Exploring the unhealthy or unhelpful parts of your faith takes time. So don’t pressure yourself to solve your faith crisis today. It can take time, and that’s okay.

The first way to find hope in a crisis of faith:

Exploring your doubts is a process, so you don’t need to resolve your doubts overnight. You’ve got enough on your heart and mind already; don’t add unneeded pressure into the mix.

Take time to work through your doubt with good books, healthy mentors, and conversations with mature believers. Don’t avoid it or shy away from it. You can end up more spiritually mature on the other side, and your faith can grow stronger in the process.

2. Avoid a Shame Spiral

Why: There’s no shame in doubt. It’s not a sign of a weak faith or God’s anger. Instead, it’s a sign of a growing faith. So when you doubt God, don’t let shame, anxiety, or fear escalate your crisis. Instead, breathe. There’s nothing wrong with doubting, and plenty of people are going through it too.

Instead, Embrace Vulnerability

I felt intense anxiety and shame during my crisis of faith. Can you relate?

Maybe you wonder if your faith crisis is the result of God’s anger at your failures. Or you might believe that your faith wasn’t strong or genuine enough if you’re experiencing doubts today. And, like me, you might feel like you can’t bring up your doubts because of what it’ll cost you.

Admitting that you’re in a faith crisis takes vulnerability and trust. It may come with a cost, but it’s worth it.

Why? Because someone going through a medical crisis needs help to get well. People going through a faith crisis need help, too. That requires a step of faith, not in God, but in others. Yes, they might occasionally give unhelpful advice, but their loving presence can more than make up for their occasional lapses.

The second way to find hope in a crisis of faith:

Don’t let shame keep you from vulnerability. Instead, find someone to share your burden today. It might be a friend, family member, or pastor.

If you want to take one small step toward seeking guidance through vulnerability, then submit a prayer request today. A real person will pray for you and respond to your request (and if you want, you have my permission to put a fake name on the prayer request form).

3. Avoid Abandoning Spiritual Habits

Haha, this was all a trap! I’m actually going to tell you that reading the Bible and praying more will make all your doubts go away! Just kidding. But, cards on the table, I do think it’s helpful to keep exploring the Bible, spending time in prayer, and going to church regularly to help you in a faith crisis.

Why: Because the best place to audit, explore, and reimagine your faith is by reading what the Bible actually says, talking to God to see how He’ll respond, and spending time around other faithful yet doubt-filled Christians.

Instead, Embrace Connecting With God and People

Growing up, I found the Bible boring. That was, until I started doubting it. Then, I couldn’t get enough of reading the Bible. Why? Because I used to see the Bible as a tool to defend the beliefs I’d been raised to accept blindly. But after experiencing intense doubt, I could finally let the Bible speak for itself. I also began to notice many people in God’s Word who experienced doubt themselves.

Once I did, I found a whole new way of thinking about faith. This led to me slowly regaining my habit of prayer.

For a while, going to church felt awkward. I had some imposter syndrome, where I felt like I was faking my faith. But I wasn’t. I was simply engaging with my faith despite doubt. At church, I met other Christians who felt similar doubts, and we got to explore our doubts together.

What if I don’t have a good church?

Now, one big caveat that I bet you saw coming. “Sam, what if my church is super toxic? Should I keep showing up?” Great questions, and there’s no one right answer.

Every church is full of people, and people mess up. So we ought to show some grace for others’ failures. But if the environment isn’t healthy or helpful, it may be wise to consider finding another church community.

If you’re in a place without many options, you might try attending Life.Church Online. It’s the live-stream service at Life.Church with dozens of services each week with real people in the chat you can connect with and opportunities to ask for support.

The third way to find hope in a crisis of faith:

Keep showing up. Showing up in Scripture, showing up in prayer, and showing up at church. Not because spiritual disciplines will make your doubts go away, but because they’ll set you up in a great environment to rebuild your faith.

Become Content in Crisis

Christian faith can be complicated. These three things to avoid won’t bring clarity to all your unanswered questions, but they can relieve some anxiety and panic. They might even bring you some peace as you process your beliefs.

I don’t know how you feel about God or the Bible right now. But since we’ve made it this far together, can I end with some encouragement? I’m not in the room with you, so you’re free to roll your eyes, cross your arms, or give a skeptical grimace if needed.

God is a good God who loves you and wants to draw you closer to Him, even in the midst of a faith crisis. He’s inviting you into a deeper faith every day that includes your doubts and unanswered questions.

If you’d like to process some more big questions about faith in God with me and some of my friends, check out one of the articles below. I’ll also include a great message from Pastor Craig Groeschel about dealing with our doubts.

Doubting God?

Your Journey Starts Here

Questioning Your Beliefs?