We all are like the man who cried to Jesus, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). The honest expression of trust and fear, of faith and doubt is a moment God respects.
I challenge you to discover where trust bumps up against fear, where faith stands side by side with doubt. What is your confidence level that full life in Christ is for you?
Below is an assessment of 10 questions, questions of faith and doubt, trust and fear. If 10 is the highest level of confidence (faith, trust) and 1 is the lowest level (indicating complete doubt and fear), which answer best represents you? Answer the following questions:
- I know I am God’s beloved, and He will never forsake me.
- I know that I am loved no matter what I have done or what has been done to me.
- I know the secret place in me where I experience His love for me.
- I know a fuller and fuller life as His love for me flows from the inside out.
- I am confident that Christ will create healthy relationships through me and around me.
- I am confident that the character qualities of Jesus will become my inner character.
- I am confident that Christ has a personal mission that He will accomplish through me and with me.
- I am confident that I will continue to grow in Jesus throughout my life.
- I am certain that the Holy Spirit will provide what I need at each step of the journey.
- I am confident the Holy Spirit will teach me the spiritual skills (exercises and disciplines) I need as I need them.
Your score may be relatively high (75+) or it may lean toward the low side (less than 50). The point is not the score, but your honest reflection of your inner spirit before God.
I believe that your trust will grow. I believe your faith will trample your fears as God’s perfect love fills your honesty before Him. Ask the Lord for the faith Christ. Remember, we are saved by His faith in the Father, and then by our faith in Him.
Copyright © Richard Leslie Parrott, Ph.D.