Don't Doubt!

Very long message alert. Pray and settle in for the read.

DON’T DOUBT

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

I normally send this on New Year’s Eve, but would like to send this early so you have time to read and digest whatever the Lord chooses to share with you.

My hope is that everyone had a good Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year, but I know this is not the case for everyone.

I know that for many some spent the holidays with families while others were grieving the loss of loved ones, a recent layoff, a health diagnosis, recovery from a surgery, exhaustion from work, or depression.

There are and will always be two sides and parallels in those around us.
Some are laughing while others are crying.
Some are getting promotions while others are being given a 30 day notice.
Some are building new homes while others are relocating to a smaller apartment and putting items in storage.
Some are getting married while others are going through a nasty divorce.
Others are being healed and recovering, while others have passed on to be with the Lord.

Just bear with me…I promise the Lord has something to say to you. He has something to say to all of us.

Personally, the beginning of this year did not start out good for me. The first half of 2025 I barely wanted to get out of bed. I dreaded most days and every day felt like a chore or heavy weight to move and actually use my brain. I remember feeling sadness and irritation because I was unable to workout due to a temporary injury.

And as most of us know, we can’t always just take a day off and crawl under the covers. Someone, or something somewhere is depending on us. Whether it is work, family, friends, or the turn of tomorrow requires us to complete a task.

But what I did not realize throughout this year until the Fall is that the Holy Spirit was strengthening me for me yes, but to continue to help and remind others who still is King.

You see…I can be down, but something gets stirred up in me to see others barely making it.

Something in me is like “oh no sir, not today. Or oh yes ma’am you got this.”

When we start out with Jesus it really is like the Word says we can only be fed milk but at some point you move to a place of meat.

I know we will never fully understand why things happen the way they do. We will never understand why our Heavenly Father allows certain circumstances. But if we were honest would knowing change anything? Would knowing why God does certain things change the behaviors of the world? Would knowing make you more obedient to Him and more gracious to others?

Why do we need to know?

Is the BIBLE not good enough to help us do more than survive?
Are the BIBLE and the Holy Trinity not MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR US TO THRIVE?

To the person who chose to read this long message. I need to remind you and myself a few things.

We do not pray prayers ending with a “but or if.”
We do not pray with the expectation that God is a genie and owes us something.
We do not pray with timidness and with natural sight.
We do not pray thinking our many words is what moves God.

WE PRAY IN FAITH!
WE PRAY IN TRUST (Surrender)!
WE PRAY IN EXPECTATION that He is good!

This year I have experienced a shift in my brothers and sisters mindset to where we default to doubt. We default because of our diagnosis. We default to well “maybe He will do it.”

And then spread that same doubt among other people.

WHO DO YOU SERVE!!!!!
WHO CREATED YOU!
WHO MADE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH!

That’s right, JEHOVAH!

I need for all of us to really think about what type of energy and light are we spreading when we speak about God?

Yes your pain is real.
Yes your heartache is real.
Yes job loss and financial debt is real.
Yes your grieve is real.
Yes what you have experienced is real and it does matter.
Yes, it can be hard to pray or even want to pray.
And Yes, it is a very real thing that our prayers are not always answered at the time we want or the way we wanted it.

BUT in the midst of all the other “real things” going on in the world.

DO NOT FORGET THAT JESUS CHRIST is REAL!!!

Let us not go into 2026 shifting atmospheres of hope into doubt
Let us not go into 2026 shifting atmospheres of faith into confusion
Let us not go into 2026 praying timidly when the Word says we can come boldly before the throne (Hebrews 4:16)
Let us not go into 2026 forgetting who we are. WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE GREAT I AM!

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Matthew 17:20 (NIV)
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

John 14:12 (NIV)
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 

Mark 9:23-24 (NIV)

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Father God,

Thank You for allowing us to experience another year here on the earth You created for us to enjoy with You and Your community.
Thank You for each day’s journey, which may have not always been joyful or encouraging, and yet we were able to lay down to rest and arise to another day.
Thank You for Your kindness and goodness that has followed us and our loved ones throughout 2025.
Thank You for forgiving us for our sinful ways and the way we have strayed from Your commands.
Thank You for still loving us even though we did not do all that You requested from us this year.
Thank You for Your love that always directed us back to You.
Thank You for Your grace that never failed us this year.

Thank You for being God with us, God for us, and the God that lives in us.
You are all we need.

Lord, we ask that You would help us with our unbelief—that we would be bold in our personal prayers and when we pray for and with others. May You remind us the BIBLE is not a book like those in libraries or online, but that every word on every page brings life to the dead, healing to the sick, deliverance to the downcasted, and freedom to the lost.

Your Word is why we still abide in You and rest in green pastures.
Your Word is why we are still breathing in this very moment.
Your Word is not from a distant time, but it is ALIVE AND WORKING RIGHT NOW!

Lord, refresh every person and their household with the breath of life.
Would You breathe into our minds and thoughts that the Word is real!
Jesus is real!
The Holy Spirit who dwells in us is real!

And while we prepare to start a new year called 2026, time for You is very different.
You control everything within and outside of time, and so we surrender our 2026 to You—
the true orchestrator and composer of every step we take.

Lord God, renew our minds, renew our strength, heal our hearts, and direct our path.
For nothing we do this year will matter if You are not with us.

We surrender our hopes, dreams, desires, loved ones, and sicknesses.
We surrender financial burdens, unmade decisions, and career paths.
We surrender arguments and areas where reconciliation is needed.
We surrender yesterday’s troubles and tomorrow’s unknown situations.
We surrender and die to our ways to make room for Christ.

We surrender our control to You.
We surrender our mouth to You.
We surrender our eating to You.
We surrender our plans to You.
We surrender our children to You.
We surrender our co-workers and leaders to You.
We surrender our political and worldly views to You.

We surrender!
We surrender!
We surrender!

In Jesus’ Name.
FATHER GOD, WE SURRENDER ALL TO YOU!

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.