One day you think you are in good health. The next day you feel ill. Suddenly, you have no strength or vitality. Your head aches and your body is racked with pain. What has happened? Dangerous pathogens have breached your body’s defense systems and have attacked vital organs. Left untreated, these invading organisms may destroy your health permanently—even kill you.
Of course, if you are not well with an infection, you are even more vulnerable. For example, if your body is weakened by malnutrition, your resistance will be so low that the slightest infection can be fatal, "says physician Peter Wingate.
So who would live under starvation conditions? Most likely, you do what you can to eat well and stay healthy. You probably also do everything you can to expose yourself to a viral or bacterial infection. However, do you take the same care when it comes to staying healthy in faith? (Titus 2: 2) Are you aware, for example, of the danger of insidious doubts? These can easily invade your mind and heart and damage your faith and relationship with Jehovah. Some people do not seem to notice this danger. They become vulnerable to doubt by mentally starving themselves. Is it possible for you to do that?
Doubt—Is It Always Bad?
Of course, not all doubts are bad. Sometimes you have to suspend the assumption of something until you are sure of the facts. Religious exhortations in the sense that one should only believe and should not doubt anything are dangerous and deceptive. True, the Bible says that love "believes in everything" (1 Corinthians 13: 7). A loving Christian is certainly willing to believe those who have been trusted in the past. But God's Word also warns against "trusting in every word." - Proverbs 14:15. Sometimes, the past gives a person a legitimate cause for doubt. "Although [the deceptive orator] makes his voice merciful," the Bible warns,
"do not believe in him." - Proverbs 26:24, 25.
The apostle John also warns Christians against blind faith. "Do not believe every inspired expression," he writes. Rather "test the inspired expressions to see if they come from God" (1 John 4: 1). An "expression," a doctrine or opinion, could be from God. But did it really come from him? To exercise a doubt or to suspend faith can be a real protection because, as the apostle John says, "many deceivers have come into the world" (John 7).
Unfounded Doubts
Yes, it is often an honest, humble investigation of the facts needed to determine the truth. However, this is not the same as allowing unproven, harmful doubts to develop into a mind-and-heart doubt. Satisfied Eva's thoughts with doubts about Jehovah? This doubt is defined as "uncertainty of opinion or opinion that often hinders decision-making". "Did God really say that you should not eat every tree in the garden?" He asked. (Genesis 3: 1) The uncertainty that arises from this innocent-sounding question disturbs their decision. This is typical of Satan's methods. Like the so-called Gift Pen letter writer, he is adept at using allusions, half-truths, and readings. Satan has destroyed countless healthy, trusting relationships through insidious doubts planted in this way. - Galatians 5: 7-9.
The disciple James clearly understood the harmful effect of this child of doubt. He writes about the wonderful privilege of God for help in the time of trial. But, James warns, if you pray to God, "continue to believe, do not doubt at all." Doubts in our relationship with God make us like a sea-wave driven by the wind. "Become like," an indecisive man who is uncertain in all his ways. "(James 1: 6, 8) Then, as Eve has happened, we will be vulnerable to all sorts of demonic teachings and philosophies.
Maintaining Good Spiritual Health
How can we protect ourselves from harmful doubts? The answer is remarkably simple:
"Firm in faith." 1 Peter 5: 8-10.
Absolutely essential is a good personal spiritual diet. Wingate, a former author, explains, "Even when the body is at rest, it needs a continuous supply of energy for the chemical processes and work of its vital organs, as well as for our mental health without constant spiritual nutrition, our faith, as a body , who is denied food, wants to be progressively harmed, and finally Jesus Christ emphasized this when he said, "You must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance that comes through Jehovah's mouth." -Matthew 4: 4 ,
Think about it. How did we even build a faith? "Faith follows what has been heard," writes the apostle Paul. (Romans 10:17) He means "we believe in Jehovah, his promises and his organization through the word of God". Of course, we just did not believe blindly what we heard. We did what people in the city of Beroea did. We looked at the scriptures daily just about how these things were. (Acts 17:11) We had heard what was true. (Romans 12: 2, 1 Thessalonians 5:21) Since then God's word and its promises have never failed. -Joshua 23:14; Isaiah 55:10, 11.
