At some point in our lives as a Christian, we’ve come to know the story of Jesus and we believe in this story. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead. We believe that through Jesus we will live forever.
Like many Christians, I was raised to believe in these facts. I know it’s not the case for all Christians, but for me, I thought this was all that I needed to know about Christian faith. Since I confessed this belief, I was saved. I was baptized. I went to church on an off with my family.
I grew up, and I got to a point where the faith I had was not enough.
The faith I had was not enough to keep me from making one ungodly choice after another. The faith I had was not enough to convince me that Jesus was the only way of salvation. I began to think that all religions were acceptable paths to God, and I begain to adopt various beliefs.
The faith I had was not enough to keep me from spiraling downward into severe depression. The faith I had was not enough to keep me from plotting my suicide, even though I had two small children.
I wondered if I had faith at all.
One particularly dark night, I prayed. I prayed very hard. I felt so confused about life. I felt confused about God. I felt confused about all the different versions of Christianity out there, not to mention all the other “faiths.” I prayed that God would lead me to the truth, even if I did not like it. I needed some clarity in my life. I needed hope.
I did not notice God answering, but soon I decided to research a television preacher I had been listening to. That research led me to some online bible studies. I listened to these bible studies and I began to learn that there was more to the faith than I had thought, and in time I began to take the faith more seriously.
I committed to Jesus as the only way of salvation. I faced my sin and began to hate my sin. I learned more about Christian doctrine, the teachings of Jesus, and what it means to live a Christian life. I continue to learn, and it has been a journey of ups and downs. This began almost 6 years ago.
In all this time, one thing I learned is that every Christian struggles with something, and most of us are doing the best we can. Many Christians know that they need more from the faith but there are barriers standing in the way.
My hope is to help remove some of those barriers.
If you’re like I was, then it might be very helpful to learn from someone who has come through severe faith issues.
The best way I know is to share what I have learned about Christian faith.
That is the point of this article series, and I thought it best to begin by sharing a little of my story.
Going forward, I want to take some time to write about faith questions that I have struggled through.
In the next article, I will focus on the question of where faith comes from.
Do you have faith questions or a faith story that you’d like to share? Feel free to leave a comment if you do. I’d love to hear from you!
Jesus Alone 