On The Eve Of Doubt

Happy New Year!  This year will be exciting here at A Gift of Grace.  Each week we will meet a Biblical character.  By the end of this year, you will have met many of the key people leading up to Christ and a few who came after Him.  What makes this approach unique is that we will spend time each week examining each person’s “issues.”  Admittedly, some of these “issues” are not desirable yet I am willing to bet that you have struggled with most of them from time to time.  I want to encourage you to spend some time each week reading our friend’s story. Allow their life story to shape yours.  We can learn from their mistakes.  We can imitate what they did well.  In the process we will learn the story of our Biblical family tree.

Let’s begin “In The Beginning.”  Meet my friend, Eve.  I call her my friend because I get her.  Eve had a pretty sweet setup.  She was in Paradise after all.  But like many of us, she wanted more.  In my opinion, Eve’s key “issue” is doubt.  Read Genesis Chapter Three very closely.  Do you notice anything in the Serpent’s words?  How about, “Did God really say?”  He played on her doubt.  If she was anything like me, she probably immediately began to question herself.  Maybe I misheard Him?  He couldn’t have meant ever?  Eve began to lack confidence.

Doubt leads to anxiety and fear.  Eve shows us this perfectly.  After eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve get worried.  They are afraid because they know they are naked.  And they know that God knows.

Think about doubt in your own life.  Don’t allow doubt to play on your own insecurities by asking things like, “Am I really good enough?”  Eve would want you to learn from her mistakes. 

The opposite of doubt is belief and confidence.  If Eve had banked on the fact that God said what He meant, she wouldn’t have been cast out of Eden.  Don’t allow doubt to evict you from life.  Learn to trust in yourself and in God.

When we succumb to the feeling of doubt, we allow anxiety and fear to creep in.  This week look for areas of doubt in your life. 

Reflect on the following:

Do I feel unworthy?  Do I fear that I am not smart enough, good enough, thin enough, etc?  Let’s not lose sight of the Serpent’s use of food to trap the woman.

Do I allow doubt to rule over me?  Does it prevent me from doing things?  Is there always something I wanted to try that I doubted I could do?

Does my doubt make me feel naked and fearful of God like Adam and Eve?

What one thing can I do this week to overcome my doubts?

Bible Scholar Alert.  Occasionally as we survey our friends’ issues I will alert you to some cool Biblical knowledge.  You know that kind of stuff you can really impress people with at cocktail parties.  One of these happens today in Genesis 3:15.  This verse is known as the “protoevangelium,” or the first announcement of the Good News.  A Savior is promised in this verse.  What happens between this Garden and Calvary is the story.  It is the story we will learn this year.

Homework.  Each week will have homework.  You should read the section that we are discussing.  I recommend reading Genesis 1-3 this week.  Also ponder the Reflection Questions.  Really examine the role doubt plays in your life.  Let’s be honest, we all struggle with it in some form or another.  Buy a new notebook and journal about each theme.  By the end of the year, you will be surprised at how many “issues” you have dealt with.  If you are feeling brave, comment here on the site or on Facebook with your thoughts.  I promise someone can and will benefit from your insight.