Lost Faith

Such a big question, my heart aches for the answer …. for you …. for so many. Don’t know if it is even possible to articulate that answer in this forum, but I do think you have touched on it yourself. Jesus said to come to Him as a child. You state that your faith was childlike, maybe it is in that growing up that everything got so cunfusing, listening to so many men - who themselves search for answers. Maybe the first step in regaining “Lost Faith” is to come to Him quietly, like a child, and feel once again the sun warming your face.

Jude 17-25

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

I will never lose my faith. Although I may question those around me “the flesh” My faith is never shaken. Believe what you believe and never change your mind. Be strong and solid as a rock. Jesus is with you during this time. Don’t forget to ask for his help, even when you are in a time of doubt.

~Frank

I wish I had a better answer to your question. A few random thoughts that might (hopefully) help:

1. You don’t need to eliminate doubt to have faith. People with faith that is so complete, certain, rigid, and unwavering are frequently the ones who get hit the hardest when something shakes their foundation. If you have no doubt, it’s not faith - it’s knowledge.

2. The weaknesses of men have nothing to do with God. I frequently think modern Christianity resembles the pharisees and sadducees of the bible more than we care to admit. The arrogance of man is everywhere (especially the church) and it’s easy to find inconsistency and disappointment. But this should (to an extent) be expected - we are not perfect. We all fall short of God’s perfection.

I’d recommend going back to the basics. Do you believe there is a God that loves you? To Jaclyn’s point above, that’s about all a child knows. Maybe that’s enough, at least for now.

Otherwise, just know that you’re not alone in your doubts.

I don’t agree with Macgyver on #1 but I do agree to some degree with him on #2. We can expect that people will fall short of our expectations. I like to warn people that I will fall short of their expectations and just get that out of the way ahead of time. Keep it simple… back to the basics.

Could I offer some ‘child-like’ advice? Go rent Disney’s “Rescuer’s Down Under”. There is a scene in it that defines faith, to me anyway. The scene is when the boy dives off the cliff with the trust and freedom that the eagle will be there for him…it’s just beautiful. Then there’s “Aladdin” when he asks Jasmine to go on the magic carpet ride…”Do you trust me?” There’s something about seeing faith lived out..even if it is a cartoon, that is inspiring.
I don’t know…I guess God used these films to ‘speak’ to me at the time, because I was home with 4 little kids…
I also think faith is contagious. The more time spent with those who are experiencing God the easier it is to believe. Perhaps this is part of the excitement of the early church that we miss out on…daily interaction, hearing about and seeing the miraculous physical and spiritual transformations. Maybe this ‘post’(ing) modern church will be able to resurrect this through this medium. I wonder?