My faith crisis felt like a full-blown spiritual emergency. Only there are no ambulances, relief workers, or hospitals designed to treat a loss of faith. So when I felt the spiritual sirens going off, I didn’t know where to turn, who to trust, or what to do next. Can you relate?
It wasn’t until after the most intense moments of spiritual doubt that I realized how common it was to have a crisis of faith. So if you’re going through the same gut-wrenching, panic-inducing experience as I did, know that you’re not alone.
So how do we deal with our faith crises? Well, let’s imagine someone going through a health crisis, like if they found out a snack they just ate contained ingredients they’re seriously allergic to.
They probably wouldn’t ignore the problem and hope it goes away. They also wouldn’t keep that news to themselves. Instead, they’d be wise to face their crisis head-on and look for helpful solutions.
So, let’s face our faith crises head-on, too. We’ll start by acknowledging the problem, and then we’ll explore the next steps to help us move forward.
What Is a Faith Crisis?
A faith crisis is a moment of intense spiritual doubt that makes you feel like you’re losing your faith forever.
It’s more than just having a few new ideas about the Bible or honest questions about God. Instead, it feels like an emergency, a sink or swim, live or die moment for your faith.
Sadly, many people going through a faith crisis don’t know who to turn to. Maybe, like me, you’ve tried to share your doubts with well-meaning Christians only to be met with unhelpful responses like isolation, suspicion, or solutions that don’t reflect the extent of your doubt.
Once, a friend told me that my doubts would go away if I read the Bible more consistently. I responded by telling them that most of my doubts actually came from reading the Bible regularly, that the weird stories I read about didn’t match history or science, and the lessons it taught didn’t match the version of Christianity I’d always been taught.
Their response was the kind of uncomfortable pause you might be familiar with, followed by a quick change of subject.
Doubt isn’t the sign of a weak faith, spiritual failure, or God’s anger.
It’s easy to let painful, awkward, or guilt-inducing comments from well-meaning Christians about your doubts make it seem like something’s wrong with you. Below, we’ll talk more about shame, but before we go any further I want to make one thing perfectly clear: Doubt isn’t the sign of a weak faith, spiritual failure, or God’s anger. Instead, it’s a pretty normal process many Christians, if not most Christians, experience.
The Causes of Your Crisis
If you’re having an allergic reaction, it’s wise to reflect on the foods you’ve eaten that day. That way, you can have the best information to help yourself and others keep you safe.
In the same way, it’s wise to reflect on the source of your faith crisis. When we know the cause of our crisis, we’re better equipped to resolve our crisis.
Maybe your faith crisis started small, with a few doubts and lingering questions slowly eating away at your confidence. Or maybe you experienced a traumatic event, like the loss of a loved one, abuse, a failed relationship, church hurt, or a personal struggle.
For many, it’s a combination of these kinds of doubts and events stacking and combining in unique ways. That’s why there’s no one-size-fits-all response to faith crises. Instead, there are wise steps we can take to help us engage with our doubts without losing our faith.
3 Things to Avoid When Facing a Crisis of Faith
These three things to avoid won’t make all your doubts go away, but they can de-escalate feelings of despair, panic, or fear. That way, you can engage with your doubts in a healthy way.
1. Avoid Seeking a Quick Fix
Why: If you’re in a full-blown faith crisis, then one quick prayer or Bible verse is unlikely to resolve your doubts and questions. God loves truth, and He wants you to seek truth. So if there’s something untrue mixed into your faith, He wants you to root it out.
Instead, Embrace Your Doubts
Instead of chasing a quick fix, embrace the process of examining your doubts. As you audit your faith, look for any unhealthy beliefs you may have picked up along the way. How do you tell what’s unhealthy? Read and reread the stories of Jesus.
Even the most well-meaning Christians and churches can adopt beliefs and behaviors that don’t reflect the love of Jesus. This was true for me. Over time, I discovered I didn’t doubt the goodness of Jesus—I simply doubted the false version of Christianity I’d been taught.
When I was in the lowest moment of my faith crisis, the moment when I wasn’t even sure if Jesus was actually God, I could still look to the character and nature of Jesus and find hope. Because even people with no faith find Jesus’ life to be inspiring and worth emulating.
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.
- Why does a good God let suffering and death happen?
- Why do bad things happen to good people?
- Where is God in natural disasters?
- What’s the deal with Satan?
- Why do Christians think Jesus Christ rose from the dead?
- What’s God’s plan for my life?
- Who wrote the Bible, and where did it come from?
- Who is Jesus?
- Sermon: Dealing With Your Doubt