When Doubt is Important to Faith
Recently, I received an email from a man who asked me to provide him with proof concerning unique revelations I have received that he finds both disturbing and even frightening. Clearly his written words show that he has been reading my articles and watching my videos for a certain period of time. Why? Because he reports that he tried to dismiss my revelations but returned to them again. In fact, I have perceived between his lines that my videos and my articles have created spiritual doubt that is important to faith.
What I respect about this truth seeker is that he made it plain that if I have the truth that is from God, he better not defy or contend with me. So I respect that he has a fear of the Lord and a respect for truth, which causes me to believe that he is on the path to “walking in the Spirit” and that God will reveal the truth to him.
Consequently, rather than focus on his specific concerns, I want to make clarifications regarding doubt and faith. Aware that Christian Charismatics have persuaded multitudes of believers that doubt is the opposite of faith, once again, I have a different perspective. For we MUST doubt, in order to believe and ultimately receive truth. Without some doubt, we are nothing more than passive religious zombies. For if you believe primarily because of the influence others from your family or your religious community have set either by example or subtle or covert pressure, then your faith is vain and you are STILL in your sins.
So I open this discussion by reflecting upon what serves as the burden of proof where spiritual matters are concerned. Legally speaking, there are 3 levels of proof in court proceedings: Preponderance of evidence, Clear and convincing evidence, and beyond a reasonable doubt. Criminal trials that evaluate evidence by beyond the reasonable doubt standard have proven that each juror will evaluate the evidence from a personal perspective. What is proof to one juror may not be proof to another.
This is true when we consider our personal doubt in connection with faith. THE FAITH WE HAVE AS A HUMAN BEING CAN ONLY GO BUT SO FAR. WE ARE NOT BORN BELIEVING IN GOD OR IN THE BIBLE. We are not born believing on the Lord’s resurrection, but in order to be born again, we MUST believe it or we are headed toward the broad way to damnation.
Yet in our generation and every generation ever since His tomb was found empty, no one has met even ONE person that had overcome death in his or her flesh. NOT ONE. For there is no evidence on a natural level that can prove by a preponderance of the evidence, clear and convincing evidence or evidence that is beyond a reasonable doubt. In fact, the evidence that we actually have points us to trillions who have died since Christ was resurrected, with out our seeing even one person return from the dead.
This is quite the dilemma. A catch 22 situation. For I am equally damned if I believe the proof in the Bible, that the Lord was seen walking around in His resurrected body by over 500 witnesses as the one who sees this “proof” in the Bible and refuses to believe it. So even though our ultimate truth is what is written in the Bible, there is a personal component called FAITH that causes us to believe what we have not personally seen, simply “no visual, tangible proof.
From childhood until I was 33 years old, I did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I actually did not believe in His existence much less that He died and came back to life in His physical body and that He promises that when He returns, if I am in the grave, I AM COMING OUT IN MY BODY!!!.
Yet I perceive my doubt as necessary to receive faith from God to believe this outlandish, quite frightening revelation that JESUS IS RAISED FROM THE DEAD.
How did I believe what I perceived as “such nonsense?” I don’t really know how to explain HOW. All I know is that God placed faith in my spirit where doubt once lived , and I had nothing to do with it.
So I conclude that doubt can lead to faith IF GOD MAKES IT HAPPEN. Spiritual proof is EVEN MORE personal than legal proof because spiritual evidence is revealed and explained by God Himself. With the revelations I have received, I originally and personally received them as quite outlandish, opposed to my personal goals, objectives and expectations, yet compelling, none the less.
Actually it took me a year to believe what I received as being from God. I said to myself, “if what I have received is from God, proof will be revealed by studying church history.” My research became a book called “the Fake Jesus: Fallen Angels Among Us.”
So as soon as my personal revelations were received by my spirit as truth, my faith was increased beyond measure in spite of my original doubt. Why? Because the main reason why I ultimately believed my revelations was by my own interpretation of the scriptures as my foundation or “proof.” . The written word confirmed and revealed what I had received first by doubt, and then by faith a year later. Yet I suspect that my doubt set me on a spiritual journey that actually increased and strengthened my faith.
Sorry, I can’t cause anyone to enter into my space of faith where I rest and remain stress free. Since spiritual proof is personal, the only one who can provide you with personal proof is God Himself. With deliverance counseling, my job to is present the knowledge as I received it, the wisdom as I interpret it, and leave it up to God prove that He is the author and finisher of your faith and observe in awe how He transforms your need for proof into pure faith.
Its amazing how He does this!!
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