Acting on Faith

Acting on Faith

By Samantha W.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

Last month I mentioned doubt being the enemy of faith. As such, he has been around since the beginning. Let’s go to Genesis and see how he works.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 NIV

Maybe you were mistaken or confused about what you thought God told you.

This first attack didn’t work on Eve, so doubt took a different tack. “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 NIV

Less subtle, this approach attacks the convictions that God has our best interests at heart. Maybe he doesn’t care about us. Maybe his Word doesn’t apply nowadays. After all, the Bible was written so long ago.

Doubt went for the jugular vein next. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Genesis 3:6a NIV

She looked with her human eyes, and what she saw contradicted with what she’d believed. The fruit didn’t look bad. She let doubt squash down her faith.

Doubt can also make things look hopeless, but the principle is the same in both cases. For instance, we could be battling sickness and trying to believe what the Bible says about healing. But we don’t feel any better. When we look in the mirror, we don’t look any better. Doubt tells us to face ‘reality.’

Here’s one more tactic doubt tries.

She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6b NIV

“Well, she’s doing it.” Adam could have argued. He played a dangerous game basing his actions on what someone else did.

We must be careful not to fall in a similar trap. I’ve read where some churches have accepted things, which do not align with the Bible. If we’re not grounded, we could easily follow their example.

Only faith in God can prevent doubt from swaying us. How do you act on faith, though? It’s a simple two-step process.

1. Read the Bible. Soak it up until the words penetrate deep within you.

2. Make a choice. Do you or do you not believe what God says is true for you?

If you feel doubt creeping in with one of his tactics, go straight to the Bible and read some more. Truth will banish doubt. Then reinstate your faith—not on what you see or feel—but on what you choose to believe.