To begin with, let’s consider the first person who came to doubt the Word of God. In Genesis 3:1-3 (NKJV) we read, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And HE SAID TO THE WOMAN, ‘HAS GOD INDEED SAID, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden.’ And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, NOR SHALL YOU TOUCH IT, lest you die.’” As you may know, the “serpent” was actually the “Devil” (see Revelation 20:2) and the “woman” was Adam’s wife. In his temptation of the woman his main strategy was to cause the woman “to doubt the Word of God” which, he knew, would lead to her disobeying God. And thus he said to her, “Has God indeed said.” He knows that if he can get people to doubt God’s word they will turn from God’s Word and sin. The first sin the woman committed was to ADD TO THE WORD OF GOD, for God had never told Adam “not to TOUCH the fruit of the tree”; He simply told Adam “not to EAT of the fruit of the tree.” The moment the woman heard the Devil’s words she should have closed her ears and walked away. But by engaging the Devil she was soon ensnared and eventually she looked at the tree and coveted the fruit, and then SHE ATE IT (verse 6). Sadly, she also offered it to her husband and “he ate.” We call this the “Fall of Man” for the very moment he ate the forbidden fruit SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD (see Romans 5:12).

This temptation has been the Devil’s main ploy throughout time. He knows that if men believe the Bible is the Word of God they will be saved (John 3:16-17) and live lives that bring honor and glory to God. I would encourage you to read 1st Thessalonians 1:2-10 that shows us the power of the Word of God to SAVE and to TRANSFORM LIVES. In chapter 2:13 the apostle Paul went on to say, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it NOT AS THE WORD OF MEN, BUT AS IT IS IN TRUTH, THE WORD OF GOD, which also effectively works in you who believe.” As a believer continues to read and meditate upon the Word of God, his/her faith will grow stronger, for “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Jesus emphasized the need to continually read and study the Word of God in John 8:31-32, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, ‘If you ABIDE IN MY WORD, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

This, dear friend, is the solution to your problem of DOUBT. First, you must “refuse to listen to the voice of the enemy of our souls; the Devil.” Paul warned believers in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through PHILOSOPHY and EMPTY DECEIT, according to the TRADITION OF MEN, according to the BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD, and not according to Christ.” The Devil will use anything to introduce DOUBT into your minds. He uses “philosophy” (the “wisdom of the world”) and “empty deceit” (the “deceptive teachings of a false religion”) to make men follow “the traditions of men” and “worldly principles” which “replace the word of God” (see Matthew 15:1-6) and “contradict the teachings of Christ.” Secondly, you/we must “abide in the Word,” which simply means we must “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, they you may grow thereby” (1st Peter 2:2). After Paul warned the believers in Colossae to beware of false teachers, he said, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another” (3:16). If the “word of Christ” has its rightful place in our hearts, we will NOT DOUBT THE WORD OF GOD; instead, we will “teach and admonish one another,” knowing that HIS WORD (from Genesis through Revelation!) IS TRUTH. Remember, we saw that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God,” so the Word of God will effectually PRODUCE FAITH and REMOVE DOUBT.  (474.1)  (DO)