Doubt Is the Enemy of Imagination

In review of James 1:5-7 it says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

Bottom Line:

If you lack wisdom, pray to God as he will give generously and graciously to all. However when you pray, you must believe and not doubt. If you doubt or unable to make up your mind, your much like a wave that gets tossed back and forth and you should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

What this means to me:

If I’m lacking in wisdom in any area, my first thing should be to pray for God, as he is generous and willing to give it to you. However I must not doubt, waver or be unsettled in what he reveals to me. If I do, then I’m much like a wave that is battered back and forth. If I’m like this then I should not expect anything from God.

What I’m learning is that doubt is the enemy of imagination.

When I was a younger child, I had a great imagination. But the older I got, the more my imagination grew rusty. I stopped imagining what things could be, and I just started living the way they are. I go stuck in the status quo, which is Latin for “the mess we’re in.”

Doubt and fear in my life will neutralize what God wants to do. It takes courage to imagine. Most stop imagining because they’re afraid of failure.

Courage after all is doing the thing you fear the most. So If I’m not afraid, I won’t need courage. Courage is when I’m scared to death but still say, “I’m going to do it anyway.”

Courage is when I do the right thing while I’m are afraid. I find myself wondering, “Should I wait until all my doubts are gone?” But what I’m learning is that I have to move against my fears. I have to ignore all the insecurity I’m feeling and just go for it.

James 1:5-7 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (NIV).

My imagination is either going to be governed by fear or it’s going to be governed by faith. It's my choice. If I let my imagination be governed by fear, I’m going to go around being freaked out, stressed out, and worried all the time. Allowing fear to control my imagination, will only lead to living a miserable life.

Instead I can decide that I’m not going to allow fear to dominate me. Rather I will practice letting my faith dominate. My trust in God. Then I can move forward in faith and allow my imagination to be filled with all kinds of possibilities, because all things are possible with God.

In summary, If I’m lacking in wisdom in any area, my first thing should be to pray for God, as he is generous and willing to give it to you. However I must not doubt, waver or be unsettled in what he reveals to me. If I do, then I’m much like a wave that is battered back and forth. If I’m like this then I should not expect anything from God.

As I reflect today, I think one thing that God wants me to do, but I’ve held back deals with sharing my faith/belief in him with others.  I should begin to imagine / visualize myself sharing more on a routine basis with those in my life.