Doubt

Doubt is one of those things that can cripple a person. It doesn't even matter what you are doubting, if you let that doubt consume you it can spill over into other areas of your life, and if that happens then things become very, very difficult. Doubt in your marriage can lead to doubt in your work, in yourself, and/or in God, etc. It doesn't stick within neat boundaries, it's a messy thing. And I really really don't like it.

If I'm doubting myself or my call to ministry or the effectiveness of my ministry it certainly effects the rest of my life. I'm in a bad mood, I get tired, I lose motivation, and I begin to question everything.

When this happens I usually try to avoid people, not because I want to hide, but because I don't want to say or do anything stupid while I'm down that I will regret later.

What usually kick starts me out of this doubt cycle is my wife. She can read me like a book, she knows exactly what kind of mood I'm in almost all the time. So she'll simply ask what's wrong, and when I'm finally ready to talk about it I begin to realize that all the stuff that's been racing through my mind, all the crazy scenarios and what if's I've been playing through, are exactly that crazy scenarios and hypothetical what ifs.

When my doubt is called out I am able to examine that doubt to see where it is coming from and what it is attacking. And once I do that I am able to bring it to God and ask him to give me clarity about that doubt. Is the doubt his Spirit convicting me or is it the enemy trying to trip me up and keep me from doing what God wants me to do?

In what ways does doubt happen in your life and how does it effect you? Your ministry? Your faith?