Ever doubted your faith? You know; it really is ok to answer that question. Most of us experience some form of doubt when it comes to God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Atheist, agnostics, and authentic Christ followers have questions about the Divine which can’t always be answered in a nice cookie cutter fashion. With that in mind we began a short series at The Crossings this past Sunday entitled, “Oh God, Help My Unbelief!” The launch pad for our study comes from Mark 9:24 with a man who struggled with his belief. The man had tried everything and prayed feverishly for a son with horrendous sufferings. Jesus came, healed the boy, and encouraged the man’s faith. But what about you and me and our questions? What about the times when Jesus doesn’t seem to swoop in and save the day? What about the times when we doubt?

In our study, we looked at three major themes.

 1. Reasons for Unbelief:

-Unanswered Prayer.

-Baggage from our past.

-Experiencing physical and emotional sickness.

-Doing life in a society that opposes faith.

-Seasons of life that we move through.

-Simple rebellion where we don’t want to believe.

 

2. Dealing with Unbelief:

-Know that it’s ok to ask questions and look for answers.

-Dangers of ignoring the questions.

-There are real and quick answers to some questions.

-There are questions that will take longer to answer and patience is required.  (That’s called Faith)

 

3. Misunderstandings about Belief:

-Belief does not mean you have all the answers or everything figured out.

-Seeing rather than believing a testimony is not true faith.  Note Hebrews 11:1

-Positive feelings or experiences do not mean you have true faith.

-Believing things which contradict scripture does not mean you have true faith.

 

This next Sunday we will look at:

1. Dangerous ways to build faith.

2. Healthy ways to build faith.

In conclusion, I’ll be honest and admit that I have wrestled with particular faith questions myself.  I don’t get it all.  But I’m hanging on to what I do know and trusting in the person of Jesus Christ.  Actually, that would be my main thrust, pointing everyone not to a church or a system, but simply to Jesus Christ.

What have been some of your faith struggles and where are you at in the journey?

 

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