Has anyone ever lost their faith for a long period of time, and then regained it?

hippo said:

I'm not sure that I could ever regain it, but I wondered if anyone else had?

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yee yepp happened to me in 2007. I decided I did not believe anymore and I felt so lonely that year! I was fantasizing about a celebrity and I swear I could not turn it off in my mind and I commuted 30 minutes to and from a job I had. I was very lonely that year! Then sometime after that I repented.

Yes. From around 2001 to 2005 I was in that boat.

sort of..had a childlike faith in Jesus, then went astray in teens, was 'evangelised' at 17, went to church got baptised, then fell away, finally at 30 or thereabouts got back into reading the Bible again and seeking God and was born again.

Read the parable of the sower in the gospels, it illustrates the seeds of the Word planted in peoples lives and stages of spiritual growth.

Sort of. I grew up in a christian home, knew doctrine, and actually grew up in a very facts based house. So, I knew god was real on a logical level, I had experiences in my life where I was absolutely sure he had shown up. However, I was dealing with a lot at the time in college, absolutely being dragged through the gutter with health stuff and some serious scars from my childhood rearing its head. Over the course of 2-3 years I slowly started pulling away, going to church less, being less interested in biblical stuff. Indulging the flesh, mainly with extreme inappropriate content use (amount as well as content). Eventually I got to this point, where for all PRACTICAL purposes, I was agnostic, I wasn't really fully agnostic but practically I was. I didn't feel like god cared about me at all, how could he, I was in constant pain, lonely, and I never felt him. never mind I was practically running AWAY from him. In retrospect he still was protecting me, I tried to do some REALLY stupid stuff, was headed towards a bad crowd, and somehow something always kept me from engaging in the stuff I wanted to, timing just never worked out. Finally I got to the point, where I just wanted to say to god I'm done, but I couldn't, because that would be a lie, I was still attached to him through the holy spirit. I knew he was real, I knew he cared even if I didn't feel it. So, when I realized i couldn't get away I went towards. Best decision of my entire LIFE. There is a saying,a backsliding christian is the most miserable person. Its absolutely true.

When I was constantly sinning, I felt horrible, I felt guilty about it, even though I pushed that guilt so far down, and hardened my heart to it so I didn't "feel" guilty, on some level it was still there and I kept running from it. I became depressed, because my sin (inappropriate content) didn't make me happy, it tricked me into thinking it made me happy in the same way hard drugs do to a druggy. All I cared about was getting a woman, I had a horrible view of women. I kept thinking sin would fill that hole, I hide it well, but I became borderline psychopathic. The thought of hurting people was one I occasionally entertained, mentally or physically, I stopped seeing people as people, and viewed them as... I don't know what, but less than human. I was arrogant, thinking I was better than everyone.

When I turned back to god, all that started to change, was it overnight? no, but Now about 8 months later almost all the above isn't true. I don't like seeing people get hurt, sure a little bit of that fleshly desire still exist, but my first response when someone gets hurt isn't "ha" *feeling of satisfaction* its "man do you need help". I see women as people, though I still struggle with lust its getting better. I know longer look to sin to fill the hole in me. See sin, it makes you feel empty, and when you believe the lie that it can fulfill that hole, and engage in it, it temporarily makes you feel better, but very very soon, you feel even more empty, and you never fully feel full. But when you run with god, and he starts to work in you, you feel, amazing. Its like that hole is filled up, and more so its like your body becomes inflated, your not just not empty, your becoming FULL TO THE BRIM, with god. Its my primary reason to not want to sin, because it separates me from god, AND I CAN FEEL IT.

When I came back to god, I'm not going to lie, parts of it were NOT fun. I had a lot of sin to confess and as I grew closer to god, and the weight of that hit me, well, frankly there were days were I ended up a sobbing mess on the floor, more than one of those days. But at the same time, those are some of my best times with god, because while the sin came to mind, and I felt so unworthy, so worthless, god didn't strike me down, which he had ever right to do, he didn't kill me, he didn't torture me, ALL OF WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN JUSTICE. Instead, he loved me, and he let me feel his presence.

So I'm going to suppose on you, and ask you to do something, because it worked for me. Try to reach out to god for one month. Just one month, read one chapter out of the new testament every night, and pray every night. Don't just ask for things, vent to god, tell him what troubles you, ask to be in his presence, be honest, he already knows what you are feeling, but he wants you to tell him. If you have to YELL AT HIM. Just get it out in the open. Ask him to show himself to you, and make him real to you. I promise you, he will.

