Has Doubt Fooled You?

While it may be April Fools' Day for some, remember not to be deceived. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

I recall a time during my undergraduate studies, I was studying for an exam that focused on coding for research. As a Political Science major at the time, I didn't know much about coding, nor did I know anything about how to apply the same strategies in an exam setting. I doubted from the day I saw it show up on my syllabus, to the few seconds before I had to sit down at the end of the semester. The difference about this exam was that I had every means to pass. It was an open-book exam, and I was able to print out my notes so that when a question that I could not easily answer was asked, I could refer back to my notes and write the best answer possible. However, I was STILL nervous!

• Would I have a question I couldn't answer?

• Would my coding have a minor mistake?

• Would I not pass with a 90 or above to maintain my 3.9 GPA?

• How can a Political Science major who reads books and writes dissertations pass a coding class that is mostly geared toward computer science majors?

These were the questions that festered in my mind hours before and during the exam. Opening my laptop once the clock started, my hands started shaking, sweat dripped from my forehead, and my palms were slippery. Despite how my body was feeling, I still pushed to finish every single question to the best of my ability. I left that exam feeling as though I had gone through a WWE match with not a physical opponent, but with fear I was not going to pass that exam.

I had convinced myself that I was destined to fail the exam, swayed by doubts that convinced me I hadn't performed at my best, or worse, that I wasn't capable of being a successful student. No amount of studying seemed enough to prepare me for a test of this magnitude.

Boy was I wrong.

The grades have been released, and I scored over 85% on the exam! Surprisingly, the sections I thought I had failed turned out to be the ones where I excelled. This experience showed me that even though I may have doubted God's promise to grant me a clear mind during an exam I deemed too challenging, it was never beyond reach.

Today, we are all faced with doubt. We have been fooled into believing that what God promised he won't do because of reasons A, B, C, D.....etc. We come to the point where we have fully convinced ourselves that we are not capable, that we are not the best fit. But God tells us NO. He instructs us to trust him, to seek him.

Queen Esther turned to God upon learning that the safety of her people was at risk.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.- Matthew 6:33

No matter what challenges you face, don't allow doubt to deceive you, for God will provide you with strength. When we turn to Him each day, He promises to fulfill all our needs (Matthew 7:8). When you reach out to Him, He will respond and stand by you in every circumstance (Psalms 91:15).

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