No matter who you are, or what season of life you are in, there are days when every one of us need to be encouraged! So what do we do on the days when doubt and fear seem to be speaking louder than our faith?

Where does Doubt Come From?

I have learned that the first thing I must do on days of doubt is remind myself where the struggle is coming from. If we don't first acknowledge that we are in a battle for our faith, and that the devil comes to steal the truth away from our hearts (Mark 4:15), then we will never fight against the lies of the enemy and the feelings of discouragement that come with them.

Once we have acknowledged that we are in a fight for our faith (2 Timothy 4:7), the next step is to actively fight against the lies of doubt and discouragement. When we use the weapons that God has given us to fight, we can be sure of a victory every time!

How do we Overcome Doubt?

In my own life I have found that there are three powerful weapons that have helped me win the war against doubt and fear. These three things are the word of God (which Ephesians 6:17 refers to as the Sword of the Spirit), praise, and reminding myself of God's faithfulness!

There are so many examples in scripture when men and women of God used these three weapons to overcome their temptation to doubt. Let's take a look at some of them!

Doubt Defeater #1: The Word of God Replaces Doubt with Truth

When it comes to using the word of God to fight against the lies of the enemy, I always look to the example of Jesus in the wilderness. After being tempted by the devil, we can see that He overcame the lies and accusations that were coming against Him by using the word of God like a weapon (Luke 4:1-13). Rather than arguing with satan and letting doubt creep in, He simply quoted the word of God as it applied to the suggestion that satan was offering Him...and because of it, He overcame in victory!

Doubt Defeater #2: Praise Silences the Voice of Doubt

David is one of my favorite examples of someone who praised the Lord in times when things did not look good. If we read the book of Psalm, we can see countless examples of David's heart of worship. Each trial that David praised his way through was followed by God's faithful hand at work, bringing David to victory! I know that it can be hard to praise when you are feeling defeated and doubtful, however, this is the very thing that we need to do in times like these! Often times I turn on worship music to begin to stir my heart and get my mind on the Lord when I am having a really hard day...and not long after I am able to sing a song to Him from my own heart! Not only does praise bless the Lord, and bring His presence, (which will strengthen us and bring us peace and joy when we are feeling defeated, Psalm 16:11), but it will still the voice of the enemy, and it reminds our hearts of who God is!

Doubt Defeater #3: Remind Yourself of God's Faithfulness

Reminding ourselves of God's faithfulness goes hand in hand with reading the word of God, and praise. We can see a wonderful example of this in 1 Samuel 17, when David fought Goliath. Just before David was brought out to fight Goliath, he reminded himself who God had been to him in the past. He told Saul (who doubted his ability to fight the giant and win because he was just a youth at the time), that the same God that was faithful to deliver him from the paw of the lion and bear was faithful to deliver him from the hand of the Philistine! (Verses 34-37). Often times I do this in my own life by looking back in my prayer journal, and reading through the accounts of Gods faithfulness. As I thumb through the pages and remind myself that He has never failed me, I am so encouraged, because I know He will be faithful to do it again! When we do this, we remind ourselves who God is, how He loves us, and that He has a good plan for our lives.

Take Action to Defeat the Doubt

If you are having one of those days where you need to be encouraged, I would implore you to take time away, get into the scriptures, turn on some praise music, and remind yourself of who God Is! In the midst of a situation when things feel unsure, we can always be sure of one thing, and that is God is faithful, and He doesn't change!