What happens when a seed of doubt is allowed to sprout?
In the beginning, Adam and Eve had absolutely no reason to doubt God. They had every provision at their fingertips. And not only were food, water, and good health never a worry, but Adam and Eve entered the garden sinless, so they were not separated from God. But yet, the enemy planted a seed of doubt. As Genesis 3:4-5 details, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (KJV). Eve had no reason to doubt God’s goodness or provision, yet she allowed herself to fall prey to the enemy. She allowed herself to ponder the enemy’s statement. (See Genesis 1-3 KJV).
As Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness, they had no reason not to trust God. He had demonstrated His power through the plagues upon Egypt. He had removed them from a life of slavery. He had saved them by parting the waters of the sea, allowing them to walk through on dry land, and then unleashed the waters upon their pursuing attackers. Yet, at the hint of hardship, the Israelites gave in to thoughts of doubt, believing they were doomed and were going to die. (See Exodus 5-19).
In studying these stories, it is easy to cast the stones… to question how they could be so shallow after all that God had done for them. But yet, then I have to stop and ask myself how I react to worry or hardship. When the devil whispers, “What if…?”, do I allow the thought to grow or do I pull it into submission by remembering God’s faithful provision? Well, if I allow myself to be honest, that single ‘what if’ thought often grows into the question of “What’s the worst that could happen?”, and then I allow my mental and physical response to escalate and act on the worst-case scenario instead of trusting God’s plan and provision.
From the above examples, we see the troubles stemming from allowing that first thought. If it is allowed to linger, the thought will sprout and grow into doubt. Faster than we realize, we have fallen prey to the enemy’s lies. In 2 Corinthinans 10:3-5, Paul says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (KJV). If a thought enters that counteracts what we know to be true of God, we cannot allow it to sprout. God has given us all the weapons we need to extinguish those thoughts. Through His Word, we have His promises and proof of His faithfulness to keep His promises. So, today, let us pray for God’s strength and His Spirit to fill us with the wisdom and knowledge to use the armor of God to bring “every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV).
