It can be a shock to look at the headlines these days. Some of the events happening here and abroad can make one wonder about the times in which we live. Are we truly at the leading edge of the end time? If so, are we spiritually ready to heed Christ's warning (Mark 13:22-23) and resist the prophesied deception of the last days? Do we have the faith necessary to fight the good fight to the end?

What about when our faith is assailed closer to home? Perhaps a sick friend dies in spite of our fervent prayers. We ask God, "Why did You let this happen? We did what You told us to do, but he [or she] died anyway." We suddenly have doubts that God is not answering our prayers. Is something wrong with us? Are we lacking faith?

We are not trying to call God into account with these questions, but we want to understand. When such things happen, we just feel empty and shell-shocked. Questions we have never considered pop into our minds, and we begin to have doubts we never entertained before. This situation is not unusual; we all have doubts that we struggle to overcome from time to time.

Doubt is not without merit, for it can be a springboard to greater understanding. In seeking answers to our doubts, we can find reassuring evidence and reinforce our faith and conviction. Because Christianity deals with faith, doubt is part of the process. Otherwise, we would just be dealing solely with knowledge and facts. In a true Christian, doubt drives him to seek God in faith, if he deals with it swiftly and properly.

So, how do we overcome doubt?

The English word doubt means "to question, hesitate, waver in opinion." Its root is duo—"two"—giving the sense of being of two minds, that is, unsure about one's choice between two things.

In the New Testament, three Greek words are translated as "doubt." When Jesus asks Peter, "Why did you doubt?" when walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:31), the Greek word is distazo (Strong's #1365), which means "to duplicate," "to waver in opinion," or "to doubt." It implies shifting, vacillating, wavering, or waffling between two positions. Our indecision often leads to compromise or apathy. A person standing at a fork in the road, dithering over which path to take, illustrates this term.

A second Greek word translated "doubt" is diakrino (Strong's #1252). Besides its better-known meaning of "to judge" or "to discern," it can also imply "being at variance with the self" or "to hesitate." James 1:6 uses diakrino in this sense: "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like the wave of a sea driven and tossed by the wind" (see also Mark 11:23). The Jewish philosopher Maimonides writes, "The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision." When we are convicted, we may see multiple options but only one choice.

The third word is dialogismōs (Strong's #1261), which appears in I Timothy 2:8: "I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." Translators also render this Greek word as "thought," "reasoning," and "imagination." It refers to an internal conversation, a deliberation with ourselves, questioning whether or not something is so. We all practice this inner discourse at times. However, the New Testament's usage of dialogismōs connotes a measure of disapproval or contempt in doing so about the truth of God.

So, whether our doubts are because of compromise, indecision, or confusion, the Bible indicates that doubt is a choice—or perhaps more correctly, remaining in doubt is a choice. We will have doubts occasionally, but to continue in doubt is choosing to reject what should be a clear decision or failing to take positive action toward resolving the crisis of our faith.

There is no magic pill to cure doubt, but we can shorten the road to recovery by taking the first and most crucial step toward the solution: seeking God in faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please Him." Faith is trust, and we must rely on our Father's revelation of Himself and the truth, His character, and His guidance. We cannot disregard what we have been taught, proven true, and believed and practiced for so long. In other words, we cannot forget the faithfulness of God.

We may be living in the most challenging and stressful time in human history. Undoubtedly, pressures and situations from every side will test and batter our convictions, like the storm that raged against Peter during his walk toward Christ. We will need to be spiritually tough as nails to endure it. God's solution is to stay strong, endure, and remain faithful, knowing He will work things out because His purpose will stand!

So, we must "stay the course." In its earliest uses, this phrase referred to racehorses having enough stamina to finish a race. We are also in a race, one for our very lives, a marathon, not a sprint. We thus need to pace ourselves, moving steadily toward the goal (see Hebrews 12:1-2). When something challenges our faith, we cannot afford to collapse and give up. Instead, we must faithfully seek God's guidance and maintain our pace through the pain.

When I was a teenager, my dad gave me a driving lesson. I stopped at a stop sign, but an inattentive motorist tapped the car's rear bumper. After dealing with the other driver, my father told me to continue with the lesson, explaining that he did not want me to be afraid of driving. He thought I should "get back on the horse," so to speak.

Despite what happens in the future, we should never allow anything to dissuade us from continuing our "lesson" with our heavenly Father. If doubt hits our faith from behind, on the side, or even head-on, we must remember who is in charge, that He has a goal and purpose, and His way prevails in the end. We will have to stand, dust ourselves off, and keep moving forward.

When confronted with doubts and distractions that urge us to redirect our focus, we must remember what we have already proven. We need to recall the countless times we have witnessed His undeniable interventions and blessings personally and in the lives of church members. We must not let temporary concerns—even severe shocks—undermine eternal truth.

Confusing events happen nearly every week, and some of them may push us to rethink our beliefs. In terms of future events, we are peering into a very dim looking-glass (I Corinthians 13:12), knowing only in part, so circumstances may bring what we thought would occur into question. If this happens, we must trust that God knows what He is doing and not let misgivings sink our faith!

Perhaps we need to change our perspective on these troubling events. An anonymous quotation used by motivational speakers runs, "Sometimes, when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place." We know that to get to the Kingdom of God, we must face the trials of the end time. But if we turn them into a necessary, though challenging, step toward our ultimate goal, we can put a positive, hopeful spin on the stresses before us.

Realize, too, that God does not make mistakes. He has created us, individually and personally, for this time in history and knows that we can endure and enter His Kingdom. He has confidence in us! Now is our opportunity to shine. So, even when doubt springs upon us, we must trust God, remember His truth, and move forward with endurance.