Seeds of Doubt and Needless Worry

Seeds of Doubt
Needless Worrry

Written by Mary Carol Poggemann

It occurred to me today that I allow Satan to sow my garden with seeds of doubt. Sometimes, more often than not, I live in a world where I don’t have all the facts. And in those times it’s all too easy to let my negative thoughts run wild. Doubt is the first step toward being disobedient to God; He did not make us to doubt but to Trust and Obey. When we disobey, the doubt takes over our lives.

God told the Hebrew children that they would suffer doubt because of their disobedience. Do we suffer doubt for the same reason? Do we doubt God’s ability to take care of us in every situation?

Deuteronomy 28:65-67 (KJV) - And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

Satan doesn’t have to set traps to destroy me, all he has to do is place a doubt, and I twist myself into knots and lose focus of how good God is to me. I lose my sense of perspective and take everything the wrong way.

He doesn’t attack me with an outright lie; I would easily recognize an outright lie and ignore the prompting of the Devil. He just needs to find one of the many areas where I am vulnerable, or where I lack confidence, and slide in a crooked thought and I run with it.

It may be that someone got in a hurry and forgot my name on an announcement, or an invitation didn’t come, or an email passed me by; and, boy howdy, all of a sudden I think people are “out to get me”, or that “they deliberately excluded me”, and you-can-bet-your-bottom-dollar I take it personally. 

My feelings get hurt, my nose gets all out of joint, I feel bad about myself, I get mad at others, and I lose my objectivity and my productivity. And all that happens without my taking the time to ask the forty dollar question! Why?

God has been seriously convicting me about those knee-jerk reactions. He has been reminding me that others are just as human as I am. He asked me how I would like it if people jumped to conclusions about my motives, tried, and sentenced me behind closed minds. I had to admit I wouldn’t like it. I had to admit that it would hurt if I found out about it. And I had to admit that I have been guilty of just that.

I’ve, on many an occasion, felt wronged, jumped to conclusions about the motives of others, judged them harshly, and held a grudge over a perceived slight or injustice. Childish, right! God has been working me over because of this type of behavior. I am ashamed of myself for acting badly when I don’t have any proof that there was ever any injustice in the first place.

And, aren’t I silly to get myself so worked up over something that 99% of the time turns out to be nothing??? Do you do that too?

Do you keep your calm when the really bad stuff hits only to get all worked up over something little? Do the little things stir you up and irritate your soft spots? Do you think ill of others, or beat yourself up, because of what may, or may not have been, intended to manipulate or hurt you? Do you let those little hurts keep you from being your best for the glory of God?

Let’s not do that anymore, OK??? Let’s just pray instead!

My prayer for today... Dear Lord, please give me a thicker skin, the ability to overlook the minor irritations and the little hurts in life. Help me to forgive others as Jesus forgave me. Help me Lord to find the silver lining in every situation and to ignore the petty grievances that Satan stirs up in my mind.