Avoid Spiritual Starvation
Now the challenge is to preserve our faith and avoid any uncertainty of faith that can weaken our confidence in Jehovah and his organization. In order to do that, we have to keep investigating the scripture daily. The apostle Paul warns that "in later times, some [who may initially have a strong faith] will fall away from faith by paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons." (1 Timothy 4: 1) Misleading utterances and teachings create doubt in the minds of some and alienate God. What is our protection? To continue to be "nourished with the words of faith and fine doctrine that we have closely followed" (1 Timothy 4: 6).
Unfortunately, some today choose not to be "fed by the words of the faith" - even if such food is freely available. As one of the authors of the Book of Proverbs puts it, it is possible to be surrounded by good spiritual food, a spiritual banquet, and yet not really eat and digest the food. Proverbs 19:24; 26:15.
This is dangerous. Author Wingate says, "Once the body begins to consume its own protein, its health begins to suffer." When you are out of food, your body uses up the stored fuel reserves throughout the body. When these sources are depleted, the body begins to consume protein, which is essential for the continued growth and repair of tissue. Important organs begin to break. Your health will deteriorate quickly.
That is what happened in a spiritual sense to some in the early Christian congregation. They tried to live off their spiritual reserves. Likely, they neglected personal study, and they became spiritually weak. (Hebrews 5:12) The apostle Paul explained the danger in doing this when he wrote to Hebrew Christians: “It is necessary for us to pay more than the usual attention to the things heard by us, that we may never drift away.” He knew how easy it would be to drift into bad habits if we “neglected a salvation of such greatness.”—Hebrews 2:1, 3.
Interestingly, a person suffering from malnutrition does not necessarily look sickly or thin. Similarly, it may not be immediately obvious that someone is suffering from spiritual starvation. You can have an appearance of spiritual well-being even when you are not being nourished properly—but only for a short time! You will inevitably become weakened spiritually, susceptible to unfounded doubts, and unable to put up a hard fight for the faith. (Jude 3) You know—even if no one else does—the true extent of your personal spiritual feeding.
Hence, keep up your personal study. Fight doubts vigorously. To ignore what appears to be a trivial infection, to do nothing about nagging doubts, may have disastrous consequences. (2 Corinthians 11:3) ‘Are we really living in the last days? Can you believe everything the Bible says? Is this truly Jehovah’s organization?’ Satan would love to plant doubts like these in your mind. Do not let a negligent attitude toward spiritual feeding leave you easy prey to his deceptive teachings. (Colossians 2:4-7) Follow the advice given to Timothy. Be a good student of “the holy writings” so that you can “continue in the things that you learned and were persuaded to believe.”—2 Timothy 3:13-15.
You may need help to do this. The writer quoted earlier goes on to say: “With severe starvation the digestive organs may be so injured by lack of vitamins and other necessities that they can no longer take up ordinary foods if they are provided. People in this state may need food that requires little digestion for some time.” Special care is needed to remedy the effects of starvation on the body. Similarly, someone who has grossly neglected his personal study of the Bible may need much help and encouragement to regain his spiritual appetite. If that is your situation, seek help and gladly accept any assistance offered to rebuild your spiritual health and strength.—James 5:14, 15.
Do Not “Waver in a Lack of Faith”
Considering the circumstances of Patriarch Abraham, one might think that he had legitimate reasons for doubt. It may seem reasonable to conclude that he was "beyond the hope of becoming the father of many nations," despite God's promise. Why? Well, from a purely human point of view, things did not look promising. "He was thinking of his own body, which is now dead, and the infertility of Sarah's womb," says the Bible. Yet he resolutely refused to allow doubt on God and his promises to take root in his mind and heart. The Apostle Paul writes, "He did not become weak in the faith" or "wavered in a lack of faith." Abraham remained "fully convinced that what God had promised he could do" (Romans 4:18) -21) He had for many years built up a strong, personal, and trusting relationship with Jehovah. He rejected any doubts that might have weakened that relationship.
You can do the same if you "keep the pattern of healthy words" - if you are mentally well nourished. (2 Timothy 1:13) Take the danger of doubt seriously. Satan is doing something that could be called spiritual bacteriological warfare. If you fail to eat good spiritual food by studying the Bible personally and attending Christian gatherings, you openly face such attacks. Use the generous and timely supply of spiritual food provided by "the faithful and discreet slave" (Matthew 24:45). Continue to "agree with healthy words" and remain "in good faith" (1 Timothy 6: 3) Titus 2: 2) Let no doubt destroy your faith.
How well do you feed yourself spiritually?