It should comfort you to know that some of the greatest heroes of the Bible saw their faith dwindle to almost nothing. A striking example is John the Baptist.
He was a relative of Jesus, a pull-no-punches preacher who courageously challenged people to repent and clearly identified Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. One day, he saw Jesus approaching and said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he was speaking the truth. He was brimming with faith.
But later, circumstances turned against him, and he found himself sitting in a prison cell. Suddenly, the truth didn’t seem quite as certain. In fact, at one point he became so unsettled about his core beliefs that he sent a couple of his friends to find Jesus and ask Him a pointed question: “Are You the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Luke 7:19) That question is a stunning reminder that even the staunchest followers of Christ occasionally need a faith refill.
So don’t feel bad if you do. Don’t listen to that little voice inside your head that keeps telling you what a pathetic excuse for a Christian you are. It’s not true. What is true is that you’re just like John the Baptist and every other imperfect person trying to scratch out an existence in this fallen world. You are not alone.
But there’s even more good news. God gives free refills!
-- Mark Atteberry in “Free Refill: Coming Back for More of Jesus”
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