During the Sunday online service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘Defeating doubt’. She said that doubt is an evil religious spirit attacking the minds and hearts of the Christians. Doubt is also called ‘unbelief, little faith or double mind-ness’. Doubt is spiritual poison, like a ‘virus’ that damages, cripples, and weakens your faith. Doubt is one of the most common hindrances to prayers, especially when you need to trust God for the supernatural, for miracles. When a believer is attacked by doubt, he still knows that he is saved, that he a child of God, but he is unable to exercise his faith to trust God ‘for impossible things’. He prays but his prayers lack the ‘passion fire of true faith’! He believes that Jesus died for him, but he does not believe that the same Jesus rose from the grave in the power of resurrection. He believes that when he dies, he will go to heaven, but he struggles to believe that God cares about every detail of his life on earth. Doubt is a common poison arrow the enemy uses. Doubt must be identified by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, thru God’s Word, and prayer. You must engage in spiritual warfare! Doubt must be confronted and must be defeated by the power of the Holy Spirit! In Jesus’ name!

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that in the Old Testament, God’s people grieved Him and made Him angry, by ‘limiting’ God in their minds. They forgot His works, His power, and His wonders. Can you imagine that? They forgot how He brought them out of Egypt, how He parted the Red Sea, how He spoke to them from the fire, how He provided food and water for them in the desert. They still believed God in a general way, but they allowed doubt and ungratefulness to damage their faith. They lost the wonder of their faith. They lost their identity as peculiar people of faith (Ps 78:11, 22, 32, 33, 40-43; NKJ). May we never lose our wonder!

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that when Jesus came on earth, He could not do miracles in some places. This is because people saw Him as an ordinary man (the son of Joseph and Mary) and not as the Son of God. He ‘wondered’ at their unbelief and doubt (Mk 6:5, 6; AMP). May God help us never to grieve the heart of Jesus with our doubts, and religious pride. Take note: we do not worship miracles. We worship the only Living Omnipotent God who is Spirit. All what He does is miraculous and wonderful. May your faith increase! Faith 100%! Doubt 0%! James says that if we need wisdom for life, we should pray to God. He will give us generously, ‘without rebuke or blame’.  But when we pray for wisdom (or for any other thing) we should pray having 100% faith that God is able to do everything and that He is willing to help us in need. You need faith both in God’s power and in God’s willingness to answer your prayers. Doubt in the heart hinders God from answering your prayers. Doubt makes you double minded, spiritually unstable, restless, and anxious. Because of doubt you go one step forward and one step backward. Therefore, you remain in the same place and make no progress in life. When you hear the Word of God, especially when preached or prophesied under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, you must ‘swallow it’ immediately. The Word of God is not chewing gum, to chew, enjoy the sugar and spit it out. The Word of God must be swallowed like the bread of life. It must become one with you. You must be a doer of the Word and not only a hearer. The Word of God must be implanted in you, usually thru the painful process of heart break the Holy Spirit’ ‘hammer’ produces. Then the Word goes deep, in your heart; it produces roots and fruits. Only then you can become a doer of the Word, living a faithful life of joyful obedience. Once you achieve that, God has promised that you will be ‘blessed and favored by God in all what you do’ (Jam 1:5-8; 21-25; AMP). Amen!

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh exposed the danger and damage doubt can do in the life of a believer. She said that The Book of Luke was written to remove any doubts about our salvation and our identity in Christ; “that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed (thought) (Lk 1:4).  Luke wants us not only to believe in Jesus, as the Son of God, but to have the assurance of our salvation. God promised that the Messiah (the Savior) will come one day. John the Baptist is the forerunner of the Messiah. He came to prepare God’s elect people for the coming of Jesus. He was the last of the OT prophets. Jesus called him ‘the greatest man who ever lived on earth’ (Lk 7:28). Zechariah and Elizabeth were an older godly couple. They are both descendants of Aaron. This is a double priestly blessing. You can say that they are born again, priests and kings in Christ. But Elizabeth was barren. That was her long-time standing pain, her ‘disgrace among men’. One day, Zechariah was chosen to serve in the Holy Place, in God’s Temple. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Any priest who served God like that, will retire after this experience. The people were outside the tabernacle praying.  Suddenly Angel Gabriel met with him. He was the same angel who met with Daniel and later, Mary. The first words were to calm him of his fears. He promised him a son, a special son called John (meaning ‘God is Gracious’). He will be the forerunner of the Messiah. Many will rejoice at his birth. He will come in the power of Elijah. He will be separated to God. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. This is the best news Zechariah waited for many years to hear! But, face to face with the answer to his prayers, Zechariah doubted. He said he (and his wife) is too old. His biology was right, but his theology was wrong. Many people struggle whose report to believe: the doctor’s or the Lord’s. Gabriel said his son will be called John. Note! Your answered prayer is not just an idea, or a strategy! It is always a miracle! It has a name coming from heaven. His family people argued about the name. Nobody in his family has that name. But a miracle is always a new thing! God will do a new thing in you (In Jesus’ name, we destroy every familial curse over you!).  Zechariah needed to learn to speak faith and life! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (PV 18:21). The day John was born Zechariah still could not talk. A week later, as they tried to name him ‘Zechariah Junior’, his father’s tongue got loosed and he spoke, loud and clear: ‘His name is John!’ This time, free from doubt, having total faith in the Angel’s words, he called his son ‘John’! He agreed on earth with what heaven has decreed for him. He praised God, prophesied the coming of the Messiah, the revealed glory of God and blessed his son’s ministry as a prophet. Halleluiah!

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that in Christ we are made ‘complete’! “And in Him (In Christ) you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature through Christ], and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power]” (Col 2:10; AMP). No doubt, no fear, no inferiority complex should be in you! All demons, sicknesses, bareness, poverty, and troubles are under your feet! Child of God, know yourself! Stand in the power of His might! Fight for your soul! Fight for your testimony! You can do it! The victory is sure! May your faith be established! May your faith increase! Child of God, your Father in heaven loves you more than you can imagine! God has heard your prayers. Nothing is impossible for God! Never forget: the answer to your prayers is always a miracle. Believe God! Believe the Word of God! Let the weak say ‘I am strong!’ Let the sick say ‘I am healed’! Let the barren say ‘I am a fruitful vine’! Let the oppressed say ‘I am free’! Let the poor say ‘I am rich’! For God has done it!  You must be born again! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!  May the fire of revival burn in our hearts! The worship must continue! In Jesus’ name! Jesus is Lord! To God be all the glory! Worship the Lord!