How to Conquer Doubt

Do not be unbelieving, but believing.
–John 20:27

Doubt is natural, but if we nurture the seeds of doubt, they grow into unbelief and ultimately departure from the faith. So how do we conquer doubt? Let me share three practical principles for moving from doubt to faith.

First of all, don’t deny your doubts; acknowledge them. We have this secret fear that our doubts are bigger than God’s answers. Don’t worry about that. God is big enough to handle your questions. Philosophies come and go, “but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Second, don’t dread your doubts; analyze them. We worry that entertaining our doubts will destroy our faith. But it’s good to analyze why you are doubting. Is it because of something you read? Is it because of suffering or unanswered prayer you’ve experienced? Is a pattern of disobedience in your life leading you to doubt God’s Word? Determine the cause of your doubts.

Third, don’t disguise your doubts; articulate them. After Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas verbalized why he was doubting and what he needed in order to believe that Jesus had risen. Remember, doubt grows in the darkness. Make sure you have a mature Christian in your life you can go to when doubts arise. They may have gone through something similar and can give you guidance for dealing with your doubts. Above all, go to God with your questions. When you turn your doubts into prayers, God will encourage you just as He did Thomas by saying, “Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27).

Thomas held on to those words for the rest of his life. Tradition says he went to India and then to China, where he founded a church in Peking. Returning to India, he continued spreading the gospel. One day, he was in a cave praying when Brahman priests, fearful that Christianity would overtake Hinduism, thrust him through with a spear. As Thomas died, he prayed, “Lord, I thank Thee for all Thy mercies. Into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” Those are not the words of a doubter; they are the words of a man full of faith. And they can be your final words as well if you learn to conquer the mountain of doubt.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Moving from Doubt to Faith,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

C. Bernard Ruffin, The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary (Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 1984), 117.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.