How can I know God is real? How can I truly believe that God cares about me? Is it wrong to question God? What if I struggle to believe the Bible is true? Can I be a Christian if I have doubts about Jesus? Does having doubts mean I’ve lost my faith?
If you’ve ever asked questions like these, you’re not alone. Doubt is something nearly every believer wrestles with at some point. And while some see doubt as dangerous, the truth is—what we do with our doubts matters more than the fact that we have them.
The Apostle Peter says that we should always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (I Peter 3:15, KJV)
We often think of this verse as a call to explain (and defend) our faith to others. And it is. But sometimes, the person demanding answers is the one looking back at us in the mirror.
John the Baptist—the man who baptized Jesus, who saw the Holy Spirit descend like a dove, who called Jesus the Lamb of God—had doubts.
“Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3, KJV)
John was in prison. He was suffering. And suddenly, he wasn’t sure anymore. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus directly: Are You really the One?
If John the Baptist could struggle with doubt, so can we.
Doubt creeps in because faith is not the same as knowledge.
- Knowledge is certainty—it’s based on what we can see, prove, and measure.
- Faith requires trust—it believes even when there are unproven facts or unanswered questions.
This doesn’t mean faith is blind. Christianity is built on truth, evidence, and history. But faith always leaves room for emotions and circumstances to shake us—if we let them.
The key is: where do we take our doubts?
Here is a good 4-step plan of attack:
- Take them to God in prayer. Don’t hide your struggles—bring them before the Lord. The Psalms are filled with honest prayers from people crying out to God in uncertainty.
- Question your Doubts. Too often, we let our faith be challenged – but not our doubts. Learn to interrogate your doubts. Put them on the table. Examine them. Get clear on what you are doubting – and why? Put those doubts under the microscope. Don’t give them a free pass.
- Dig into the Bible. Doubt thrives in spiritual neglect. The more we immerse ourselves in Scripture, the more we build our confidence in God’s truth.
- Seek Godly wisdom. Talk to trusted Christian mentors, pastors, or friends who can encourage you and help answer your questions.
Doubt is not the enemy of faith—letting doubt fester without seeking the Lord is.
In addition to the Bible (which is most important), if you’re struggling with doubts or feel like your faith could use a recharge, here are some book recommendations for you (in no particular order):
- Am I Just My Brain? by Sharon Dirckx
- Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed by Alisa Childers
- Recovering Our Sanity: How the Fear of God Conquers the Fears that Divide Us by Michael Horton
- Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
- The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
- The Absurdity of Unbelief: A Worldview Apologetic of the Christian Faith by Jeffrey D. Johnson
- I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek
- Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God by Paul Copan
- How (Not) to Read the Bible: Making Sense of the Anti-women, Anti-science, Pro-violence, Pro-slavery and Other Crazy-Sounding Parts of Scripture by Dan Kimball
- Disappointment With God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud by Philip Yancey
- The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
- Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster
- Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Revised and Expanded by Henry & Richard Blackaby and Claude King
I’ve read the books listed above, but here are some books that I’m either currently reading or are on my to-be-read list that may also be of interest to you:
- Near-Death Experiences As Evidence for the Existence of God and Heaven (A brief introduction in plain language) by J. Steve Miller
- The Universe Next Door (Sixth Edition): A Basic Worldview Catalog by James W. Sire
- The Coherence of Theism (Second Edition) by Richard Swinburne
- The Existence of God (Second Edition) by Richard Swinburne
- Knowledge and Christian Belief by Alvin Plantinga
- Making Sense of God: Finding God in the Modern World by Timothy Keller
- The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ by Gary Habermas
- On the Resurrection: Evidences by Gary Habermas
- Bad Religion: How We became a Nation of Heretics by Ross Douthat
- Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious by Ross Douthat
- Original Sin: A Cultural History by Alan Jacobs
- Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard J. Foster
- The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible by Joseph M. Holden and Norman Geisler
- Unearthing the Bible: 101 Archaeological Discoveries that Bring the Bible to Life by Titus Kennedy
- The Historical Reliability of the New Testament: Countering the Challenges to Evangelical Christian Beliefs by Craig L. Blomberg
Of course, the only book I can recommend with 100% confidence and enthusiasm is the Bible. That’s the most important Book you need to read.
If you’re struggling today, take your questions to the right place—to the Word of God, to prayer, and to wise, godly counsel. Faith isn’t about never having doubts. It’s about knowing where to go when they come.
Thank you for Reading!
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