Doubt can spread like a wildfire ...but, what may be called a healthy imagination, may do no less harm.

When children believe in Santa Claus ...they often let that childish wonder run their imagination, so there is no real room for debunking what is believed.  The joy of what they experience is way more important.  They don't stop to consider how Santa Claus could visit billions of homes ...all in a 4 to 6 hour period.  Though, I have to mention that the benefit of different time zones would give Santa a bit more time.  Yet, Santa would still not have enough time.

Pastor Myron said that Satan (not Santa ...there is no typo here) can only be one place at a time.  So, how would we think he could accomplish so much??

First of all, there is not a clear definition of positivity, or negativity.  Though many of us do seem to have an inclination towards labeling others. We may say some people tend to be mostly negative ...and we may say other people tend to be mostly positive.  Yes, the labels do not give so much consideration for having a difficult day, the person not always being that way.  

It is way too convenient to label others as pessimists, or as optimists. Those observing a positive person may claim that the optimist is positive to a fault. A pessimist rarely admits they are such ...being much easier to say it's another person's fault that they are negative.

It has been said that people believe what they want to believe. Certainly, there is some truth in this ...but, I think that statement is more a catchy phrase than one aimed at seeking out an understanding of belief.  I do think that most people don't want to adopt unpopular beliefs ...as they feel those beliefs may be unhealthy towards their self-esteem. But, what comfort is there in feeling good about a wrong belief if only for the fact that most people believe it??

Perhaps it would be more comforting if more people would believe what is true.  Most assuredly, that would ring true in the long run.

If we are doubters ...we doubt.

Some folks feel it is wise to err on the side of caution ...so, they feel a bit of doubt is similar to being cautious.

And to be cautious may mean to not readily accept what others have told us.  After all, what we have heard, or what we may have believed in the past ...may not be true.

But, many of us do believe what we hear ...and it may benefit certain groups of people if we hear it.  To be knowledgeable, or the first to report something often brings a certain level of esteem with it.  And if we are one of the first to hear of it we can be one of the first to report it to others ...and we have the edge on being able to tell others what they may not know.  This works quite effectively ...and the social media proves this all the time.

Yes, doubt can spread like an infectious disease ...reaching epidemic proportions.  But, to blindly accept something will not bring a cure to the doubt.  It will merely self-medicate the perceived problem ...often relocating the doubt, believing in what is not true while doubting the truth.

And we further complicate the problem by believing that the concept of 'faith' is removing all doubt, with little consideration of whether we are removing a falsehood or the truth.  We merely view faith as believing what we believe.

Let me reason out the problem by giving an example of a person sitting in a car during a rainstorm:

The person prays in God's Name that the rain will stop, so they won't get wet ...perhaps even claiming in faith that God will in fact make the rain stop as a result of their faith and prayer.

The rain doesn't stop.

The person then reasons that God likes the number 7 ...so, the person prays 7 times, a short prayer repeated in succession 7 times to call out their claim to faith.

The rain doesn't stop.

The person reasons that it must be that they did not demonstrate active faith by continuing to sit in the car ...so, they put their faith in motion by opening the car door and stepping out of the car.

As they stand just inside the doorway of their parent's home, dripping on a recently waxed floor, when confronted, they answer, "I'm not wet!"

Yes, this last step is denial ...and though we seldom see it to that extreme, it does often bring about absurd reasoning. 

How does this apply to our relationship with God??

God knows all about who we are.  The condition of our accepted relationship ...has to do with whether we accept Him for who He is.

And the Word of God tells us who He is.

We are not to doubt that the Bible is truly the Word of God.  And we are not to imagine what we want the Word of God to say.

Imagination has spawned great occasions of innovation ...and the birth of new ideas.  But, the Word of God is not new.  Solomon is known for his wisdom, and he said that there is nothing new under the sun.  The Good News is not new ...but, it may be new to some of you, merely by the fact that you may not have previously known it to be true.  

If you have previously rejected the Bible ...you can always now accept it, giving you new life, a new vision, and a new hope.

No, it does not take a huge concerted effort to cast doubt.  It breeds quickly.

Doubt is like a wildfire, consuming whatever is in its path.

And though imagination is so often good ...we can imagine things differently than they are, which also consumes truth while replacing it with non-truth.