find myself having done something I know God would not be pleased with me about, when I have sinned, I find myself doubting whether I should come to God for forgiveness or I should let a day pass before I do that. All that is because I am doubting whether the good Lord will forgive me. But I am aware that no matter how long it takes for me to come to the Lord to ask for a second chance it still has to be done. The word of God says come to me all those who are heavy laden and I will give you peace (paraphrasing). I thank the Lord that He’s a forgiving father. At no time do I take it for granted that He will always be there to forgive me but I have faith in Him who created all things great and small!! Amen
Your faith and your sharing is a blessing. There’s a subtle line for “certainty” and “taking things for granted”.
For example, when you sit down at your regular (hopefully comfortable) computer chair to surf and share, you’re very sure it will hold you. Even if it feels a little shaky, after finally settling down and getting busy, you don’t give it another thought. You’re certain, confident it won’t fail you.
Taking things for granted on the other hand, speaks of a condition of the heart that points towards neglect or even abuse. An example would be driving your car day in and day out and not performing the simple maintenance we know it requires – oil, cleaning, etc…
The forgiveness of God, specifically, the “throne of grace” is a place we can – and should – approach with certainty. “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us {who have sinned – emphasis mine}), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. (Heb 4:16 AMP).”
Satan roams about, seeking to consume (1Pet 5:8). His special weapon to use on Christians is Guilt and Despair – they cause unbelief and fear paralyzing us from approaching the throne of grace.
So running to God and boldly seeking His help when we sin is not abuse, but a direct order! Our Lord, who was tempted as we were (Heb 4:15) knows that if we don’t go to the throne of grace, we’ll stay consumed in our sorrows and guilt far longer than we need to.
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. (1Jn 1:9 AMP)
AMEN! What a wonderful, uplifting comment for us all.
I committed 1 John 1:9 to memory long ago, so that I know in my heart of hearts that God is faithful to forgive me for my sins that I confess to Him.
How glorious is Our God!
I am so thankful that the Lord heard my prayer last night and offered comfort today with fellow believers in my work. It is so easy to feel alone and discouraged in a large work environment (ok, and in life) and I was just very upset. Blessings to my co-worker for helping me out and being the light I so needed! And, of course, praise be to God for His timing and comfort!
I was thinking about this topic of struggling to surrender and even as I sit here now I can feel the Holy Spirit with me leading me to share with you all how wonderful it is when you finally surrender all to God. I want you to know that it really isn’t as hard as we make it to be, Satan would love to have us believe that we aren’t worthy or that it is too hard so why bother? But if we just pray to God the Father and admit to Him that we are powerless to do anything without Him and that we are ready to fully give ourselves to His service and that we repent of our sins then God is faithful to cleanse us and use us in His Service. We are not perfect so if we stumble we need to go to God that day and ask forgiveness and in His love He will forgive. One trap to avoid is to pray about something and then expect that God will answer that prayer right away or in the way we want things to go, remember all in God’s time and that God’s plan is the best and He knows what we really need and He will provide. Put your trust in God and know that the prayers we offer up are going to answered according to the will of God.