Dispelling Doubt

I don't like doubting.

When I'm in a state of doubt, I feel strangely and undesirably complacent and content in it. As misery loves company, doubt loves to call upon others to join.

Doubtfulness limits people's exercise of faith in God, themselves, and others. It is a means of Satan to drag us down. It leads us away from our potential.

Of course, Heavenly Father must have provided some way to free us from doubt. I suggest here some principles involved in the dispelling of doubtfulness.

I first note that to doubt is a choice. But like the tar and feathers on Joseph Smith's body after being tarred and feathered by those who despised him, it can take time, diligence, persistent effort and pain to be freed from doubt.

"for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord: and that which is evil cometh from the devil." - Omni 1:25

I believe the first step is recognizing the doubt.

I love to say things like, "WHOA hold on a minute, I'm doubting. I'm not placing my faith in God."

Many of the times, when the doubt is not too strong, just saying those words heal me greatly! It's an amazing feeling.

At other times, I have found that the doubting feeling in me is so strong.

"Pray always that ye may come off conquerer, yea that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work." - Doctrine & Covenants 10:5

Always, I believe a step that applies in dispelling doubt is prayer.

In my prayers, I feel to say things like,
"Father, I feel overwhelmed with doubt, but my doubts are not truthful."
"Please give me strength to love, and fill me with optimism."

Words of greater positivity also help, such as,

"Lord, speak, for thy servant heareth" - 1 Samuel 3:10
"I have so many blessings, Thou hast given me a life, another day to live..."
"Thank you for this test of faith! Please walk with me through it."

"The gospel of the Savior is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it also is essentially about doing and becoming good. And the Atonement provides help for us to overcome and avoid bad and to do and become good. Help from the Savior is available for the entire journey of mortality—from bad to good to better and to change our very nature." - Elder Bednar

All throughout my period of undesired doubting, I keep this concept in my heart and mind: the Atonement has the power to change me.

What do I desire to change into? I want to become someone who has perfect faith in the Saviour - no doubting. It would not be in my character to doubt. No matter what in life comes my way, I would not doubt His love, His power, His hand in my life, His omniscience, His patience with me, His very plan in which I am guided in following Him into eternal life and exaltation. I would have an eternal perspective in perfect constancy throughout my life.

With this mindset, I move forward in life. It should and does automatically bring about an unremovable smile from our face and countenace.

Elder Bednar spoke about the gospel in general. While the Atonement is the provision of God for our salvation and exaltation, the living of the gospel is our applying the Atonement in our lives to obtain and hold onto salvation and exaltation.

Along with recognizing that doubt is not "full assurance in the heart," I can develop it through using the Atonement. Full assurance in my heart that God loves me. And it is full - meaning, there is no room for doubtfulness, or any other thing that contradicts that full assurance in God.

Fear has a similar acronym of "false evidence appearing real." I learn to recognize that whatever reasons I have for doubting, are reasons that are false and invalid because the Plan of Salvation is a plan of success. Even if things go wrong, not only are they conquerable, but if you "search diligently, pray always, and be believing... all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another" (D&C 90:24).

At the very roots and fundamentals of dispelling doubt, is living the gospel. Have faith in christ. Strive all your life to repent of your sins. Receive, renew, and live the covenants you have made with God, and one to another. Follow the Spirit, whose fruits are "love, joy, peace, longsuffering..." (Galatians 5:22-23). Endure "until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God" (Moroni 8:25-26).