5 Ways Desperate Circumstances Can Grow Our Faith

In fact, without desperation, there may be no genuine faith. 

Let me explain.

Think of the claims the Gospel makes on our lives.

It calls us for total surrender to God, a complete reorientation of our minds, a reordering of priorities, sacrifice…I could go on.  

Who does this? Who responds with this kind of faith? 

Only the desperate.

The catalyst, for many, is coming to terms with a Christless eternity. You might call it a fear of death or a fear of hell. That’s desperation. 

Let’s be clear, though. If you receive Christ to avoid hell, and it doesn’t result in a life of growing in surrender, a new orientation, reordering priorities, and sacrifice, it’s not genuine, saving faith. 

But the fear of a Christless eternity is often the catalyst that propels us into a life of growing intimacy with God and discipleship.

Another catalyst is coming to an end of ourselves in a myriad of ways. Money, power, sex, drugs, or partying are just not cutting it for us anymore. 

Desperation, again. 

But what about the person who receives Christ early in life and is seeking to walk with him daily from a young age? It may be the exception, but something might be wrong if peering into their own souls in light of God’s love they don’t experience an existential crisis from time to time. 

Okay, so that’s what I mean when I say that without desperation there may be no genuine faith. 

And desperation or desperate circumstances can accelerate spiritual growth.

We’ll look at five ways this is so this weekend as we explore a passage in Mark’s gospel. 

Two desperate people in desperate circumstances will teach us a lot about faith. 

Think about a family member or friend that might need to hear this and invite them. You never know. They might actually come. 

Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash