The Fork In The Road Of Doubt

The Fork in the Road of Doubt

Numbers 13:26-33

John 20:24-29

As we travel life’s road we will from time to time become detoured onto a road called doubt. The road called doubt will always have a fork at the end in which you decide which direction to take. The determining factor to whether your doubt will be negative or positive is determined by this final decision of which road to take at the fork in the road of doubt.

You see on the one hand you have a road that will lead to skepticism and then eventually unbelief. The other road is one that will lead you to discover the truth and allow you to have greater revelation.

Doubt is not the opposite of faith. I have heard preacher after preacher declare that doubt is the opposite of faith, but that is not true. Unbelief is the opposite of faith. Doubt that is not responded to can lead to unbelief. They would have you to believe that they have never doubted or that they have arrived to a place that they are immune to doubt. We all have doubts. We may have doubts that are a continuing factor in our life. Yet, in the case of doubt it is not a sign of failure unless you choose the wrong road at the fork in the road of doubt.

Let’s take a look at the difference between the two roads. We will find these accounts in scripture. May we look together now and determine the outcome of choosing one road over the other.

First, let’s look at what happens when we choose to take the road that leads to unbelief. We will find this in the Old Testament book of Numbers 13:26-33. In this passage of scripture we see the Israelites being advised about the land of promise from representatives sent to spy out the land. The spies brought back the report of a land just the way God had described it. The land was flowing with milk and honey. It was grander than had been anticipated. They even brought back fruit from the land and displayed and them. They brought back a cluster of grapes large enough that two men carried the cluster on a pole between them. That must have been grapes the size of golf balls. They had to be larger than usual to justify two men carrying them on a pole between them.

They didn’t stop there they went on to say, “but”… Don’t you hate it when you here the word “but”? Whether it be from the mechanic that says we can fix your car, but…it will cost you. Sure we can help you, but…we are just to busy on that day. No problem we can fix your dishwasher, but…it will be about 4-6 weeks before there will be a service technician available. The word but wouldn’t be near as bad if we heard it used more in sentences like these. Yes, there is a finance charge, but…we will cover that for you. Sure, it is going to take a little more work to fix it, but…there will be no charge. We are extremely busy, but…we will work you in.

The spies concluded that it was everything that it was made out to be. The only problem was the inhabitants and their resources. They are bigger and their cities are fortified and are large. The people are descendants of Anak, which was a group of abnormally large people. The family of Goliath may have been descendants of these people. The spies said we are like grasshoppers to them.

Now I do before going on want to express that there were two of the spies who stood and tried to persuade the people of their ability to take the land. Joshua and Caleb proclaimed that if the Lord was pleased with them that He would give them the land.

Here is the fork in the road for the Israelites. They started on the road to doubt when they heard the report of the people that inhabited the land. They doubted whether they could conquer the people or not.

The fork in the road is to walk be faith and inhabit the land or turn done the road of unbelief. They choose the path of unbelief and were restricted to go into the land of promise.

Numbers 14:23-27

23. Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

24. But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

25. (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.