In John 16:9 I read, “The world’s sin is unbelief in me.” (TLB)
At the root of every sin rests at least a momentary doubt about God.
In John 16:9 Jesus says, “The world’s sin is unbelief in me” (TLB). If I don’t believe Jesus is who he says he is or he’ll do what he says he’ll do, that’s the root of all sin.
Here are some emotions I can look for that can help me know when I’m doubting God.
When I become impatient, it reveals my doubt in God’s perfect timing. God has a plan for my life, but he’s never going to be in a hurry. That’s easy to forget when I want things to happen on my own timetable, so I take matters into my own hands instead of waiting on God.
When I become resentful or bitter, it reveals my doubt in God’s wisdom. God is wise and good and loving. But when things don’t turn out like I plan or want, I think he messed up somehow. And I don’t believe he can bring good out of bad.
When I dwell in guilty feelings, it reveals my unbelief in God’s forgiveness. How long should a follower of Jesus feel guilty? About one second. That’s how long it takes to confess a sin. If I’m carrying around guilt, it means I can’t forgive myself because I don’t believe God has forgiven me.
When I feel inadequate, it reveals my doubt in God’s power. God has said his power shows up best in my weakness. But when I don’t believe that, it shows I think power should come only from myself. If I think that, I’m always going to be disappointed.
If I want to turn around those feelings of fear, impatience, resentment, guilt, and inadequacy; Then I need to start doubting my doubts.
If I believe in God’s Word, I can trust what it says about God and the way he feels about me and takes care of me. I can trust that God keeps his promises, has perfect timing, is wise, forgives me, and works powerfully through me.
In summary, Jesus says the world’s sin is unbelief in him. At the root of every sin rests a momentary doubt about God. If I don’t believe Jesus is who he says he is or he’ll do what he says he’ll do, that’s the root of all sin. There are some emotions I can look for that can help me know when I’m doubting God. First, when I become impatient, it reveals my doubt in God’s perfect timing. God has a plan, but he’s never going to be in a hurry. That’s easy to forget especially when I want things to happen on my own timetable, so I end up taking matters into my own hands instead of waiting on God. Secondly, when I become resentful or bitter, it reveals my doubt in God’s wisdom. When things don’t turn out like I plan or want, I think he messed up. And I don’t believe he can bring good out of bad. Thirdly, when I dwell in guilty feelings, it reveals my unbelief in God’s forgiveness. If I’m carrying around guilt, it means I can’t forgive myself because I don’t believe God has forgiven me. Lastly, when I feel inadequate, it reveals my doubt in God’s power. God has said his power shows up best in my weakness. But when I don’t believe that, it shows I think power should come only from myself. If I want to turn around those feelings, then I need to start doubting my doubts. If I believe in God’s Word, I can trust what it says about God and the way he feels about me. I can trust that God keeps his promises, has perfect timing, is wise, forgives me, and works powerfully through me.
. Impatience is doubt in God’s timing.
. Resentful or bitterness is doubt in God’s wisdom.
. Guilty feelings are my unbelief in God’s forgiveness.
. Inadequacy is my doubt in God’s power.
Father, I see three of these four emotions crop up in my life. Impatience, resentfulness, and inadequacy. I pray that with the help of the Holy Spirit in my life that I can continue to trust in your timing and your plan for me, and that I turn to you for my sense of worth, especially as I wait to see what you’ll do with my job role in the future. I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. Thank you also for the healing from my head cold. I pray these things in your Son Jesus’ name, amen.
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