Three Cracks in My Faith

Read: Luke 24

"And he said to them, 'Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?'" Luke 24:38

Examine:

I can not fully imagine what must have been going through the hearts and minds of these men and women. They had loved Jesus. They had given up everything in their lives to follow after Him. They had been mocked and rejected by their friends, families and peers while Jesus was alive and now they all had been reduced to hermits hiding out for fear of their lives. Their hearts were troubled. Their faith was shattered. Their hope was quenched. Nothing had gone according to their plans and the Jesus they thought they knew seemed to them to be dead and buried.

Apply:

As I examine my faith I see three cracks that allow trouble and doubt to creep in. The first crack is the crack of insecurity. I am unsure of myself. I do not feel very confident in myself in many ways. I struggle with my self-image and I often wonder if I am good enough to do something. The words of people have a huge impact on me because of this. A well timed insult, a bad experience, or hurtful words can crack open my faith and cause me to become troubled and riddled with doubt in a very short period of time.

The second crack is the crack of being blind to the truth. My flesh and selfish intentions often create my own version of God's will and His word. I believe in things that are not true and am unable to receive things that are real truth. This often leads me to stand on false beliefs. When these false beliefs are shattered I am often left doubting God and struggling with my heart.

The final crack is the crack of unbelief. I don't fully believe. My faith in many ways is still being established. I am not sure of what I believe about many things of God. Denominational splits, books, TV evangelist, and well intentioned believers freely speak of the scriptures and often contradict themselves. There are many days that I feel like finding a straight answer is a near impossible feat. This confusion rises up, smacks my faith, and leaves a crack for doubt and trouble.

Pray:

My heart is troubled this morning and my faith is being battered by doubt. I have allowed the events of this week to come against the work that You have started in my heart and I now am in the process of exchanging Your peace for my emotions. My insecurity is nothing more than a negative form of pride. I have taken my eyes off of You and am focusing on myself. I pray that I find my confidence and strength in You and You alone. My blindness to the truth is due to me reading scripture and looking for answers I want to hear. I ask that You open my mind to understand Your hear and Your truth. My unbelief is something I can't even understand. I do not know where it comes from or how to get rid of it. I sit with You this morning and ask that You replace my unbelief with an absolute confidence in You.