Feeling Doubt and Distance - Wade Branch

Good morning, everybody. It is great to be here together

to worship Our God, and to, finally get to be together after

a whole week of not seeing one another.

This morning, I want to talk about something for just a few

minutes that I think is something we all go through, but

it's not always easy to talk about and that is some of our

spiritual feelings, we deal with As we go through our Christian

walk, you can study you all you want, you can process God's

word, but they're going to be roadblocks that go, they get, in

your way because of things you feel internally, spiritual

feelings. And the two ones I want to talk

about this morning, our feelings of distance, from God, and

feelings of doubt. Now, feelings of distance from

God, I think that is kind of self-explanatory.

You go through Seasons, where you don't feel close to God,

you're trying to To worship God, you're trying to understand God,

and you're trying to have a close relationship with them

through studying his word and you just can't get there.

And there's feelings of Doubt where doubt can be more than

just, you know, I don't believe God out can be a lot of

different ways. It can work its way into our

lives. And so I want to talk about for

just a minute, those two things this morning, I don't have very

long. I'm not going to be giving a lot

of answers to these big long discussions that people have

written books on there. I'm sure you might have a lot

more experience than me, but I want to just talk about a few

things to give us some assurance and to give us a little comfort

that you're not alone and that we can use the These feelings

hopefully for our betterment. So I want to I want to talk

about four main points. The fact that this is common,

the fact that they're examples in the Bible of this happening

that we have some a little bit of scriptural, advice to go

along with these feelings and how we can use them.

Hopefully, as a tool. So first this these feelings of

distance from God, feelings of distance from God or something,

there's almost something that makes, you know, you're alive

spiritually. It's showing you that you care.

When you don't feel like you're close to God, that's showing

that you care enough about God, to be concerned about that.

That's something that is so common to everyone in this room

who's concerned, spiritually, and to everyone who's ever

lived. And Psalm 13, we have David, the

man who is described as a man after God's Own Heart.

That's a pretty high description of someone.

But listen, what David says, How long O Lord?

Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face

from me? How long shall my soul

satellites? Shall I take counsel in my soul.

Having sorrow in my heart? Daily.

David came before the Lord and there's a lot of songs that kind

of have this, this plea for help and this plea for God's presence

in his life. But this one is describing David

feeling in a place where God was just forgetting him, God I don't

I can't understand you. I don't feel like you're with

me. I can't see you.

That is something that is so common, so David felt it.

It is totally normal for us to feel it.

Throughout the Bible, read of things like this happening.

But then we were given some scriptural advice as to how to

handle things like this and prayer.

And fasting is something that's discussed throughout the Bible.

Now, I used to think that fasting was kind of an Old

Testament thing talked about that a lot when they would

repent and they would fast, but really, Jesus gives us

instruction for fasting and Matthew 6.

So this is, this is something that we're supposed to be doing,

this is something God's people have always done throughout the

New Testament. And God's people have done it in

First Corinthians 7, verse 5, acts 14 verse 23, Esther, this

1 Corinthians 7:5 Acts 14:23

Old Testament 4 verse 16. When Esther was about to go

before the king, she was about to lose her life possibly.

And she said, tell my people to pray and fast, fasting is where

you don't eat. Sometimes.

People don't drink but really it's common to say, I'm not

going too fast or I'm not going to eat.

I'm going too fast for 24 hours or a couple of days Jesus did

for 40 days. so fasting and prayer is something that God's

people have always done to bring their focus in on God to bring

there, please before him and to show that there are really

serious about what they're doing.

Fasting has a way of drawing us into something that we are

trying to focus on Joel says in the Prophet The Prophet Joel

says in Joel 2 Verses 12 through 13.

Joel 2:12–13

He says, now, therefore, says, the Lord turned to me with all

your heart, with fasting with weeping and with morning.

So Rend your heart and not your garments return to the Lord, for

he is gracious and merciful slow to anger, and of great kindness

and he relents from doing harm. Who knows if he will turn and

relent and leave a blessing behind him.

Joel is saying here and the Commandment from God is to turn

with all of your heart and part of that process for them.

Was the turn and really humble themselves and fast that process

of not eating show that they were more concerned about their

repentance and more concerned about what God thought of them

than anything else. It had a way of holding them in

and what they were trying to do. Luke 22 verse 37, we read of it.

