Faith and doubt

"In order for a man to test his faith, he must open all possible avenues for doubt" Lelli Mandela.

As human beings we are all aware that the strength of an object or person can only be tested when the object is stretched to its limits. We understand that in every area of our lives, especially school and work where our endurance and patience is tested. Sometimes, even in relationships and courtships leading to marriage agree our love and long-bearing is tested. We understand that when it comes to dealing with children when they push us to our limits. Our devotion to God in our prayer and fasting. In all these areas, we do understand this principle. All these except one: our Faith.

Faith in this sense not being the ability to believe in God's working power, but faith: our salvation; Christianity. Faith for the purposes of this article being a religion.
Do you believe everything the good Lord says in the big black book because it is and has always been there, or do you believe because you are convicted by the truth. The big black book says God will spit out the lukewarm person. The person who has no conviction of where he/she stands. Going by that scripture, it would seem that the Lord would possibly be displeased by our pious following of His word in the event of failure to be hot or cold about it. God in this case would seem to be more tolerant towards the person who wrongly but convictedly interprets God's word as compared to the person who has no opinion about his word, only religious fanaticism towards it. Such a person would on the face of it look like a windy person, able to be tossed here ans there by every wind of doctrine.

Doubt, more often than not, tests our Faith and resolve in the Lord. It reveals our minds and hearts concerning God's words in our lives. Without arousing doubt or suspicion, we can rarely get to know if we really believe God's word and are convicted if its righteousness or we just follow it because it is the letter. Without testing our faith, we can really never determine if we are religious fanatics or true disciples.
A person without true conviction of his faith can never be fit to defend the gospel when called to rise to the occasion. Many Christians are guilty of this since we are too cowardly to ask ourselves the questions atheists ask themselves. If I am not the first person to be convicted by the truth, how else I'm I supposed to disembody the seed of doubt in another unbelieving human being?

The case here isn't being made for the evangelising Christian but for the Christian willing to do a personal audit of their faith. A person ready to test the extent of his faith. That is why I admire Peter when he walked on water. He made the conditions perfect for the testing of his faith. He decided to weigh the Lord's word against doubt and ended walking on water. Many people remember Peter for drowning but I remember him for being mad.enough to test his faith. No wonder God could trust that that he would be the rock upon which the church would be built.

What most people do not realize is that Peter did not walk on water because he was a fanatic but because he had an untethered conviction. How many of us can boldly say I will take up all my fears and doubts and weigh them against my faith in God? How many can say I an ready to test my heart and weigh my beliefs? How many are ready to take that leap from religious fanatics to convicted disciples?