The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Have you ever wondered if your faith was what it should be? Or maybe even questioned if faith is really real?
I think all believers ponder these kinds of things. Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean you are not really a believer of Christ, or that you are a backslider. It only means that we live in a lost world. Everywhere we go we are exposed to the opinions and actions of the faithless, the ones who choose not to believe, the ones who secretly in their heart of hearts really wish they could believe in something, something that is bigger than themselves, bigger than this old world.
It is not a sin to wonder, to question. It is part of our make up, of how our minds work. We often need to see what something is in order to believe in it, or to even know it exists. If we don’t ever see it, we begin to believe it doesn’t.
One could say that our belief in Christ is like that. We can’t see Him. We can’t go visit Him, or call Him, or send Him a letter. We can’t pull our cell phones out and show our friends a pic we took of Him. Yet we believe within ourselves that He is real. We know He is real. We feel Him, we trust Him, we serve Him. So why do we sometimes feel like we don’t have the faith we should have?
The enemy is ever ready to contribute to our confusion, to our doubt. The thing to remember is that he is already defeated by the very One we sometimes wonder about. Jesus went to the cross for our benefit, to free us from the power of the enemy, and the sin that he so encourages. He gave up His life for ours. He operated in His Father’s will, not His own. He adopted His Father’s will. He did it all out of love, love for His Father, and love for His sheep.
We doubt people we know, love, and trust all the time, even when we can see them, touch them, and know they are faithful to us. It is not surprising, therefore, that we might once in a while take a detour and wonder, question, that which we cannot see.
A true believer in Christ never actually buys into the lie that He is not real, that He is not alive. That belief dwells deep within our hearts and our souls. And He understands our issues, He knows how we think, and He sees every struggle we deal with in our daily lives. And when we do take a detour, He is ever faithful to redirect our steps, and to gently pull us back into the fold. Once there, His embrace will strengthen and encourage us in the ways we need to stay strong, and to remember that He is Our Hope, and He is forever true.
“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’ ” Mark 9:24 (NIV)
Blessings!
Has there been a time recently when you doubted your faith, in the One who is so worthy of it? What would have been a better way to respond?
Please leave a comment and share your experience with me. I would love to hear your story!
Your article particularly touched me. I knew I believed but there was always this wonder in the back of my mind. Do I “really” believe, or am I just kidding myself? Well seven years ago, through a pretty dramatic incident, God confirmed my faith was real. I experienced that “peace that passes understanding.”
I didn’t expect to be facing the very real possibility of death that evening. But even if we may realize that no one is guaranteed tomorrow, it’s quite different when you get close enough to see the threshold of eternity. I was not sure whether my next breath would be the last one I would take.
Lying on death’s doorstep (literally), waiting for the EMT, I was not afraid.
Of course I thought of not being here to see my son grow up and the pain my family would suffer. But my main thought was, “Who didn’t I tell about Jesus? Had I failed Him?”
I was absolutely certain where I would be going. But my thoughts were with those who may not be there with me because I didn’t tell them how to get there.
Thanks for your article and your willingness to share The Good News.
Speaking from experience, it really IS good when you “know that you know.”
Thank you for sharing your beautiful experience! Not that it was easy lying at ‘death’s door’, but the revelation the Lord gave to you is absolutely beautiful! It has been my experience that He often confirms our faith; we sometimes miss it. I appreciate your comment. God bless you and yours!