What to Do When You Believe, But Still Have Doubts

The Heart of the Message: In this sermon, Pastor Kirt Anderson kicks off a new series on the Apostles’ Creed by looking at a father who brings his suffering son to Jesus, only to admit through tears that his faith is mixed with doubt. Pastor Kirt reminds us that love, like faith, can never fully be proven with logic or argument, only experienced and known. Whatever you are wrestling with today, this message offers permission to bring your honest, imperfect faith to God and still be met with grace.

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What Does It Mean to Believe, But Still Struggle With Doubt?

Pastor Kirt points to a father in Mark 9 who tells Jesus, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.” According to Pastor Kirt, this is not a contradiction but an honest and normal part of faith, because belief is not a finished, all-or-nothing state we either have or don’t. He explains that even in our doubt, we are invited to bring what little faith we have directly to Jesus, the same way this father did.

Can I Have Faith Without Being Able to Prove God Is Real?

Yes. Pastor Kirt explains that some of the most important things in life, like whether our children or our spouse truly love us, cannot be mathematically proven, only experienced and known. He shares that belief works the same way: it goes beyond thinking and even beyond feeling, into a settled kind of knowing that we cannot always defend with an argument but can still trust is real.

What Is the Apostles’ Creed and Why Do Christians Recite It?

Pastor Kirt describes the Apostles’ Creed as one of the church’s oldest statements of faith, taking shape as early as the first century and finding its familiar form by the third century. He explains that it compiles what it means to belong to God and to the church, growing out of the earliest and most basic confession of the faith: that Christ is Lord.

Scripture Focus

Anchor Passage: Mark 9:14-29 (NLT)

The core of this message centers on Mark 9:24, where a desperate father, pleading for his son’s healing, cries out to Jesus with a mix of faith and honesty about his own doubt. You can read the full passage at Bible Gateway: Mark 9:14-29 (NLT).

Additional references:

• Mark 9:2-8 (The Transfiguration, referenced as the event preceding this passage)