Fit For Her Journey
The FIT FOR HER JOURNEY podcast was created to inspire and uplift women on their journey to personal growth and fulfillment in faith, health, and wellness. Through real insight, wisdom and the word of God, join Allie as she shares a bit of church, a bit of life, health and wellness and a lot of the word, God’s Word! Allie deep dives into the word of God and shares with her audience empowering and heartfelt reflections while creating a safe space for women, where vulnerability, truth and growth can exist on their journey. Life comes with its own challenges and setbacks, and Allie invites her audience to draw near to God for hope, grace and restoration. Be encouraged to surrender, abide, and step into the incredible will of God that He created for you. Be her. You are her. Become FIT FOR HER JOURNEY.
Fit For Her Journey
From Doubt to Belief: Embracing Faith When Proof Is Absent
“Ever felt your faith waver when you couldn’t see the bigger picture? As a visual learner, I get it—seeing is believing, right? Join me, Allie Gibbs, on this heartfelt episode of Fit For Her Journey, where we tackle the pervasive struggle of overcoming doubt in faith. Through my own experiences, we break down the barriers that past disappointments create, making it hard to trust without tangible proof. We look closely at the story of Thomas, the disciple who needed to see Jesus' wounds to believe in His resurrection, and how this very human doubt can be transformed into a deeper, unwavering faith.
We'll explore real-life examples—like the complexities of lending and borrowing, and the challenge of forgiveness—to show how doubts can sneak into our everyday decisions. By reflecting on how Jesus addressed Thomas' doubt, we learn vital lessons about not letting doubt become an idol in our lives. Tune in for a powerful message, and join me in a special prayer for all women seeking to move from doubt to firm belief. Let’s navigate this journey together and find the unwavering support and faith that Christ offers.”
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You are now listening to the Fit for Her Journey podcast with Allie Gibbs. Hey, sis, welcome back to another episode of Fit for Her Journey, where we have a bit of church, a bit of life, health and wellness and a lot of the word, god's word. I am your host, allie Gibbs. All right, y'all. I just want to first say are there any visual learners tuned in Because we're going to talk about it? I definitely am a visual learner.
Speaker 1:It does not matter how well someone teaches or describes something. I have to see a visual. Even if I'm reading something, my brain has to create a visual of what I'm reading in order to allow it to make sense for comprehension. Textbooks in school, doing training at work, getting directions, even reading my Bible and literally could not connect the dots unless I had some form of a visual in my mind. If not, I found myself not understanding because I wasn't getting a visual of what it was. I was reading, learning or hearing so much so doubt would kick in. I'd sometimes have thoughts of doubting my ability to learn what was before me, so I would have to read it multiple times in order for that visual to appear to me. It's how my brain processes and retains the information I've just received.
Speaker 1:Is that anybody else's story? All right, walk with me y'all Now, anyone who can learn and retain information in any form besides needing a visual. God bless you. Okay, just know that I admire you. Okay, I want to shift gears a bit and ask who else has ever said or even heard the saying I'll believe it when I see it.
Speaker 1:Girl, that was my life's motto and, honestly enough, it stemmed from growing up in an environment where someone would tell me they were going to do something, or even made a promise to turn around and it never happened. Think about how bummed you would be if you experienced that. I know I was. It was a big rejection red flag, all right. In response, later in life I was tough about holding people to their word because, like, why say you're going to do something and not do it right? Your word is your bond. That's another idiom we may have used or heard a time or two. See, it began to create the visual in my eyes and mind of empty promises, people not holding true to their word. It created doubt. Not just doubt, but doubt in people. You know when someone says they're going to do something and you still have that thought in the back of your mind like really, are they really going to do what they say?
