THE MAIN REASON CHRISTIANS STRUGGLE WITH THEIR FAITH
One thing that has really been weighing on my heart lately is the proliferation of articles and social media posts I have seen about Christians stating that they have abandoned their faith. We live in a time when there are so many choices when it comes to religion and spirituality mahjong ways. And, with so much going on in the world around us, many people are starting to question, doubt, waver, and truly struggle with their faith. As Christians, we are called to have faith in God. The Bible defines faith as follows:
That’s the definition of brave. Having faith in God means being confident in who He is and what He has promised in His Word, with conviction, even when everything around us suggests otherwise. Faith means standing firm on God’s Word, even when the world around us seems to be falling apart. Faith means holding on to hope, even when everything seems hopeless. Easier said than done, right?
To some extent, each person’s struggle with faith is unique. However, in general, when you get to the root of the doubts that tend to arise, they usually fall into three categories that cause us to start losing faith: God, the Bible, and Christianity.
LOSS OF FAITH IN GOD
When it comes to our relationship with God, there are so many things that can leave us with feelings of doubt about who God is, His existence, and what He can truly do in our lives. From what I have read, studied, observed, and experienced myself, there are several things that cause Christians to feel this way.
Having Unbiblical Expectations About Life
Many Christians have the wrong concept of what the “Christian Life” should be like. We have the unrealistic fantasy that becoming a Christian will solve all our problems, and with God, we will get through whatever we have to go through without disappointment, heartbreak, pain, or tragedy. Whether it’s because we believed them growing up, the sermons we heard, the books we read, or simply the way we view things – these are all beliefs and expectations about life that are false, unrealistic, and not based on the Bible.
And when life turns out to be the opposite of these false beliefs, we begin to doubt and lose faith in God. We see or experience pain, suffering, social injustice, loss, or tragedy, and it makes us question whether God is real. Because we cannot understand such thoughts, we start to suppress them. In fact, even though we don’t admit it, deep down we actually begin to harbor anger and hatred towards God.
Angry at God
If we are honest, many of us will come up with a list of “why did God allow that” questions. Why does God allow evil to occur? Why does God allow suffering? Why doesn’t God allow homosexuality? And the list can go on and on. These questions are often too heavy for us to solve, and because we cannot understand them well, we begin to question God and our faith.