What is a crisis of faith? Well, it’s exactly like it sounds. It’s that time when you question everything. It’s a moment in time when you question everything you thought was true. It’s that time when you no longer trust God.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, because God knows anyway, we have all been there, we have all had a crisis of faith where we;
A crisis of faith causes us to take our eyes off the true battleground, the spiritual battleground which takes place in our minds.
What Can Cause a Crisis of Faith in Our Lives?
The Bible is filled with stories of people who had a crisis of faith. Read Hebrews 11 and you will find people who struggled and overcame. Here the way Hebrews 11 starts;
Hebrews 11:1 NIV Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
People from Abel to Moses, David to Samuel. They all faced pain, struggle, hardship, and heartache.
Here’s a list of things that can cause a crisis of faith;
When these things happen, it is so easy to blame God and turn away from Him. The thing to keep in mind though is that none of these things are God’s fault. We live in a broken world filled with death, destruction, and disease. Some of the things, most of the things, which result in a crisis of faith are the result of choices we make. One of the beautiful parts of living in this world is that we were given free will. We have a choice to choose God or not.
John 16:33 NIV “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Also, there are Psalms that offer tremendous comfort when confronted with a crisis of faith.
Psalms 10:1-18 NIV Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.” His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.” Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.
Psalms 13:1-6 NIV How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.
Psalms 143:7-10 NIV Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, because God knows anyway, we have all been there, we have all had a crisis of faith where we;
- Question whether or not God is real and if He is good.
- Question whether or not they can put their trust in God.
- Question why bad things happen.
- Question how a good God can send people to hell.
A crisis of faith causes us to take our eyes off the true battleground, the spiritual battleground which takes place in our minds.
- The truth is that we have an enemy he desires to distort our faith and he is hard at work.
- The truth is that life is messy, and we live in a broken world.
- The truth is that we will go through some of the deepest, darkest valleys in order to solidify our faith and place in Christ’s kingdom.
What Can Cause a Crisis of Faith in Our Lives?
The Bible is filled with stories of people who had a crisis of faith. Read Hebrews 11 and you will find people who struggled and overcame. Here the way Hebrews 11 starts;
Hebrews 11:1 NIV Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
People from Abel to Moses, David to Samuel. They all faced pain, struggle, hardship, and heartache.
Here’s a list of things that can cause a crisis of faith;
- Cancer
- Divorce
- The death of a child
- The loss of a job
- The betrayal of a friend
- A financial crisis
When these things happen, it is so easy to blame God and turn away from Him. The thing to keep in mind though is that none of these things are God’s fault. We live in a broken world filled with death, destruction, and disease. Some of the things, most of the things, which result in a crisis of faith are the result of choices we make. One of the beautiful parts of living in this world is that we were given free will. We have a choice to choose God or not.
John 16:33 NIV “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Also, there are Psalms that offer tremendous comfort when confronted with a crisis of faith.
Psalms 10:1-18 NIV Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.” His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.” Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.
Psalms 13:1-6 NIV How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.
Psalms 143:7-10 NIV Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
How to Get Through a Crisis of Faith
First, we need to examine where our thought processes are. Did we assume that because we love Jesus that no evil, pain, or harm would come our way?
John 16:33 NIV “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We must be willing to examine our perspectives and opinions and then compare them to the truth of God’s Word.
To overcome a crisis of faith we need to surrender to God’s plan for us and lay our hearts bare before the Lord along with previous expectations.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
We need to cast down and abolish any strongholds and imaginations.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Then we ask God to help us with our unbelief.
Mark 9:23-24 NIV “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!
Then ask for God to fill us with the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Next, wait for God to repair our hearts and heal our wounds. Waiting for healing and hope is often the hardest part.
Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
During our waiting, find a way to connect with God. Whether it’s in prayer, going for a walk in nature, or being surrounded by those who are strong in faith. It's okay to ask for help. Letting others know what you’re going through will help you as you gain different perspectives, especially if they share their experiences of wavering in faith. It also gives them the opportunity to pray for you.
At those times when you questioned God and questioned your faith. You can still know that God is right there.
Hebrews 13:5-6 MSG Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?
Trust that God has the best in store for you. No matter the crisis you face, remember there is always hope and God will always be there for you. His love for you will never end.
First, we need to examine where our thought processes are. Did we assume that because we love Jesus that no evil, pain, or harm would come our way?
John 16:33 NIV “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We must be willing to examine our perspectives and opinions and then compare them to the truth of God’s Word.
To overcome a crisis of faith we need to surrender to God’s plan for us and lay our hearts bare before the Lord along with previous expectations.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
We need to cast down and abolish any strongholds and imaginations.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Then we ask God to help us with our unbelief.
Mark 9:23-24 NIV “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!
Then ask for God to fill us with the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Next, wait for God to repair our hearts and heal our wounds. Waiting for healing and hope is often the hardest part.
Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
During our waiting, find a way to connect with God. Whether it’s in prayer, going for a walk in nature, or being surrounded by those who are strong in faith. It's okay to ask for help. Letting others know what you’re going through will help you as you gain different perspectives, especially if they share their experiences of wavering in faith. It also gives them the opportunity to pray for you.
At those times when you questioned God and questioned your faith. You can still know that God is right there.
Hebrews 13:5-6 MSG Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?
Trust that God has the best in store for you. No matter the crisis you face, remember there is always hope and God will always be there for you. His love for you will never end.
RSS Feed