Did you lose faith in God due to unanswered prayer? Do you believe God can’t help you through a difficult situation? Sadly, I have lost faith many times perhaps just like you. I wish it were not so, but I have doubted God more times than I can count.
In fact, there have been many times I have convinced myself that my problems were way too big for God, or that He didn’t care about my situation because I was a hot mess.
To be honest, I have fouled up situations thinking they could never be redeemed.
This is a normal part of our journey as a Christian. Hot mess and all.
But if we are truly walking with God, the Holy Spirit quietly calls us to put away our doubts and trust God even when it hurts and circumstances seem grim.
If this has happened to you, keep reading to see what to do. There is hope.
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What Happens If You Lose Your Faith?
If you have lost faith in God, you are not alone. Many others before you have felt the same way. Before you shut down and give up hope, I suggest you look at Hebrews 11 in the Bible and see what can happen even if you lose your faith.
This is the hero’s “Hall of Faith” for the greatest men and women of the Bible.
I think it is kinda ironic that the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 lost faith in God before they became great men and women of faith.
Amazingly, God took a whole chapter to focus on what they did right despite what they did wrong. Spoiler Alert: they did a lot wrong!!
But…Not one of their sins is mentioned in this passage or that they DID lose faith in God at one time or another. It is as if God never remembered the “other part,” even though the “other part” was pretty bad.
I’m sure God did remember, but He chose to forget.
If God chose to forget their sins and help them through their problems, then He can do the same for you and me.
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What Do You Do When You Lose Faith In God?
Check out these seven people in Hebrews 11 who lost faith in God and see what they did to turn it around.
These people denied God, disobeyed Him, laughed at God, and even committed murder, yet He turned it around. If He can do it for them (and call them heroes), He can do it for you. Trust Him with your pain and let Him take the reigns.
Someday you will also be called a hero when you get to heaven if you just don’t lose faith in God now.
Don’t believe me? Read the seven stories and you will see seven reasons why you should not lose faith in God.
1. Noah
Noah was a righteous man. He built an Ark, saved his family, and started a new world. He trusted God while building the ark, walking into the ark, and living in the ark during the flood, and after it was over. He is the father of mankind.
Hebrews 11 forgot to mention this…Later in life, Noah was drunk and naked in his tent. Ham came in and looked at Noah while he was naked. Then Ham went to his brothers and made fun of his father.
Noah cursed Ham.
We don’t fully understand the cultural ramifications of this, but we do know whatever happened in that tent, it was bad enough for Noah to curse a whole bloodline. If Noah weren’t drunk and naked, this would have never happened.
2. Abraham
Abraham left his home and followed God into the desert. This was just the beginning of Abraham’s life of faith.
He had Isaac, who was a miracle and the fulfillment of a promise to Abraham by God. Having great obedience, Abraham put Isaac upon an altar to sacrifice, trusting God would save him. And God did.
Most of all, Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation. He is one of the greatest heroes of our faith.
Hebrews 11 doesn’t mention that he did lose faith in God when Sarah went with him to Egypt. He lied about her being his wife and nearly forced her into adultery with the King.
He lost faith in the promise of a son through Sarah. Tragically, he slept with Hagar producing Ishmael. (We are still dealing with that mess–Israel and Arab hatred.)
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3. Sarah
She had a child, Isaac, even though she was barren and too old. It says, “She believed that God would keep His promise.” (Hebrews 11:11b)
Before she believed, she laughed in disbelief at such a thing occurring. Due to her disbelief, she encouraged her husband, Abraham, to sleep with her handmaiden to produce an heir.
Yep, I think Sarah did lose faith in God in the beginning.
4. Moses
Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, kept them alive in the desert, crossed the Red Sea, and talked with God.
He delivered the Ten Commandments, and he led the Israelites to the Promised Land. That’s only part of the story of Moses.
Hebrews 11 doesn’t mention he killed an Egyptian or wanted Aaron to speak for him because he didn’t believe God could help him speak eloquently.
He also struck a rock in anger, disobeying God. Unfortunately, due to his disobedience, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Moses lost faith in God many times but it isn’t in Hebrews 11. Nope.
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5. David
David, the shepherd boy, was a man after God’s own heart. He was Saul’s servant, he conquered many nations as a great warrior, and he was one of the greatest kings of Israel who ever lived.
His sins were great too. He slept with another man’s wife (Bathsheba) in secret. David murdered Uriah to cover up his sin.
Sadly, David was responsible for his son’s death. He was also responsible for many men dying because he took a census. On top of that, he killed so many men in battle that he was not allowed to build the temple. Solomon, his son, built it instead.
6. Samson
Samson was a legendary warrior, judge, and leader. He was a man of great strength due to his hair (Nazarene). He killed many Philistines at his death.
Hebrews 11 doesn’t emphasize or even mention how greatly flawed Samson was for desiring a Philistine woman. Or the horrible deception of Delilah which turned into him losing his hair, his eyes, and his strength.
He killed himself while pulling down the pillars in the Temple of Dagon.
7. Rahab
Rahab risked her life by hiding the Israeli spies on her roof and deceiving the city officials who were looking for them. She saved her family from destruction.
She was a prostitute.
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How Can I Get My Faith Back In God?
Clearly, these seven biblical heroes lost faith in God. And we do too.
The one thing these heroes had in common is they didn’t give up. They kept going even though it was unbearable at times, they experienced horrible failure, lost faith, and made a mess of things.
Somewhere along the way, disbelief turned into belief. And that is what got them through. They chose to believe. And you can too.
Everything is redeemable by God if you will choose to believe Him during the tough times and trust that He uses all things for good.
Romans 8:28 says, “ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (NASB).
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What Causes Loss of Faith?
As moms, it is easy to lose faith when we feel out of control of our lives. It may seem your circumstances are hopeless because your baby is sick all the time, your child has a learning issue, or your teen is acting up at school or home.
For those of you who don’t have kid issues right now, it could be your husband is unfaithful or difficult to live with, you have a chronic illness, or you have lost a loved one.
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Perhaps you don’t get along with your mother-in-law or you hate your job.
Whatever it is, you can not see past today.
If you are like me, you probably tend to look at the here and now instead of the big picture to see what God is doing in your life.
As a Christian, I can guarantee one thing: God is after your character, not your comfort.
He wants you to have faith in Him even when your life is a hot mess. Actually, that is when He does His best work.
Next time you lose faith in God, remember these heroes in Hebrews 11 who are really flawed, but they still pleased God. In the end, they got back on course and finished what God had for them to do.
This means you can too. And still have it counted as righteousness!
Now that’s some good news
Did you lose faith in God? Will you choose to believe Him even when things look bleak? Comment below.
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This is an absolutely insightful post that teaches us not to lose faith in ourselves.
I think we forget how God takes flawed people to do great things. Solomon, who was the wisest man on earth, disobeyed God and took too many wives. In turn, his heart was pulled away from God. None of us are worthy yet his grace extends beyond our failures. Don’t lose faith. God is not surprised about your situation, and He is waiting for you to run to him.
Wow! This is so encouraging! It’s so easy to let condemnation hold us back and make us feel inferior to other “warriors of the faith”. We forget that we are, they are, all human, they just didn’t let condemnation hold them back from accepting God’s undesrved favour, and moving forward.
I am so glad you were encouraged by this post. I like reading this every once in a while to remember this. Thanks for commenting.