[Biblemat] A> Assurance Or Apprehension?

[ZekeFlores1 at cs.com]

       Here's an article I hope you can use.

       Zeke Flores
       Kiber Street church of Christ
       Angleton, TX
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Assurance Or Apprehension?
Zeke Flores
       "Did I turn off the porch light or did I leave it on? Did I remember 
to turn off the water? Did I pack my toothbrush?" How often have these nagging 
questions come to mind as we set off on vacation? Or worse, do they occur to 
us after already having traveled hundreds of miles from home? Pesky doubts are 
annoying for sure, but what about doubts of another, deeper, more perplexing 
kind? Do we sometimes ask ourselves, "Is there really a God? How can I be sure 
the Bible is really His word? Am I saved?" These are uncertainties of a more 
significant nature than whether or not you fed the dog before you left and they 
carry more significant and eternal consequences.    
       One of the most unsettling things for a Christian to have is doubt 
about the most fundamental elements of his faith and the devil knows this, using 
doubt as a most effective tool against us. God's people have dealt with doubt 
throughout history, even the most courageous of men have wrestled with 
questions over whether God was there and would help him. David cried out, "My God, my 
God, why have you forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my 
groaning. O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but I 
have no rest." (Ps 22:1-2) While this was a foretelling of God's seeming 
abandonment of the Christ to come, still they were the moans of a tortured man 
wrestling with deep doubt. Though the sweet singer of Israel could write psalms of 
celestial praise to God, other times he had to reassure himself in the midst of 
depression and despair (Ps 26:1-9, 37:1-ff, 42:5-6,).
       Sometimes we can identify with the disciples of Jesus being tossed by 
waves and wind and hear His stinging rebuke, "Why are you afraid, you of 
little faith?"  (Matt 8:26) Or we hear His gentle reproach "Why did you doubt?" as 
we sink deeper in the waves of our own despondency and hopelessness. (Matt 
14:31)
       How do we deal with the persistent, pervading thoughts of doubt and 
uncertainty? The short answer is "Faith!" The Hebrew writer reminds that "Faith 
is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." 
Assurance, conviction, and hope are the things that undergird our faith. They are 
the substance of what we believe, holding us up under the weight of doubt and 
our own scepticism. But faith, assurance, conviction, and hope will only be as 
strong as the one in whom they are placed.
       We can know that despite a world that says He doesn't exist, God is 
there! The very existence of the world is a testimony to the Creator, to the One 
who makes something from nothing and upholds all things by the power of His 
word. The reassuring thing is that God is there to His people on a more 
personal and enduring level: "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you." 
(Heb 13:5) His word, the Bible, is a constant stream of reassurance and 
promise for those who really want to be His. 
       "But," you ask, "how can I know the Bible is really from God?" That's 
a fair question since many religions claim to have books that are inspired 
from a heavenly source such as the Book of Mormon, or the Koran. The distinction 
is in the integrity of the book of God. While the religious books mentioned 
before are replete with mistakes, inaccuracies, and fabrications, the Bible has 
stood for centuries and has proven to be reliable, accurate and completely 
trustworthy. Men have tried in various ways to disprove the Bible on many levels 
and could not. The many evidences for the integrity of the Bible all point to 
the fact that we have a revelation from God that guides and directs us in 
everything from assurance to zeal, and sin and doubt.
       Perhaps the most wonderful thing about God's word is the confidence it 
gives to those who truly desire to be His people. Maybe the Holy Spirit had 
doubters in mind when he inspired John to write, "These things I have written 
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you 
have eternal life. This is the confidence which we have before Him, if we ask 
anything according to His will, He hears us." (1 John 5:13-14) 
       How does this work on a practical level? We simply live life as best 
we can, obedient to His word, in trust and faith that He hears and helps us as 
we trudge through life's storms. One man said, "Every step toward Christ kills 
a doubt.  Every thought, word, and deed for Him carries you away from 
discouragement." (Culyer) God's word says it like this: "Let us hold fast the 
confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful..." (Heb 
10:23)
       Doubt will come and attacks even the strongest of us, but there is a 
doubt-killer! You can be sure that God is there, that He loves you and wants to 
help you, that His word is sound and true, and that you can be sure you are 
in His plan! Have faith!
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