Doubts

There is a famous line by a man in the Gospels. 

“I do believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

It made me think of something I do in my own life.

I like to look through the internet, and I like to see how my Christian facebook friends are interacting with their nonbelieving friends.  At this point in my life, I have never found an argument of any type that has had an effect on my faith.  I could answer anything I find, any argument going on between friends, and every attack on my faith.  I'm not sure I could convince anyone to adopt my views, but my views are solid enough that they can't take them down.  So, I read these things, and even though they have no convincing power over someone who knows the deal (wink), they have a very strange spiritual power.  The most effective attacks seem to be the ones which are nothing but juvenile mocking.  When they are not intellectually effective, they are spiritually effective.  I read all these, and I get really troubled and beat up, and downcast.  Silly things.  Things which are obviously trash.  "The words of the reckless pierce like swords..." Proverbs 12:18  "...a perverse tongue crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:4

This masochistic habit leads me to two thoughts: 

One is that I knew when I signed up that the unbelieving world would hate me:

 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (Jesus) John 15:19
 "Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:13

and that the world thinks my faith is foolishness:

"...but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." 1 Corinthians 1:23

We have examples to follow who experienced the worst of it:

"When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment."  1 Corinthians 4:12

Two is that though I don't abandon reason, my faith is not really resting on intellectual arguments.

When I experience that type of harsh juvenile attack and it has a real effect on me, I wonder how other Christians deal with it.  It seems these days, a lot of them abandon the faith.

                      I know that it is possible to find an answer to any intellectual attack.
                      No one gives up their faith on the basis of  clear evidence, only by tactics of persuasion

It is the spiritual attacks.  It is the mockery and shame.  People give up the faith because they can't stand to be ridiculed and scorned and hated.  They want to be loved by the people of the world.  But that is why it is so important to be dead to the world.   

"You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4

So when trouble comes, and I am weak in the face of tongues like stabbing swords, which crush the spirit, how should I proceed when doubt and fear shows up?

One thing I do, which I find in that famous line “I do believe; help my unbelief!” is I talk to God about it.  I tell Him, I tell the Spirit about my doubts.  My faith is not riding on intellectual grounds, because it rests on a real relationship through the Holy Spirit. There is substance here, and when you see the wretched hated homeless ragged overworked Apostle, with light in his eyes and fire on his tongue, you know there is something supernatural going on there.  The faith works like a treasure found in a field, where you sell all you have, everything you value (even the opinions of your friends and your good reputation) to acquire it.  This treasure is all we'll have left.  And it's worth it. 

So I wonder how many apostates brought their waning faith before God?  I know it sounds logically silly, but when you see them, you can't argue with results. 

There is a promise that I love and treasure, that might go unheeded, because it sounds like a platitude for a refrigerator magnet.  “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Jesus) Luke 11:9

I've always said that this verse would be the guiding beacon of all my future preaching.  I think that holds true still.  I've bet everything on promises like these.  I've given up the whole world to be scorned and abused for promises like this, and I know I've got more hate and scorn to go yet.  I've not been disappointed.  I'm not left empty handed.

When we have been stripped of everything but our faith in Jesus Christ, we will finally get it.  If we would rather maintain appearances with the world, and so abandon this faith which makes us look foolish, we are doomed.  This is a fair warning.