Luke 22:37

Happening, Nehemiah 1 verse 4, Daniel, 9 3, through 5, Ezra 8

Nehemiah 1:4

21, through 23. And, like I said, Matthew 6,

Jesus gives his instructions. So if you're feeling those

feelings of distance from God, It's not always something you

can just fix. But throughout the Bible we have

instruction that when people are trying to draw near to God, part

of that process is prayer fasting and meditation to really

zero in on what they're trying to do.

And just to remember that if you're feeling these feelings of

distance, this could be a tool to show you that you want to get

closer to God. Because if you don't have those

feelings, like, man, I'm not close enough to God.

I don't understand, God enough. I want to be nearer to him.

Then why would you ever seek to be closer?

Because if God is here, what's going to drive us toward him

more? What if we were just like, yeah,

I'm feeling. Alright, I'm good.

Where we're at, but that feeling of distance from God, is

something that pushes us closer. So let's learn to use that as a

tool. Now, I'm going to change gears

for just a minute, to feelings of doubt.

They can come up in a lot of different ways.

I'm going to start in the same place, we just left off.

Is that you can use doubt as a tool for all these feelings,

don't feel bad. If you're experiencing them, it

is something that everyone does. But these feelings of Doubt can

show you where specific areas are that you can refine your

faith. Romans 10 verse 17 says that

Romans 10:17

faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

So, if you're feeling like, you're doubting different things

about God, or feeling doubts, about different things in your

faith, we're told that Understanding God's word hearing

his word, is something that builds that so don't be afraid

to dive deeper. Sometimes it's not that easy

just I do I do read. Why does my face stronger?

Keep studying but just know that we're going to.

I'm not going to answer all these questions or try to solve

all these issues. But to show us if they're

examples in the Bible of this Peter and Matthew 14, Verse 31

Matthew 14:31

was when he was walking on the water, he came out to Jesus.

And when he when he started to lose, focus Lewis start to lose

sight, he started to fall you just call him and you remember

that whole interaction, When heat when Jesus picked up Peter

from the water. now, the whole situation ends with Jesus

saying, Peter, why did you doubt I think we're maybe sometimes we

feel like, man, I'm doubt I'm doubting, I feel bad and then

you just feel guilty. And then it says, 0 this spiral

on yourself, but Jesus asked, Peter Peter, why did you doubt?

I don't think it was like, like a, why did you doubt dummy?

What are you doing? I think he was asking him that

just to have Peter. Think about it.

What made you doubt? Because of Peter thought about

why he doubted, he could go find something that will help that

and then he could not doubt next time.

So Jesus leaves on the question that I think maybe to help us if

you're having doubts, ask yourself why am I doubting zero

in on it? Study it out?

Let's all talk about it. We can have conversations the

more discussion about these things, the better.

And we can zero in our doubts and help improve our face.

And next time, we don't doubt Thomas after the resurrection.

All the disciples were were coming together.

They're excited. They said we've seen in Jesus

rose, he's back. Tell him.

I said I'm not going to believe it unless I stick my hands in a

side touches hand. When he gets his chance.

And Jesus says, put your hands here.

Put your hand here. Now, don't doubt.

He didn't rebuke him and say those things.

He didn't say, don't doubt before he showed him, he hadn't

put his hands in the holes in his hand, had to put his hand in

his side before he said. Now don't doubt The reason I say

that is because we can have those feelings of doubt, that is

totally normal. Just let them drive us toward an

answer. It can be easy to be like I've

got all these doubts. I'm just gonna walk away from

it. But Jesus said, Put Your Hands

here. Look.

Look into this. And then Jesus said, now don't

doubt now that you have the evidence for what you're looking

for, it's out there. If you need more evidence, let's

talk ask questions. We're family, right?

We can we can talk about these things.

When the main things I want us to get out of this for both our

feelings of distance from God and feelings of doubt in

general, is that you should not feel bad for these.

These are totally normal. They're things that we all go

through every single person in this room.

So talk about it, you're not crazy, you're not weak

spiritually, if you feel these things.

We can work on these things together and get closer to God.

Those are my thoughts this morning.

If you have not begun this walk with God at all, you can start

today, come hearing the word of God.

Believing we learned that if we believe and follow the process

out, we will have salvation. You can repent of your past life

and Acts 2. Verse 38 confess that Jesus

Christ is the Son of God, according to Romans, 10:9 and 10

to be baptized for the remission of your sins.

According to Mark, 16 and 16. We thank you for listening to

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