Beauty in your life- change your thoughts for a positive outlook
What was the last live performance you saw?
The last live performance I saw was at the Bees Stadium in Utah it was a Kenny Chesney and Megan Moroney concert last year. Unfortunately, I had nosebleed seats, and couldn’t get any good pictures. But unless you’re not a country music fan, here is a photo.
Let’s be honest, doubt isn’t a foreign concept to any of us. Whether you’ve been following Jesus for decades or a brand new on this walk, there’s a good chance you’ve wrestled with questions that seem to shake the very foundation of what you believe. And it’s okay. Doubt isn’t the enemy of faith, it can be a doorway to a deeper trust in God.
We can overcome doubt by walking through some biblical principles the address a few of the most common struggles that we all face.
These are some doubts. I still have from time to time. How about you?
There is some practical ism to tackle these doubts head on and discover how God uses them to strengthen our faith. Maybe doubting isn’t something to be feared, but an opportunity for God to meet us in a deeper way.
It’s easy to assume that doubt makes us a bad follower, but nothing could be further from the truth. Some of the greatest heroes of faith in scripture wrestled with doubt, and God didn’t abandon them -He met them in their questions.
Take Thomas a disciple of Jesus for example. After the resurrection, he famously refused to believe that Jesus who rose from the grave until he could see and touch Jesus‘s wounds for himself (John 20:24-29). And what was Jesus‘s response? Did He rebuke Thomas for his doubt? No. He met him where he was, offering His hands and side as proof. Jesus didn’t dismiss us. He gave him what he needed to believe.
King David, a man after God‘s own heart, also wrestled with doubt. In Psalm 13:1-2, he cried out,
“How long Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”
David votes didn’t make him any less faithful, they revealed his deep dependence on God.
And who can’t forget about the father in Mark 9:24 who cried out,
“I believe, help my unbelief.”
This one line perfectly captures the tension we all feel, belief and doubt can coexist.
Doubt , brought to God, and actually deep in our relationship with Him. It forces us to lean into His word and promises, seeking answers in His truth rather than our own emotions. Instead of seeing doubt as a sign of failure, we need to view it as an invitation to grow in our faith.
2. Trust God’s Word, Not Your Feelings
One of the hardest doubts as a follower of Jesus is wondering, “Am I really saved?” is the kind of question that can keep us up at night, replaying our mistakes and wondering if we’ve truly done enough or bleed enough to secure a place in heaven. But there is good news, our salvation doesn’t depend on our feelings. It depends on God’s promises, and His promises never fail.
The Bible is crystal clear. If we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior and believe in His resurrection, we are saved (Romans 10:9-10). Jesus Himself promises us,
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one will snatch them out of my hand” -John 10:28.
Notice how these assurances don’t hand on how we feel on any given day. They rest entirely on the finished work of Jesus.
Feelings are important, and can be incredibly reliable. But they fluctuate with circumstances, stress, and even what we ate for lunch. God‘s word on the other hand, is a solid foundation. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that Jesus is,
“The same yesterday and today and forever.”
Our salvation is as secure as His character.
When we struggle without about our salvation, we can make it a habit to memorize and meditate on scripture that affirm God‘s promises. Scripture like Ephesians 2:8-9,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.”
Beyond our salvation, learning to trust God’s Word over our feelings applies to every area of life. When whispers to us, “God isn’t listening,” or He doesn’t care about you,” remind yourself of the truth in 1 Peter 5:7,
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
Trusting God’s Word over our feeling isn’t always easy, but it’s the key to overcoming doubt and standing firm in our faith.
3. Reflect On God’s Faithfulness
One of the best ways to combat doubt is to reflect on God’s faithfulness both in scripture and our own lives. The Bible is full of reminders of God’s constant presence and provision.
If we look at Exodus 14:21-22 of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, God didn’t just make a way for them; He literally split the sea to lead them to safety. During their time in the wilderness, He provided manna, quail, and water, meeting their every need.
God’s faithfulness isn’t just an ancient story, it is alive and active today. I can think back to moments in my own life where God has stepped in and gotten me out of a few situations that I could not have gotten myself out of. I’m sure you can think of a few situations was well. These moments prove that He is with you. It’s because of the Lord’s great love for us that we are not consumed. His compassions never fail. They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
4. Fight The Lies of the Enemy
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Doubt often comes straight from the pit of hell. Jesus called satan the “father of lies” in John 8:44, and one of his favorite tactics is planting seeds of doubt in our minds. Whether it’s whispering that God doesn’t love us, that He’s abandoned us, or that we’ve gone too far for God to give us grace, Satan knows how to twist the truth. That’s why it’s important to learn how to overcome doubt when we begin to follow Jesus and replace those lies with the truth of God’s Word.
When we recognize the lies satan tells us and replace them with God’s truth, doubt loses its grip. Satan tries to undermine our faith, but God who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
5. Lean into the Church Community
One of satan’s sneakiest tricks is trying to isolate us in our doubt. When we wrestle with questions of doubt or feat it’s tempting to keep to ourselves, but Scripture reminds us that we were never meant to walk this journey called of life alone.