Speaker 1:Doubt can manifest into so many different things in our life. After rededicating my life to Christ, I know for me in the past five to six years I've started to learn that God knows me better than I know myself and knows what my needs are, even when I don't know I need them. Is that anybody else's testimony? And more recently, I was graciously convicted about my doubt and how what I used as a motto of I'll believe it when I see it mentality was affecting the way I trusted God and God convicted me in John 20, 29. Struggled with doubt which he was also remembered as doubting Thomas, mainly because of his doubt in believing that Jesus had raised from the dead and appeared to the other disciples. He said to Thomas in John 20, 29, you believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me Y'all. I had no idea the Lord was going to deal with me that day, but he got me all the way together. I had to repent and confess that I had fallen short and doubt was both a honest and misguided idol in my life and it was hindering the next level of my faith and trust in God. As humans, it is proven that we are shaped by our experiences and environments, but as Christian women, we must place our trust in the Lord.
Speaker 1:To give more context to what I'm sharing with you all today, I want to read scripture from the Bible and share John 20, verses 24 through 29 from the NLT. This is when Jesus appears to Thomas and it reads one of the 12 disciples, thomas, nicknamed the twin, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him we have seen the Lord. But he replied I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands. Put my finger into them and place my hand in the wound in his side.
Speaker 1:Eight days later, the disciples were together again and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked but suddenly, as before, jesus was standing among them. Peace be with you, he said. Then he said to Thomas Put your finger here and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe my Lord and my God, thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him you believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. Sis, god is good all the time. We see. Jesus responded to Thomas's doubt, not harshly or with condemnation, but merciful, gracious and with compassion. He addressed his doubt. God gave Thomas the visual proof that Thomas thought he needed, because Jesus already knew he was struggling with doubt and transformed his unbelief to belief and strengthens Thomas' faith in the process, because not even the other disciples could change his mind, even when they told him that Jesus appeared to them.
Speaker 1:Okay, I want to share a few key points with you if you, like me and Thomas, struggle with doubt. First key point I want to share with you is we will have doubts. It's a part of being human. But I want to ask you this question Are you idolizing doubt, meaning is it your way of life, or are you allowing it to lead your belief? See, we can have doubt without it defining our way of life. Don't allow it to become idolized in your life and become your norm and make the same mistake I did. We can create a narrative in our life from doubts that could distort how we see and think, always questioning someone's intentions and motives, wondering are they really going to do what they say they will do? I'll take it a step further by saying that it will affect how you show up in the world, blocking blessings and misguiding you from what God's will is for your life, because it can begin to fuel unbelief and lead to faithlessness.
Speaker 1:What I understood from Thomas in the text was that Thomas had doubt, but he did not idolize his doubt. He believed when he had reason to do so. The other disciples couldn't change his mind. He knew Jesus died on the cross. But his response to the other disciples that they had seen Jesus after he had risen sparked questions for Thomas. He replied to them saying I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands. Put my fingers into them and place my hand into the wound in his side.
Speaker 1:Even for us, no matter how many times someone has come through and kept their word, if we ever experience a time when they haven't, we will have that doubt lingering in our minds in the future. Which leads me to my next key point. Don't keep doubt to yourself. Filter it through the word of God. Does your doubt have a purpose?
Speaker 1:Doubt can be sparked by triggers that we experience in life. Okay, for example, if you allow someone to borrow money and they say they will pay you back on a certain day, and that day comes and goes and they never pay you back. If that same person comes back to you and asks to borrow money again, you will be hesitant by doubt right. So much so that if a completely different person in need asks to borrow money, you can be triggered by doubt that this completely different person will also not pay you back, leading you to respond with a lack of faith and not be a gracious giver, even when the Spirit moves you to give to that person. See Matthew 18,. 22 reminds us that when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who has sinned against him, jesus replied to him 70 times, 7. As a follower of Jesus, we too must forgive 70 times 7. 2 Corinthians 9.7 reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver. We too must not give grudgingly but willingly, and Proverbs 11-25 reminds us A generous person will prosper. Those who refreshes others will be refreshed. Sis, God will provide for your needs. If you trust him and when you help someone in need, then you become a doer of the word and not just a hearer of the word.
