The opposite of faith.

When I ask most people what they think is the opposite of faith, they answer, "doubt."  I can understand that way of thinking.  Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  I feel great when God gives me the confidence that what I hope for is a sure thing!

But what about those times when I don't have confidence that what I hope for is a sure thing?  I'm not talking about my hope for eternal life here.  I'm thinking of things like, "Will my sermon this Sunday meet the needs of my congregation?" or "Will this paycheck last until the next one comes?"

Those are the times that test our faith.  I'm sorry, but I don't think any of us can be sure of everything we hope for in this life or certain of these kinds of things that we cannot see.  We pray as Jesus did at Gethsemane, "Not my will, but yours be done."  We are not sure; we are not certain.  We doubt.

Does that mean we have no faith?  I don't think so.  I believe fear, is the opposite of faith.  Fear causes us to believe that God cannot or will not take care of us!  Fear makes us take matters into our own hands, or worse, give up in despair.  Fear says, "God can't handle this situation, so I guess I'll just have to do the best I can."

Abraham, the father of faith, doubted.  He allowed Sarah to talk him into having a child with Haggar because he doubted that God could give them a child of their own in their old age.

Don't beat yourself up when you have doubts.  Doubt is a normal component of faith!  We continue trusting God, even amid our doubts.  It is fear that causes us to turn away from God!

Be blessed!