You must learn that
feeling is no true gage of your spiritual experience.
An encounter with doubts may be something like this: You awake in the
morning and are possessed of a feeling that is utterly non-religious.
You do not feel one whit as though you are fully saved and trusting, but
just the opposite. Not having learned to pay no attention to this, but
instead to jump up and praise and thank God for all His goodness, you
begin to question, "Am I really and truly consecrated? Where are all my
joyful feelings? Why do I feel this way? Surely something is wrong."
The longer you think, the more doubtful you become, and at last
discouragement takes charge of your whole soul.
There is no harm, but good, in examining ourselves; it is all right to
put hard and searching questions to our hearts as to our standing with
God. But when doubts lead to such an examination, the result is usually
disastrous.
Doubting gets to be a bad habit; one very hard to break. It is a sort
of self-depreciating, self-deprecating, self-condemning habit. Doubting
becomes easy and natural after the habit is formed. A chronic state of
discouragement follows. You are as miserable as you can be.
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