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June 7, 2026 – Justin Harmon

“Test everything; hold fast what is good.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Day 1: The Invitation to Audit

“If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” ~ René Descartes

“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.” ~ Paul Tillich

For many of us, the words “doubt” and “audit” provoke the exact same physical reaction: a spike in blood pressure, a tightening in the chest, and a sudden fear that we are about to be exposed. In the corporate world, an audit implies someone is looking for a mistake, a lie, or fraud. It means someone is trying to catch you red-handed.

Unfortunately, we often carry this exact same anxiety into our spiritual lives. We are frequently taught that doubting is a failure of faith—that to ask hard, probing questions is to insult God or reveal a lack of devotion. We worry that if we look too closely at the books of history, science, or theology, the whole framework of our belief system might collapse under scrutiny.

But what if we have it completely backward? What if God is the only “CEO” in the universe who isn’t afraid of an audit?

While most earthly corporations hide their books behind non-disclosure agreements and corporate firewalls, God explicitly invites us to audit His. The Apostle Paul didn’t command believers to blindly swallow every spiritual claim; instead, he commanded “substantive testing”. We see this beautifully modeled by the Bereans in the book of Acts. They are highly praised in Scripture because they didn’t just take the Apostle Paul’s word at face value. Instead, they acted as internal auditors, maintaining a healthy sense of professional skepticism and “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so”. They understood that true faith is built on a foundation of trust but verify.

God endowed you with senses, reason, and intellect. As Galileo brilliantly pointed out, He did not intend for us to forgo their use when it comes to the most important truth of our lives. In a healthy organization, the internal audit department is not the enemy of management; it is the vital mechanism that ensures the company stays honest, grounded, and rooted in reality. In the exact same way, your doubts are not the enemy of your faith. A faith that has never been questioned or tested is fragile.

Do not let your doubts isolate you or make you feel guilty. The books are wide open. Bring your toughest questions to the text and to God, knowing that the ledger of His truth can withstand any audit you throw at it.

Life Application

  • Shift Your Perspective on Doubt: Stop viewing your spiritual questions as a moral failure. Treat your questions as an invitation to conduct “substantive testing” so that your faith can move from a blind sentiment to a deeply rooted conviction.
  • Act Like a Berean: When you encounter difficult concepts in the culture or even from the pulpit, don’t just passively accept or blindly reject them. Take them to the text. Open the Scriptures daily, do the research, and use the intellect God gave you to verify the truth.

Reflection Questions

  1. What specific spiritual doubts or hard questions have you been afraid to bring to light because you feared they revealed a lack of faith?
  2. How does it change your relationship with God to realize that He is a “CEO” who openly invites you to inspect His books and test His claims?

Heavenly Father, Almighty God, and the Ultimate Architect of Truth,

We come before You today acknowledging that You are the only leader in the universe who is entirely unafraid of an audit. Lord, forgive us for the times we have let fear, anxiety, or guilt isolate us when we experience seasons of doubt. Forgive us for treating our questions as failures, rather than treating them as open doors to seek You more deeply.

Thank You for endowing us with senses, reason, and intellect. We thank You that You do not demand a blind, unthinking allegiance, but instead invite us to test everything and hold fast to what is good. Help us to emulate the Bereans—to step up as diligent internal auditors of our own faith, examining Your Word daily with honest hearts and sharp minds.

Where we feel tension, give us the courage to look closer. Where we feel skepticism, grant us the integrity to take our questions directly to Your text rather than running away in isolation. Build in us a robust, resilient faith—one that has been tested by fire, examined by reason, and anchored firmly in the absolute integrity of Your character and Your historical ledger.

We pull back the curtain today and lay our honest questions at Your feet, confident that Your truth stands undefeated and open to all.

In the powerful and unshakeable name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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