Guard Your Heart against Doubt

John 11 : 17 - 22, So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. NKJV

"If you had been here, my brother would not have died." Can't you just hear the heartbreak, disappointment, and sorrow pouring from Martha's heart? Why would Jesus do this to His dear friends? Why did He wait until Lazarus was dead and in the tomb for four days before making an appearance at the tomb? Didn't Jesus realize the pain that He would cause to Lazarus' family? Didn't He care that they were hurting? 

You have to be careful that you don't entertain questions like the  ones I posed to you today. Although they may seem like legitimate ones, they are birthed out of a heart that is filled with hurt and that is giving doubt a place. There's a fine line between hurt and allowing the enemy to gain access to your heart through doubt. Are you looking to God for a breakthrough or miracle in your life, but it seems that God doesn't care about your condition? Whenever we have an unmet need, and it appears as if it is going unnoticed by the Lord, then that is the time when we must be careful to guard our hearts against doubt and unbelief. If we entertain thoughts such as, "Miracles happen in other people's lives, but not in mine." Beware! The enemy is trying to use delayed blessings as a weapon against us to cast doubt in our hearts and make us feel isolated. Jeremiah tells us to place our hope in the Lord; and when we do, God will bless us. We will be like a tree planted by the waters. We won't fear when heat or drought comes because our roots are in Him. 

Faith, hope, and perseverance will wait until the promise comes; they won't give in to the schemes of the Devil when it looks like God is late. The reason Jesus waited until Lazarus had been dead for four days was for God's glory. God operates on a level that far exceeds our feelings. He is in the "business" of saving souls. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it was so notable and irrefutable that it sent Jesus to the cross. The scribes, Pharisees, and elders were afraid that Jesus would become so popular that they would lose their strangle-hold on the people in Israel. They didn't want Jesus to become their king, so they conspired to crucify Jesus... all because He raised Lazarus from the dead. 

The purpose of today's devotion is to help you guard your heart against becoming a "victim of God's timing." When it comes to God meeting our needs, we all have a time frame. Nevertheless, faith will still believe even though God doesn't move in "our time." We have been called to believe until the saving of the soul. We must not draw back in unbelief because it didn't happen when we thought it should.

God is no respecter of persons. If He has healed others, then He will heal you as well. Don't doubt; just hold on to your faith until the Lord moves on your behalf. The JUST shall live by faith. Look! Here comes Jesus...

Waiting in Faith on God,
Pastor Asa Dockery