I’ve Lost My Faith! What Can I Do?

Many Christians have experienced a “dark night of the soul,” but what happens when you lose your faith? Are you lost forever?

Faith

Many Christians have experienced a “dark night of the soul,” but what happens when you lose your faith? Are you lost forever? I cannot keep track of all the people who have contacted us through our website that feel like they’ve lost their faith…some, even their salvation. They’re in a crisis and feel like they can’t go on. They have “lost their faith” and now they don’t know what to do. What would you tell them? We shouldn’t tell them to “Keep your chin up” or even, “We know that all things work together for your good” (Rom 8:28). Even though that’s true, it may not feel true to them…at least it doesn’t feel true right now. We must show mercy on those who have doubts (Jude 1:22). We should never kick another believer when they’re down. The only time we should look down on someone is when we’re helping them up. And if we think a crisis of faith can’t happen to us, then we’re more vulnerable to it than we think. To say “That can’t happen to me” is dangerous ground to walk upon.

Your Salvation

How many have contacted us about losing their salvation (or thought they had?)? There were countless thousands over the last 14 years. The question becomes, “If they had eternal life and lost it, was it truly eternal?” No! You cannot lose what you did not gain and that is eternal life in Christ. He alone chooses those whom He pleases (John 6:37-44; Rom 8:35-39; Eph 1). Since He is the Author of our Faith, He is also the Finisher of it (Heb 12:2) and He finishes what He starts (Jude 1:24). Too often people say, “I feel I’ve lost it…” or “I feel like I’m condemned,” but what happens is they put more priority on their feelings than they do the facts of God’s Word (John 10:28-29). Feelings are very unreliable and subjective, but God’s Word is objective, meaning it is always true, so don’t rank your “feelings” over the facts. Feelings are the shallowest part of human understanding. The Truth of Scripture is the deepest depth of truth there is.

Exercising Your Faith

If you feel like God is far from you, think about this; who went where? Who moved? Was it God…or have we moved away from Him? We might have taken God’s silence as God’s judgment, but that’s not fair to God. God works where eyes cannot see or ears cannot hear. We must live by faith and not so much live by sight. Faith is like a muscle…we must exercise it or we will lose it. At the least, our faith will be weakened. The best way to strengthen your faith (hard as it is) is to trust God in all trials and tribulations. When all is going well, there’s no reason to exercise faith. That’s why God allows trials for us. A faith not be tested is a faith not trusted. We must see with the eyes of faith, not by sight. God will not ever, no not ever, forsake us (Heb 13:5), even when we forsake Him. He is faithful, even when we are not.

Precious Promises

When you feel like you’ve lost your faith, do the only thing you can do and that is run to the Word of God. Remember His great and precious promises (2 Pet 1:4). He will see you all the way into the Kingdom. God the Father has no aborted children! What He starts, He begins (Rom 8:37-39). The Apostle Paul was confident of God’s ability to bring believers into the kingdom that he wrote, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). What God begins, God will complete. That truth is true even if you have the flu. Forget what you “feel.” Remember what He promises! Forget what you “feel” but trust what He says for His Word is always true, no matter what you feel!

Lost and Found

It may actually be a good thing if someone believes they’ve lost their salvation or lost their faith. God may be drawing them to Christ for the first time and putting doubts in their minds so that they might actually be saved for the first time. In other words, they might not have even been saved at all…and this may be the way they are saved by God! God is mysterious in His election and saving of sinners. That’s why we’re commanded to make our own election by God and His calling sure or certain (2 Pet 1:10). That’s a command…not a suggestion! A truism is this; the more you read the promises of God, the less you’ll believe your own feelings. If given a choice, I’m going with facts over feelings.

Conclusion

We must trust God at times of crisis. God will not give up on us, even if we give up on Him for a time. God will not forsake us or leave us, even when we leave and forsake Him for a time. He is truly faithful. Never forget His true and trusted promises. God will never abandon His very own children (Heb 13:5) any more than a father or mother would forsake their own children. God is faithful and will never abandon those who have trusted in Jesus Christ (John 6:37, 39, 44; 10:28-29). It is my prayer that you have already trusted in Christ, but if you haven’t…that’s bad. That means you must face God’s judgment after death (Heb 9:27), or at Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), whichever happens to come first, so put your faith in Christ, while it is still called today (2 Cor 6:2).

Here is some related reading for you: What is a Crisis of Faith? Are You Having One Now?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Dark Night of Soul, eternal life, Lose Salvation, Lost, Lost Faith