How to get past the doubts that hold you back

Ever had a dream in your heart but talked yourself out of going after it? Maybe your thoughts sound something like this: 

• I would love to go back and finish college, but I’m just too old.
• I know I need financial coaching, but I’m too embarrassed for anybody to see my financial mess.
• I want to try a group, but what if people don’t like me?
• It would be amazing to be in shape, but I have bad genetics; nobody in my family is healthy.
• I’ve always wanted to go to on a mission trip, but I can’t take off time from work.

The distracting, doubtful thought that keeps popping in your head, the but, can keep you from realizing the best God has for you. And God has great things for you! Ephesians 3:20-21 says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

When you hear yourself doubting what you know the Lord has placed in your heart, it’s time to take action. God’s Word is a mighty weapon against the enemy’s lies.

God’s Word is a mighty weapon against the enemy’s lies.

Satan’s lies are designed to sound convincing. John 8:44 reminds us, “When [Satan] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” He doesn’t have to work that hard to stop us from pursuing the dreams God has placed in our hearts. He simply has to plant or encourage the doubts that already exist.  

That’s one reason replacing the doubt in your heart with truth from the Bible is the first step to experiencing a breakthrough. Speaking God’s promises, aloud if you have to, will drown out the doubts that keep you from God’s best.

So instead of relying on your worn out "but," try saying "and" instead. 

I would love to start tithing, and Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house ...  and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

When you catch yourself thinking: I want to be happy again, but ________________, remember, there are no buts in God’s promises.  

Your blank might say, "I have an addiction," "I lost my job," "my marriage is in trouble," or "I’ve lost someone I love." These are painful parts of real life. The good news is you don’t have to face hard times alone. God heals broken hearts. Even if you can’t see it right now, God has plans for your life and they are good. In this situation, replacing the doubt with truth might sound like this: 

I want to be happy again, and God’s promises that He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). 
      
Recalling the promises of Scripture is how we overcome our doubts and step into the immeasurably more God wants for us.