Some years ago, I decided to join a gym. I knew I needed to improve my health and lose a few pounds, so I drove to a new workout place only a mile from my home. There, I was given a tour and signed on the dotted line. This gym had all the bells and whistles, from state-of-the-art machines to a nursery area for my toddler. There was even a movie theater where you could watch a movie while you cycled on an exercise bike, imagine that.

My Inevitable Gym Burnout

I was really excited at first, as I packed up my daughter each morning, anticipating the post-workout euphoria. I worked out hard on the equipment and free weights, really giving it my all. I was so proud of myself as I left the building each day drenched in sweat.

 As time went on, it became harder and harder to wake up early, pack up, and haul my tired self to the gym. Some days I didn’t feel like going so. . . I didn’t. Before long, I was down to 2 days a week and eventually, only when I felt like it (which was hardly ever). My initial enthusiasm for working out slowly faded into oblivion.

Experiencing Faith Burnout

Just like my sad foray into gym-life, and subsequent failure, people can lose enthusiasm for their Christian faith. For example, when we first come to know the Lord, we’re so excited. We can’t wait to go to church and raise our hands in praise with our new church friends. We tell everyone we meet about our brand-new faith in Jesus. We dig into the Word with an intensity and regularity that puts many long-time Christians to shame. We join a Bible study, attend a small group, and serve enthusiastically in the church kitchen. It seems we’re walking on air.

 Soon, unforeseen trials, fatigue, or the pull of sin, wear us down. Eventually, we stop reading the Word and going to church. We fall back into habits we thought we’d left behind. Why does this happen? Was our faith experience not real? Was it just a flash in the pan?

 Believers can burn out for many different reasons. Perhaps, God didn’t answer our prayers quickly, or we lost the excitement we had at first. Maybe we thought life would get easier after we came to Christ and it just didn’t. Sometimes non-Christian friends draw us back into our old life. It may be that people we looked up to in the church let us down in some way. Christians don’t always act right and that can be discouraging for new believers as they’re let down and disappointed by people they admire.

The Christian Life is not all Roses and Rainbows

Life isn’t easy for any of us. We all experience things like sickness, family problems, job loss, the death of family members, and other trials. We live in a sinful, fallen world and things happen. The good news is, when believers face difficulties, God uses all of it to make us more like Him. Our trials and hardships don’t go to waste. One day we’ll be fully perfected, when Jesus comes again. But for now, we’re a work in progress.

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. . .” 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NASB)

 None of us can exist on a perpetual spiritual high, like we may have felt when we first came to Christ. Therefore, our goal as believers is to build a steady faith that lasts—one that won’t burn out and is not dependent on our feelings or on other people. How can we develop that enduring faith? Here are some tips:

 

6 Tips for Steady Faith that Doesn’t Burn Out

• Don’t base your faith on emotions. None of us always feels peaceful, excited, or confident. We all have down times when we feel sad or lonely or just blah. We’re human and sometimes question things, waver in our faith, or fail to live as we should. Don’t worry if the excitement you originally felt when you came to Christ fades at times. Some days you just won’t feel like shouting “Hallelujah”. Remember, emotions come and go, but the peace and hope we have in Christ are eternal.
• Keep serving God. We all possess spiritual gifts that help us contribute to God’s kingdom work. Seek God for wisdom in this area and allow Him to guide you into the lane you were perfectly designed for. We aren’t all made for children’s ministry. Ask my sweet husband who had a child pee in his lap while serving with me in the preschool. That was his last Sunday as my assistant.
• Stay in the Word. We need to know who God is and what His Word says to deepen our relationship with Him. The more time we spend in the Word, the more we will want to. Strong relationships take effort, even a relationship with God. Devote time each day to personal study of the Word, meditation, scripture memory, and prayer—each one a building block of steady faith.
• Join a Bible–believing church in your community. We need each other. It’s within the body of believers that we find help for our physical needs, gain prayer support, and experience genuine fellowship. Also, as we observe the steady faith of mature believers in our church, we’ll be encouraged that ours can be the same. In your church you can hopefully find someone who will disciple (walk beside) you in the faith as you grow and mature.
• Manage your expectations. There will be Christians who let you down. Your Christian brothers and sisters are not perfect. They struggle and sometimes don’t act right. Pastors and other church leadership sometimes let us down, as well. Keep in mind, there is no perfect church (because churches are made up of imperfect people). Base your faith on the unchanging, all-perfect, Savior, Jesus Christ, not on sinful man. Watch who you idolize (sometimes that is the pastor, who is only human, himself). Forgive often and in every circumstance, as Jesus tells us in His Word.
• Remember that God is always in control. There’s nothing that happens in our life that God has not allowed. He will use all of it for His glory and our sanctification. My husband, by all accounts a fit person, had triple bypass surgery at 55 years old. God knew we’d experience that bump in the road. He allowed it and He would work through it. My husband made it through, and many God stories happened because of it. Just because bad things happen to us doesn’t mean faith isn’t real or God doesn’t love us. To the contrary, it means that the Bible is true. The Bible tells us we’ll experience hardship. It tells us that God uses trials to shape us into a worthy vessel for His glory.

A steady, consistent, and confident faith over a lifetime is more than possible. Don’t let disappointment, mistakes, imperfect people, or lack of emotion cause you to doubt your faith. God will never leave you and nothing can take you out of His hand once you’ve come to Him in genuine faith and repentance.

“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong” 1 Corinthians 16:13 (CSB)

The bottom line is this: When we come to faith, it’s God who draws us to Himself and holds us there. We can trust Him. God is real and your faith is real—even on those days when you’re tired, or sad, or disappointed, and the last thing you feel like doing is praising God. That’s exactly when we must press on with confidence.

Let’s be sure to seek God’s direction and wisdom each day, resting in the security and peace we have in Him. Join me as we look forward to a beautiful, purposeful, eternity with God. Steady, unshakeable faith is a beautiful gift and it’s within reach for every believer.

“My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28 (NASB)