Speaker 1:It doesn't go without doubt that some people need to voice their doubts before they are moved to believe. I read that if doubt leads to questions and those questions lead to answers, and if the answers received are accepted, then doubt has done good work. However, it is when doubt leads to stubbornness. Stubbornness can then become a prideful lifestyle, which then doubt hinders our faith. When you have doubt, don't stop there. Let the doubt you have deepen your faith as you continue to search for the answers through God, because as we begin to filter our doubts through the word of God, our help toward unbelief will begin to come. Lift up your doubt to Jesus. Voice it, because it is better to doubt out loud before God. And lastly, my last key point is this Jesus does not reject you when you have doubt. I'm going to say it again Jesus does not reject you when you have doubt.
Speaker 1:So many of us live a life with the I'll believe it when I see it mindset because of past experiences and encounters with other people, that we miss the fact that the doubt we have can translate and affect how we see and trust God, so much so that we will start treating God how we treat the people around us. As Christians, we sing, praise and worship that God is good. We've seen him do miracles in our lives and for those around us. We know God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Yet when we pray about something and God has not brought it to pass just yet, or the miracle we asked him for didn't work out the way we wanted it to, or the life, the marriage, the kids and the friends we thought we should have isn't what we envisioned it to be, we begin to start doubting that God hears us or sees us. We start doubting prayer, our faith, god's promises, and the list goes on.
Speaker 1:The text says that eight days later, the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The number eight represents new beginnings, and for Thomas it truly was. Then Jesus said to Thomas put your finger here and look at my hands, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe. This is a charge for us to take heed to as well, and let this moment be a new beginning for you.
Speaker 1:God does not handle us like people do. Jesus was not offended or hard on Thomas for his doubt. He knew he was struggling with it. Jesus does not reject or abandon us for having doubt, but he's so merciful that he helps our unbelief and brings us to believe. So will doubt affect your relationship with God? It will only happen because we will pull away from God. He will never pull away from us because Jesus stands in the gap for us. I want to encourage you to hold on to John 20, 29, as I have, and I hope it convicts you as it has done for me. As Jesus said, you believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. Move away from allowing momentary doubt to lead to your lack of trust in God.
Speaker 1:We see throughout scripture where people doubted Sarah when she heard she would be a mother in her old age. Abraham when he was told he would be a father in his old age. Abraham when he was told he would be a father in his old age. Moses when he was told to return to Egypt and lead God's people out of captivity. The Israelites anytime they face difficulty, in the wilderness, and even here with Thomas when he was told that Jesus had risen from the dead and was seen by his friends. All these people, and more God, used to accomplish great things in time, but they all started out as doubters, just like many of us today. But even with their doubt. God still showed patience. He still showed mercy. God is still working on our behalf.
Speaker 1:We shouldn't feel shameful, because honest doubt poses a question that we don't have an answer to, and, as we trust God, he will help to diminish that doubt.
Speaker 1:I want to encourage you that, whenever you experience doubt, first know that there are many other followers of Christ who have struggled with doubt as well, but don't stay there, because walking in doubt keeps you from walking in faith and we are not walking in faithlessness.
Speaker 1:And second, be encouraged by Thomas, like I was, to allow Jesus to bring your unbelief to belief. You can talk to him and you can find his words to you in the living word, the Bible. My prayer for you today is that you are no longer marked by past experiences of doubt that have affected how you see and trust God. May you be set free of walking in doubt and faithlessness. Jesus, I give you praise because you said whom the sun sets free is free indeed, and I thank you for it. I thank you, father, for the sisters that are listening to this word today, and I pray that you bless and keep every woman under the sound of my voice and her household. May you shine your light upon them and give them peace, and I say and ask these things in Jesus' name Amen and until next time. Peace, love and blessings you.