The church and local Bible studies are gifts from God. They were designed to strengthen our faith in tough times. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us,
“Let’s consider how to provide one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.”
Friendships with other believers provide encouragement, accountability, and reminders of God’s truth.
Consider what Proverbs 27:17 says,
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
God uses churches and fellowship with other believers to help us grow stronger, especially in moments of doubt.
Sometimes hearing someone else affirm God’s promises and His love can reignite our faith in ways we couldn’t achieve on our own.
Let the church be your safety net, whether it’s attending a Bible study, or joining a small prayer meeting, leaning on others can help us overcome doubt. We don’t have to carry the weight of doubt alone. God placed people in our lives to walk with us through it all.
6. Learn to trust God in your daily life
We can trust God in the details of our daily life. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking God is too busy running the universe to care about our problems, but Scripture tells us a different story.
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus reminds us that if God cares about the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, He certainly cares for us. He knows exactly what we need when we need it and promises to provide for us.
The key to trusting God daily is developing habits that keep our focus on Him. Praying, Bible reading and gratitude is a ways to stay focused on Him.
God is deeply involved in our lives, even when we can’t see it. Trusting Him in the daily details will not only help us overcome doubt but also help us draw closer to His heart.
7. Pray with honesty and persistence
If we want to know how to overcome doubt we should start by talking to the One who knows us best. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have, but it’s easy to forget that it doesn’t need to be polished perfectly. Some of the most effective prayers are the ones that come from a place of raw honesty.
Psalms is a perfect example of this. They are filled with David’s unfiltered cries to God,
“Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” -Psalm 10:1
David didn’t hold back his doubts and fears, and neither should we. Honest prayers are a way of inviting God into the messiness of our thoughts and allowing Him to bring us peace and clarity.
Remember prayer isn’t just about asking for things, it’s about growing closer to God. As we pour out our hearts to Him, we will discover that doubt begins to fade and is replaced by the assurance of His love and presence.
Our doubts don’t have to derail our faith. In fact, it can be a stepping stone to a stronger, deeper relationship with God.
Pain is a part of life. Pain that is difficult to experience. We deal with pain every day in some form or another. Some is the result of our own poor choices. But the pain in our lives is sometimes the result of others poor choices.
It is in this journey called life that we begin to define ourselves. And they make up the experiences that shape who we are.
“Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you.”
It is through pain that we have incredible stories and amazing images of the context and content of our lives. We need to understand that God does not hold our past against us, but the pain we endured during that time has the incredible ability to mold and define who become.
I have scars on my face due to a deep fryer accident as a young child.
Many of us outward signs of pain scars or wounds that tell a story. The events or people we remember every time we see our scars.
Our scars whether physical, emotional, or spiritual often make moments of struggle, survival, and divine intervention. Our scars can symbolize how we’ve overcome trials.
Scars say we have won the fight, they are not just blemishes, but symbols of resilience and triumphs over adversity. They represent the battles we’ve faced and the strength we’ve gained through overcoming them.
They are a reminder of our capacity for endurance and our ability to overcome challenges.
What do you do to be involved in the community?
Volunteering in your community reduces stress and depression as well as increases life satisfaction. It also fosters relationships with like minded people and is linked to lowering blood pressure and leads to longer lifespans.
I volunteered in the community for over 15 years. Helping veterans and working with recovering addiction people and facilitating mental support groups.
Obedience is our spiritual life is a form of warfare, because obedience creation atmosphere that brings righteousness to dark places.
it doesn’t make logical sense here on earth, but in the supernatural it does. We have to move beyond the natural to even discuss the topic of spiritual warfare.
Over and over in the Bible, we see people doing normal things with supernatural results, people falling in God’s instructions and then seeing miraculous things happen.
An example of this is Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus in acts 9. On the road to Damascus, Paul experienced a transformative encounter with a divine that turned his life upside down.
Paul formerly known as Saul was a persecutor of early Christians, he was struck blind by a bright light and heard the voice of Jesus asking him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” it was a powerful moment that not only led to his physical blindness, but also opened his spiritual eyes and the truth of Jesus‘s message. Paul’s conversion served as a profound example of how God can intervene in unexpected ways to call individuals to a higher purpose.
It illustrates the idea that no one is beyond redemption, and that even those deeply entrenched in opposing beliefs can be reached by divine grace.
The story of Paul on the road to Damascus challenges as to consider our own preconceived, notions and biases, reminding us that God‘s way our mysterious and transformative beyond human comprehension.
What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?
I imagine stepping into a role of a psychologist. It would be like I was a detective of the human mind, piecing together clues from thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
With each person sharing their world. Sharing their experiences through their eyes.
I believe most mental illnesses stem from childhood experiences. Working as a facilitator at a support group I’ve seen this scenarios play over and over with people. Whether it be abuse, neglect, seeing violent acts.
It’s something that can breaks all of us, but why do some people develop mental illnesses and some don’t.
Is it the coping mechanism we have or our perspective we hold in life?
Whatever the answer to this question. I would like an opportunity to share things I have learned over the years in my journey in life and maybe give people a way to cope and even a way to change their perspective on life.
