THE DOUBTING TONGUE

The Doubting Tongue

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says

to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast

into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart,

but believes that those things he says will be done,

he will have whatever he says.

Mark 11:23




I fought hard to resist the knots that were

attempting to form in the pit of my stomach. This

was my first flight since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America. Though tempted, I

refrained from expressing my fear to the passenger

in the seat next to me.




As the plane taxied down the runway, I started

to audibly quote various portions of Psalm 91: “This

I declare of the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place

of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him

(Verse 2)…Do not be afraid of the terrors of the

night, nor fear the dangers of the day (verse 5)… Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten

thousand are dying around you, these evils will not

touch you (verse 7)…For He orders his angels to

protect you wherever you go (verse 11)”.




Long before the day of the flight, I had been confessing to myself and to everyone else that I was not afraid of flying again, but now I found myself at the point where the rubber literally met the road. The

promises of Psalm 91, as always, proved to be my salvation. Over the years they had become the corner I ran to in fearful situations. As I heard myself

repeating these verses, my apprehensions began to

subside. I made a conscious decision to relax and to

leave the flying to God. In my mind’s eye I envisioned angels holding the tips of each wing of the plane. I found this visual especially helpful during a few moments of turbulence we experienced during the flight. Each time I declared, “His angels have orders to keep this plane safe.” I arrived at my destination without incident. I had triumphed over doubt.




If we ever hope to tame a doubting tongue, we

must become familiar with the promises of God.

Words of doubt come out of an unbelieving heart.

Of course, merely knowing the promises of God is

not enough; we must become proficient at declaring

them. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). The

more we declare our unbelief, the more reinforced it becomes.The more we assert our confidence in a positive outcome, the more our faith increases. Because we will believe what we constantly hear, we must take personal responsibility for what we hear.We may have to limit—or eliminate—our contact with individuals who tend to express negativity about various outcomes, goals, or results we desire.




Often our words of doubt originate out of our

tendency to act in self-confidence. Self-confidence

is a concept touted by the world that tells us we must

rely on our own skills and abilities. This is a direct

contradiction to King Solomon’s warning,“He who

trusts in himself is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). When

we face a challenge and quickly assess our own ability to conquer it, we will most likely come up short—and doubting. We must be on guard not to give our

doubts substance by declaring them.




If the spirit of unbelief plagues you, I challenge

you to get a good study Bible and to search the

Scriptures for verses relating to your areas of concern. Write down a passage, meditate on it often, and memorize it. I keep a template on my computer for typing Scriptures to fit a 5x7 picture frame. I will select a passage that is relevant to a current problem. I cut it out, frame it, and keep it before me on my desk until I solidify it in my heart. When doubts arise, I nail them with the selected Word of God. This sounds simple but is not easy. Some doubts die hard.We must be persistent in declaring our victory.




What are some things you find yourself speaking

about in a doubtful way? Is it the fear of pursuing a

career or task for which you feel inadequate? The

hopelessness of forging an amicable relationship with a difficult person? The seemingly impossible task of getting into shape? Perhaps you have resorted to being a Doubting Thomas who would only believe what he could touch (see John 20:25).

God’s children are to live by faith—in God. We

cannot afford to get stymied in the “sense realm” of

what we can see and feel. Our doubts can deter our

destiny.




Our attitudes and conversations will change when

we face the reality that apart from God we can do

absolutely nothing. Decide today to skip the skepticism, doubt the doubts, and believe the best!




Today’s Affirmation:

Anything is possible for me if I believe.

Therefore, I will declare my faith

rather than discuss my doubts.