4 Surprising Ways to Fight for Your Faith When You're Struggling with Doubt

Questioning your faith can feel lonely. And struggling with doubt can be really scary. Maybe you’ve been wondering if God is really good? Or maybe he seems absent and you feel abandoned by him.

I know exactly how that feels. I experienced my own crisis of faith when I was a missionary in India.

Awkward.

Every single thing I ever believed about God was dismantled within a few short months, and then I had the difficult and monumental task of piecing my faith back together—bit by bit.

If you’ve struggled with doubt for any amount of time, you know there is no quick fix or easy answer, but thankfully there are a few things you can do to fight and wrestle well when questions come knocking on your door.

In this blog post, I’ll share 4 ways you can fight for your faith when life is disappointing or you feel let down by God. I’ll cover:

+The mindset shift that changes everything
+How to avoid isolation and shame
+Resources you can use that will be helpful companions as you journey out of despair and disbelief (including one I wish I’d had)
+The one thing that might save you years of frustration

So, if you’ve experienced the dark side of doubt, but you’re longing for hope and a way out, let’s dive in. The first key is:

Embrace the Idea that Doubt can be Good

I know that might sound crazy. But doubt itself is not a death sentence for your faith. In fact, it can be a starting block for a much deeper, more resilient and beautiful faith. It’s all in how you choose to approach it.

It’s not those who have weak faith, but those who have strong faith (or the potential for it) that struggle the most and feel the most vulnerable and fragile during the process of faith deconstruction and reconstruction.

This blog post is titled “How to Fight For your Faith When You’re Struggling with Doubt” because this is a fight, my friend. We have a real enemy who does not want us to succeed. But can I tell you something—if you struggle with doubt, it’s because the devil is scared of what you’ll do when you work through your questions and settle them in your heart. Let’s make him shake!

Along your way on this journey through doubt, you’re going to need some people. Which leads us to our next tip.

Surround Yourself with True Friends

In some circles doubt is a dirty word. There are people who will make you feel less than, or defective for expressing the questions bouncing around in your heart and head. Those aren’t your people for this season. Maybe they haven’t yet experienced the pain of doubt.

But I guarantee there are people who have walked this road that you’re on, or people who love you that will be patient and understanding when you say crazy things that you’ll probably want to take back later. I may or may not be speaking from experience here.

At the very least, I hope you’ve found a kindred spirit here and you’ll subscribe and stick around, and that this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Next, Find Some Great Resources.

When I was in the midst of my crisis of faith, the Bible felt unsafe to me (you can find out why in my book Holy Doubt), but I devoured other books like the hope-starved soul that I was.

In order to wrestle well, you’re going to need to read some good books. You can get the list of books that I read for free by clicking here. And because I never found a book by someone who really understood exactly how I felt or where I was coming from, I decided to write one. It’s the book I needed when I was feeling hopeless and lost. I’d love for you to check it out, and I hope it helps you put some of your pieces together in a beautiful and meaningful way.

Get Holy Doubt now!

And last but definitely not least, you may benefit from talking with a Christian counselor.

This was the step that put me on a completely different path, and probably shaved years off of my journey. I’m not sure where I would be today if it weren’t for the wise, Godly and sensitive guidance of Jeannie, my counselor.

I want that healing and hope for you too. If you need help finding a Christian counselor, I suggest you start with your pastor. Many of them are not trained counselors, but they may be able to point you in the right direction.

This was just the tip of the iceberg, friend. I have so many more stories and tips to share with you in my book, Holy Doubt that will help you work through your doubt in a healthy way. The fact that you clicked on this blog post tells me that God is already working in your heart to tell an incredible story, and your struggle with doubt will be just one small part of a larger one of victory and faith.

If you’re not ready to get Holy Doubt, I still have something for you! Click below to get the first 3 days of my 7-day devotional guide I Doubt It—God’s Goodness for FREE!

And, if you’re interested in other great resources on how to fight for your faith well, be sure to visit my Shop. And check back often because new material is coming soon (including a Holy Doubt Journal)!

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