“The fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe” -Proverbs 29:25
The fear of God over man was lived by Christian martyrs and still relevant today. It guides us to prioritize divine truth over human pressure.
Today many people face pressure to conform to cultural norms and ideologies or trends that conflict with biblical values which can compromise morality, truth, or faith to avoid criticism or social ostracism.
If you look at what’s happening in the world today, you might think people have lost their ever-loving minds. It’s pretty easy to decipher good from evil if you have a good foundation in your life.
Fearing God means standing firm in our convictions. Choosing to uphold biblical teachings even if it risks disapproval and trusting God’s approval matters more.  Always striving for outward speech and inward thoughts in our lives.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight” -Psalm 19:14
Fear of man shows up in seeking validation. We see this through social media, peer groups, and public opinion. Many people choose to stay silent about their faith in God to avoid being labeled intolerant or irrelevant.
Fearing man can be a powerful and negative choice. If we want to overcome the fear of man it’s important to recognize human desire and then choose to trust in God’s strength and faithfulness.
What are your favorite brands and why?
I usually think brands are a waste of money. But there is one brand of shoes I have found that live up to their reputation and that is Skechers.
I was born with flat feet and now that I’m getting older I feel it more than ever.
I need a shoe with good arch support. The one I’ve found this is the best is Skechers.
List the people you admire and look to for advice…
I seek advice from those who have achieved what I aspire to. Many people have loud opinions, but I want to seek people with proven results.
My pastor comes to mind, and people who have can pray God’s Word from memory.
I always seek advice from the Bible and pray about it.
Paul’s thorn is a great example of how to trust God for strength. It reveals how God works through human weakness.
This is described in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 where Paul writes that he was given a thorn to keep him from being conceited,
“By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me” -2 Corinthians 13:7-8
There are varying ideas that speculate Paul’s thorn was a physical ailment, emotional struggle, or spiritual opposition. But it ailment doesn’t matter, as much as its purpose and God’s response to it.
The purpose of the thorn allowed Paul to remain humble and focus on God’s grace rather than his own accomplishments or visions. This shows us how God can use difficulties to shape our character and deepen our reliance on Him.
Paul’s response after he pleaded with God three times to remove the “thorn,” showed his honest vulnerability. Yet he didn’t become bitter when the thorn remained, he accepted God’s answer which molded his trust in God’s divine wisdom over personal comfort.
God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” This flipped Paul’s perspective -his weakness became a stage for God’s strength. He even boasted about his weaknesses knowing that they showcased Jesus’s power (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The outcome of Paul’s thorn didn’t hinder his purpose, it enhanced it. He continued his mission – preaching, writing, and enduring hardships because God’s grace sustained him. His letters in the Bible reflect a strength that goes beyond human capacity and has impacted many generations.
When we walk with God, understanding the spiritual consequences of sin is vital. Sin at its core, is rebellion against God’s divine law. It not only separates us from Him but also brings spiritual bonds that enslave us, leaving us vulnerable to more disobedience and despair.
The Bible provides profound insights into how sin affects us spiritually, emotionally, and even physically.
Jesus Himself destined sin as a form of bondage. In John 8:34-35, He said,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever.”
This bondage is not merely symbolic, it has real spiritual consequences. Sin creates chains that bind our souls making it harder to walk in righteousness and experience the freedom God desires for us.
Sin is deceptive, it often appears harmless or even desirable at first, but its consequences are far-reaching. James 1:15 warns,
“When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Disobedience to God allows sin to grow unchecked in our lives, leading to spiritual death. The bond of sin can manifest as guilt, shame, addiction, or even a hardened heart that resists the Holy Spirit.
The weight of Spiritual bondage.
David experienced the crushing weight of sin when he disobeyed God. In Psalm 38:4 he said,
“For my iniquities have gone over my head, like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.”
Sin burdens our souls, robbing us of peace and joy. It creates spiritual chains that affect our ability to connect with God and fulfill His purpose for our lives.
There is deliverance through obedience and repentance.
Thankfully there is good news. God provided a way to break free from the bonds of sin. In Romans 6:22 Paul writes,
“Now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”
Through repentance and obedience to God’s Word, we can experience deliverance. Confession and turning away from sin allow God to cleanse us and restore our spiritual freedom.
The role of Jesus in breaking the bonds.
Jesus is the ultimate chain breaker. Isaiah 61:1 prophecies about Jesus’s mission:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good things to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
By Jesus’s death and resurrection, He defeated sin and its power over us. When we surrender to Him, He breaks the chains that bind us and sets us free to live in His light.
We can break free from the chains of sin and walk in the freedom God intended for us.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” -1 Johm 1:9
Strive to obey God daily, living in the freedom and joy that comes from walking in His ways.
Do you vote in political elections?
It is a freedom to vote in America if you’re a citizen.
My political views align with what the Bible says.
These include:
Sanctity of life
Moral values
Integrity and leadership
Religious freedom
While candidates may not fully embody biblical ideals this choice may require some compromise. I choose the closest one.
From Pity to Praise