Wednesday's Word: Turning From Doubting

 

"So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering 
 the hope we cherish and confess our acknowledgement of it,
  for He Who promised is reliable and faithful to His Word."
(Hebrews 10:23)

 

Black-eyed Susan
Picture courtesy/Prairie Nursery

"You cannot perhaps hinder the suggestion of doubt from coming to you
any more than you can hinder someone in the street swearing as you go by;
consequently you are not sinning in the one case any more than in the other.

Just as you can refuse to listen to them or join in their oaths, so can you
also refuse to listen to the doubts and join in with them. They are not
your doubts until you consent to them and adopt them as true.
When they come you must at once turn from them.

Give up your liberty to doubt forever. Put your will in this matter
over on the Lord's side and trust Him to keep you from falling.
Tell Him all about your weakness and your long-encouraged
habits of doubt and how helpless you are before them.

Then commit the whole battle to Him.

Tell Him you will not doubt again, putting forth all your will
power on His side and against His enemy and yours.

Then, "keep your eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2),
looking away from yourself and away from your doubts,
holding fast the profession of your faith without wavering,
because, "He who promised is faithful."

Rely on His faithfulness, not on your own. 

You have committed the keeping of your soul to Him as the faithful Creator,
and you must never again admit the possibility of His being unfaithful.
Cultivate a continuous habit of believing, and sooner or later all of
your doubts will vanish in the glory of the absolute faithfulness of God."

Hannah Whitall Smith

(1832-1911)

Christian author

Image courtesy/Wikipedia

In 1870, Hannah Whitall Smith wrote the book, "The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life"
which has since become a classic in Christian literature.  In her book, Hannah declares
that the only way for a believer to experience true joy and happiness in their life
is through total abandonment to God.  In the chapter entitled, "The Joy of Obedience"
Hannah wrote: "Joy comes through obedience to Christ and joy results from
obedience to Christ.  Without obedience, joy is hollow and artificial."