The Breaking Point Of Our Faith

Some people drift away from God when they do not receive what they hoped for. This is often labeled as “backsliding” or “going back to square one.” However, such people may not truly be backsliders—because they never had genuine faith to begin with. They approached God seeking a miracle, healing, or blessing in hopes of building faith on those results. When nothing happened, they simply returned to their old ways, turning to every other possible source to fulfill their desires.

If their faith never even sprouted, calling them “backsliders” or claiming they returned to disbelief is misleading. When we classify people as “faithful” or “faithless” solely based on what they receive from God, it reveals a serious misunderstanding of faith. The sad truth is, many people build faith only on visible evidence, unwilling to trust God or believe in His existence without it. The Apostle Paul speaks of such an attitude in the following verse:

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

1 Corinthians 15:19 (NIV)

The Unshaken Faith

When standing at a crossroad, we often struggle to choose the right path. Only the leading of the Holy Spirit can truly direct us—but in our haste, we sometimes choose the path that matches our own ambitions. In such cases, what we call “faith” may never have been true faith at all. Instead of trusting in God’s will, we trusted in our own desires. We did not wait for His direction, and when our plans failed, we shifted the responsibility onto Him.

There are, however, believers who remain steadfast in the truth of God’s Word—regardless of whether it fulfills their personal desires. Consider Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when condemned to death by being thrown into a fiery furnace, they declared their loyalty to the living God—not because of what He could do for them, but because of who He is. They told the king:

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

Daniel 3:17-18 (NIV)

Likewise, when we face a terminal illness, severe financial hardship, or betrayal by those closest to us, it may feel like the breaking point of our faith. Yet, in God’s design, such moments are often the refining fires that strengthen faith rather than destroy it. God allows these trials—not because He needs to find out how much faith we have (He already knows), but so that we can see the depth of our own trust in Him. That’s why, to those who place their trust fully in Him, Jesus could say with certainty, “Your faith has healed you.”

The Vulnerable Moments

The challenges in our lives do not necessarily make us more vulnerable to disbelief; in fact, they can serve to strengthen our faith. If that’s the case, then when are the moments we actually trade faith for disbelief? It happens when we yield to temptation—when we are willing to satisfy sinful desires, even at the cost of jeopardizing our salvation.

There is a familiar saying: “Curiosity killed the cat.” In the same way, our unwillingness to trust God and obey His commands often drives us to test boundaries just to see why He forbids something. At times, fueled by self-righteousness, we convince ourselves that we can explore temptation without falling into sin. Yet in doing so, we open a vulnerable space in our hearts—one where sin quietly slips in and begins to take control.

Jesus warned us clearly, about sins like murder and adultery, that even the desire in our hearts is as guilty as the outward act. His teaching is not merely figurative but deeply practical: what we continually desire shapes our thoughts, and what fills our thoughts soon spills over into our actions.

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Matthew 5:22-23 (NIV)

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)

If Eve had not been curious about the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there would have been no opportunity for her to disobey. Some believers hold to a misguided idea: “Without tasting, how can we know what is sin?” But to be free from sin, it is not necessary to experience it. No one would dare taste cyanide just to confirm that it is poisonous.

By our sinful nature, we already know what sin is—and God’s law further exposes it. As Paul wrote, “I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law” (Romans 7:7). Instead of blaming the law for leading us into sin, we must understand why God gave it. God gave His laws knowing full well that we are weak vessels, incapable of keeping them perfectly. What God desires is for people to return to Him in humility, admitting their inability to fulfill the law. Yet man deceives himself—thinking he can also deceive God—by claiming to obey all His commands.

Knowing this stubborn and foolish response to His law, God chose to provide atonement for our sins through His Son. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was not only sinless—He was completely untouched by sin’s influence. He did not “learn” about sin through experience, proving that it is not necessary to know sin in order to avoid it.

Sealing the Vulnerable Areas

The most vulnerable point where our faith can turn into disbelief is when we are tempted to sin. We know that placing ourselves in compromising situations often leads to sin. Temptation is one of the most dangerous traps for a believer—where salvation is traded for a fleeting moment of pleasure.

Though God’s gift of salvation is not instantly lost through a single sin, continual disobedience can eventually cause us to forfeit what He has freely given. No one is strong enough to resist temptation by relying on self-discipline alone. We often pray for God’s help when our lives are threatened by serious illness or financial crises—but how rarely do we pray for protection from temptation and disobedience!

We ask God for the strength to go to work when we are sick. We pray for success in situations where we may not even deserve it. Yet, we seldom pray the prayer Jesus taught: “Lead us not into temptation.” Without this first prayer, it is unrealistic to expect the second—“deliver us from evil”—to be fully effective in our lives. Jesus emphasized the need to pray against temptation once more to His disciples in the garden:

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:41 (NIV)

Many biblical figures fell because they did not pray for such protection. Cain did not receive God’s warning, and as temptation began its process in his heart, it led him to become a murderer. David prayed often for deliverance from his enemies yet failed to pray for deliverance from temptation—leading to adultery and murder. Job’s friends never prayed for protection from the temptation of envy, and their words revealed their hearts, earning God’s anger. Pilate did not pray for guidance in judging Jesus, nor did he ask God to avoid placing him in that situation and could only wash his hands in helplessness. Judas Iscariot did not ask for God’s help when tempted to betray his Master. Peter, warned by Jesus about his coming trial, relied on self-confidence instead of praying to avoid such a situation—and ended up denying Him.

These examples reveal that when we fail to ask God to keep us from temptation, we become far more likely to succumb to it. Just as we earnestly pray for protection from accidents in our daily travels, how much more should we pray for God to guard our souls against the dangers of temptation? We are fully aware of the areas where we are weak and vulnerable to sin’s attacks. These weaknesses cannot be overcome instantly or by our own strength—they are gradually removed as we grow in God’s love and knowledge.

Until that growth is complete—and even after—we should make it our daily prayer: “Lord, do not lead me into temptation,” so that we may also be delivered from all evil. For temptation is the closest ally of unbelief and one of the fiercest enemies of our faith.