Crisis of faith

[Guest saintly1]

Hi everyone. I was just wondering who has gone through a crisis of faith and how you dealt with it. Do you think everyone at one time or another goes through this?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

saintly1

[Constant]

Not too sure what you mean but I will reply the best I can to what I think you mean.

Um.. I have my doubts about my faith and I slip and sometimes I think to myself "Is it worth it?" Then I look at all the wonderful things that God has done for me and has given me and in turn, I want to serve Him the best I know how.

If this isn't what you meant, sorry

[jc49]

Hi everyone. I was just wondering who has gone through a crisis of faith and how you dealt with it. Do you think everyone at one time or another goes through this?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

saintly1     

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi and shalom!

Well,if you never have a crisis in life means you are dead!

I mean,crisis have come and will come in every aspect and facets of our existence....but what do you mean crisis of faith?

I personally believe that the work that God does in a believer is perfect and eternal,but we don't understand or better comprehend the totality of His great work and often we are destabilizated from our own interpretation of His will and His word.

We are living in very difficult times..it is evident...not only in the society and in the world but also in the church...there are so many denominations and so many different voices...and in reality there is a lot of confusion going on....

Not to mention a lot of deception...which anyway Jesus Himself said it would be the hallmark of the end times,( see the His prophetic discourses in the 3 synoptic gospels)...so sometimes we might be in crisis because we get entangled in "churchianity" and we get "disappointed" or "deluded" because somebody in the "church" either treats us badly or betrays or whatever...scandals...the love of many growing cold...not much love at all but a lot of noise and clamor...many voices and our 3 enemies fighting us incessantly ( see THE WORLD,THE FLESH,THE DEVIL)....yes...we can go in crisis and it can be bad and heavy...when it happens everithyng looks bleak and black..and in those times we tend to believe that God has abandoned us or may be He doesn't even care ....BUT,you know what?

It is not true! God cares for us always,and when we learn not to lean on our understanding neither on our "feelings" but on HIM and HIS WORD,well the Holy Spirit will help us and sort us out..and that will be the end of the crisi and a clearer vision of our GREAT GOD.

I am learning to rely on His Word more and more..I'm still learning and by no means I am perfected ...but I trust in Him and when the pressures becomes too much or unbearable I literally chuck myself in His hands just as I am at the moment ...God is FAITHFUL and a very present help in time of need.

HIS GRACE IS THE ANSWER....I know that there is a great debate between GRACE FAITH,and WORKS...I don't trust myself neither my works,no,not even those done for His glory..but I do TRUST in JESUS...and if you are going through a crisis now..well,DON'T GIVE UP ON JESUS,NEVER,if you cannot pray or read the bible or have fellowship because you are down and under you can still breath:"JESUS HELP,I TRUST YOU!" He will rescue you..but you,DON'T EVER GIVE UP...and don't listen to all the religious " parrots" that crowd this sad sin cursed planet...just TRUST in JESUS,He will never fail you and will restore you even if you are so down that everybody else gives up on you( because this is what people do most of the time when you are down)..but JESUS CARES...Yes HE DOES and you discuss your crisis with Him,talk to Him about it..you'll be surprised to discover that JESUS is so much greater than we could ever imagine....

well,GRACE and PEACE to YOU!!!!

24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

[Guest saintly1]

Thanks jc49 for your reply. I KNOW that Jesus loves me and cares about me and I will never turn my back on Him. I have fallen away in the past and came to the realization that nothing the world offers can truly satisfy. I just get frustated sometimes and don't understand why God seems to delay in answering prayer. It seems like the heavens are closed and God has gone on vacation. I have been out of work for over 2 years, I need a healing on my feet, my husbands business is going down the tubes etc. etc.

I just ask for a little light at the end of the tunnel. After awhile discouragement creeps in and it gets harder and harder to pull out of the despair. I guess that's what I mean by crisis of faith. I know it's not all mountain top experiences but this valley has been long and deep and dark for so long and sometimes I just want to give up.

Thanks for letting me vent. I live in an area where I really don't know that many people and my friend lives over 800 miles away so I guess I just need to let it all out to someone. That's why I was hoping that maybe others out there felt the same wy at some point in their lives so I would know I'm not all alone out there with the way I feel.

Thanks again and God bless you all.

Saintly1

[Leonard]

St. Francis speaks of it as 'the dark night of the soul.'

THERE IS NO TEMPTATION TAKEN YOU, BUT THAT WHICH IS COMMON TO MAN.

[Scarletprayers]

I think everyone has crisis of faith in their life. But, we are refined by the fires in our lives not the good times. Its so easy to believe when everything is going your way.

Keep praying, even when you can't find the words. Keep asking when you think nobody is listening. Keep hitting your knees, because when the time is right, he will answer.

[peaches]

well, to share my crisis of faith....

i am in a chemistry and biology major and the biology course is entirely about evolution. very detailed, well laid out and convincing to those who believe that. i am ashamed to say that i have found myself sometimes wondering if maybe i could be wrong. i even tried to tie the bible and evolution together and found a few discrepencies as to the happenings of the events. this shook my faith a bit but God has given me my common sense back

another thing is that my faith has not grown to the level it should because i have been avoiding situations that parallel the one u are in. i mean, sometimes i think that God is calling me to do something and then i reason it out, decide that it was just my own thought, and not do the task just because i am afraid of the repurcussions. man, what mistakes i have made. when ever one is at a low point, it is a chance for ur faith to grow, a chance to get closer to God, a chance to graduate to a higher level (that scares me though at times cos it means greater responsibility). be encouraged! stay strong so that u can be a testimony to wusses like me.

[nebula]

Yes, I've had several crisis of faith.

To try to put it in brief - compare your experiences to what the Israelites went through since escaping Egypt.

How many crisis did they encounter?

No water.

Moses disapeared up the mountain for over a month.

The wandering never ended.

On and on and on.

A lot of sermons compare our journey of faith with "mountains and valleys." But there is more to landscape than these. There are oceans and meadows and forests and . . . deserts.

Nothing will tax nor strengthen your faith as much as those desert experiences!

Psalms 42

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, "Where is your God?"

4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.

7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me-- A prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my Rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"

10 As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Sometimes it helps to think of yourself on a spiritual journey, and sometimes the land is harsh, enemies are encountered, wild animals may terrify, . . . . .

Also consider the Lord desires for your faith to be strengthened, and just like your body, it takes harsh circustances to build it best (military boot camp, anyone?).

I found that my best times of worship have been when I've been in the most pain, the most darkness, the most brokenness, the most doubt and confusion,. . . .

Yes, it seems odd and it seems difficult to worship when you feel anger or doubt towards the Lord -

But worship Him anyway!

Just as Job and David did!

Sometimes trusting the Lord takes a choice of will. But you can do it!

That's what I have found.

Lord bless!

[darkest_red]

I think everyone goes through periods of doubt at some point or other, but when we get to the other see we are stronger for it.

I would suggest you read Life, Death and Everything In Between by Mike Pilavachi. There is a chapter on doubt in it and it really helped me get through a period when I was doubting.

[Guest IslandSouljah]

honestly i am 15 years old and i have gon through alot of misfortunes and there has been nothing good about my life or my familys life i used to go to church every sunday and pray as hard as i could i was totally faithful but up until a month ago i lost all faith in god,christ, if they really loved us