When I started turn back to god, it was weird, because, I didn't do it consciously, but I slowly over the period of a few months took all the energy I had been putting into inappropriate content, or trying to find a woman, or worrying about any million of other things, and I put that energy into seeking god, and man did it pay off. Gods holding his hand out to you, you just have to take it.

I've always believed in God. The problem I had and still have is obeying Him.

I feel kind of speechless about this subject. Long story short I abandoned the faith I had as a young adult because I got angry at what seemed like complacency in the Church when my life was so clearly messed up. Then one day I was told I mattered to God in a way that even words can't describe and it totally turned me around, not at first, but I kept thinking about it and thinking about it, until the only thing I could think to do to stop thinking the same thing over and over was do what I should've known to do from the beginning, which is follow Christ.

Long story even shorter, a head full of doubt is still never better than the Christian life.

For three years. And Jesus gave me faith, because His goodness and love were so real I could only love Him in return, and tell others about Him.

He loves you. Just read Scripture and think about these things. The purpose of spiritual dryness is to get us to wait on God and be fully attentive. Even this dryness is His work in our souls.

It wasn't easy growing up in a racist area with racists who vehemently
claim to be children of God....very sad.
Yes I did backslid and later repented of that.

hippo said:

I'm not sure that I could ever regain it, but I wondered if anyone else had?

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Yep. For over 15 years.

Yes, unfortunately my faith was lost as a young adult. Events in my life along with a weak relationship with God made this occur. I was very sinful during this time and very lost for 8 plus years. Luckily, God never stopped trying with me and he sent people to help me regain my faith and build a better relationship with him. I am learning and teaching myself every day to live and walk god's path for me and my family.

BFine said:

It wasn't easy growing up in a racist area with racists who vehemently
claim to be children of God....very sad.
Yes I did backslid and later repented of that.

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I can imagine that would be difficult. I've met the sort you're talking about. I pity them. They're truly ignorant people raised in ignorance the majority of the time.

People who do not have a habit of repenting, inevitably backslide long before the end. (selah)

I think most christians have a point where they get lost then come back. Granted not all come back. I was saved at 7 or 8 if I recall. I was born with major health problems. By the time I hit 12 I was starting to struggle as a christian kid because other kids are mean and say things that hurt you deeply. By 16 I had a major health set back that changed my life. I grew angry at God for a VERY long time. For around 10 years. I still believed in Hi despite yelling out loud by myself that He was fake because didn't care about me.

I slowly came back around to regaining my faith and realized God never stopped loving me. I gave up on Him, not the other way around. Now my faith is stronger then ever despite my circumstances in life!

Earlier this year I felt like I had lost my faith. I was trying to understand God's character but I was having a hard time because I was trying to figure it out myself. Then I prayed for some help, but nobody would help me. Even when I initiated and asked it didn't work. So I felt like God loved everybody but me. I sinned on purpose just to make Him upset.

But one day I was really really tired of trying to figure Him out and I wanted to quit. I said I was completely done trying and if I was gonna get help then someone was gonna have to come (out of nowhere) to me and offer it. A couple days later I met this awesome church family who I've been studying the Bible with. Now I have repented, and faith again.

Sometimes I question if God exists, if Jesus was just a man, these things haunt me regularly. Also the problem of evil is a very strong argument against God's existence. The thing that sets our God apart though is His love and the way He displayed it. No other religion has love as the foundation that Christianity has...not even close. That, and the fact that most of the things Jesus did were prophetic and written down before He lived as evidenced by The Dead Sea Scrolls. These things always bring me back. Why would someone lie about love in order to dominate the people, wouldn't they use fear instead?

There's something in every atheist, itching to believe, and something in every believer, itching to doubt. --Mignon McLaughlin

hippo said:

I'm not sure that I could ever regain it, but I wondered if anyone else had?

Click to expand...

Hi Hip,

In the past, I've had my ups and downs with faith, but I was able to find my way through the maze of disbelief and finally focus on Christ. It is possible to find renewal, Sis, even if that renewal might mean you have to change your theological assumptions a little bit.

Peace
2PhiloVoid