In one way or another, many people who fall remain downcast and weak in their faith…

Returning to church is even more difficult because of the evil voices that whisper to their minds, saying:

– What will they say about you?
– Nobody else will believe you! Everyone will see you as a loser.
– You’d better read your Bible, pray, and follow Jesus at home, far away from the eyes of those who know you. In this way, no one will criticise or look at you with disdain.

This is exactly what evil wants. The more Christians isolate themselves from the church, the more vulnerable to attacks they become.

It all begins like this: one day you read the Bible, but the next day you forget to read it; one day you pray with great assurance, but the next day you don’t. And so, without realising, you start replacing the practice of faith with “more exciting” things and, when you least expect it, your faith is extinguished – like a cold charcoal block.

For example, when I was young, I fell in love with a girl from my church. She met the spiritual requirements to be my wife, so we became engaged and actually started building our house.

As time passed I found out that that relationship was not God’s will, and I broke up with her. I was heavily criticised by her parents, by my parents, and by the whole church, including bishops and pastors…

It hurt to see people casting a judgemental look at me… It was not easy!

However, I kept attending the church, despite of all the embarrassment; after all, it was my salvation at stake. I could not let my faith slack. No way!

In order to keep my faith burning I needed to stay near the fire – the church (see Proverbs 26.20), even if it meant having a red face because of so much embarrassment!

God allows us to go through humiliation because He doesn’t want us to be proud of our own faith.

If you are experiencing this, give thanks to God for the humiliation and go ahead, for those who humble themselves will be exalted (Matthew 23.12).