5 Ways To Renew Your Faith When It Feels Weak

Speaker A00:00:00

The house is quiet. It's late. Your phone is glowing in the dark. Like so many of us, you're just scrolling.Not because you're entertained, but because your heart feels tired and you're looking for something. You're looking for something to help, something to lift you, something to make you feel close to God again. And sure you believe.At least you think you do. You still show up. You still pray sometimes. You still go to church. You still say the right things.But inside, something, deep inside, something feels weak, doesn't. Feels dry, feels heavy, feels distant. And maybe the hardest part is this. You don't even know how it happened.You didn't wake up one morning and decide to drift from God. He just got busy. He got hurt. He got distracted. He got tired. And over time, that fire that once burned brightly started to feel like smoke.Maybe you remember what it used to feel like when worship moved you. When scripture felt alive to you. When those prayers felt personal. When those tears came easily, when gratitude was natural.When God didn't feel far away, he felt near. Very near to us. But now you open your Bible and it just feels flat. You try to pray and your mind just wanders all over the place.Yeah, you sing the songs, but your heart doesn't move in them. And you start to wonder, what's wrong with me? Why do I feel numb? Have I disappointed God? Have I drifted too far?Friend, if that's where you are today, I need you to hear me carefully. You're not alone in that struggle. And you're not strange. You're not the only believer who's ever felt this way. And you're not too far beyond renewal.Because spiritual weakness doesn't mean spiritual death. Dryness doesn't mean God has abandoned you. Silence doesn't mean he's absent. And distance in your feelings does not cancel nearness in his presence.Friend, there are seasons in the Christian life that feel like spring. Everything is blooming, everything feels alive. Everything feels fresh. And at the same time, there are seasons that feel like winter.Bare, cold, still uncomfortable and quiet. But hear me on this. God is still God. In the winter, he's still faithful. In the silence, he's still near when your heart feels numb.And he's still working when you can't even feel Him. So tonight, or this morning, or whenever you're listening from, I want us to walk honestly through this together.Not with hype, not with shame, not with some fake spiritual energy, but with biblical truth, real hope, and practical steps. Because right now, if your faith feels weak, it can be renewed.Not by pretending, not by performing, not trying harder in your own strength, but by returning. Returning to the God who has never stopped loving you, has never stopped calling you, and never stopped pursuing you.So today, I want to give you five biblical ways to renew your faith. When it feels weak. And before we're done, I want to pray with the person who feels worn out. I want to pray with the person who feels ashamed.And I want to speak directly to the one who may finally realize what they need is not just renewal, but salvation. Because maybe this isn't just about feeling dry. Maybe this is your moment to come home. Welcome to Truth Unveiled with Ralph.I'm Ralph Estep Jr. And on this show, we strip away the noise, we cut through the confusion, and we get back to what God's word actually says. Because the truth is we're living in a world full of opinions. There's plenty of them out there.We're living in a world full of emotions, full of voices, but in my honest assessment, very little truth. And if we're not careful, we can start building our lives on what feels right instead of doing what is right.So every week, and I love it when you join me. Thank you so much for being here. This is the place where we come back to truth.Now, you know, it's not going to be watered down here, not adjusted for culture, not certainly not softened for comfort, but truth that anchors your faith, truth that strengthens your walk, and truth that helps you see clearly in a world that feels increasingly unclear. And today we're talking about something that almost every believer experiences but very few people talk honestly about.And that's what do you do when your faith feels weak? Now, I'm not talking about faith that's gone or abandoned, just weak.When prayer feels quiet, when scripture feels distant, when your heart feels disconnected, if that's you, this episode's for you. So let's walk through this together. We live in a world that trains us to trust our feelings first. If it feels real, it must be true.If it feels distant, it must be gone. If it feels difficult, that must not be God. If it feels dry, it must be broken. That's how culture talks. That's how flesh talks.But that's not how scripture talks. Culture says to us, follow your emotions. God says, walk by faith. Culture says, if it's not exciting, just leave it. And God says, be steadfast.The culture says, if the feeling fades, the relationship is over. But God says, I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you. See, that is the tension.Because many believers today have been discipled more by convenience and emotion and constant stimulation than by endurance or obedience and abiding. We've all gotten used to having instant feedback, instant entertainment, instant validation, instant answers, instant relief. And then we come to God.And God doesn't always work instantly, does He. He forms us slowly. He deepens us gradually. He teaches us through waiting. Sometimes waiting we don't want to do. He matures us through silence.He strengthens us through repetition. And he anchors us through trust. And when that happens, many people assume something is wrong. But sometimes nothing's wrong.Sometimes you're just in a season of formation. The problem is this modern culture has no patience for deep roots. It wants visible fruit without any hidden surrender.It wants emotional highs without any spiritual discipline. It wants inspiration without repentance. And it wants intimacy without obedience. But hear me, Biblical faith doesn't grow that way.Strong faith is not built in emotional spikes. Strong faith is built in daily surrender, in that quiet consistency, in that unseen obedience, in that constant decision to repeat returning.And that's why, in my opinion, so many Christians today feel confused. They're confused because they expect faith to always feel powerful, like that first day when you were saved.They expect their prayers to always feel warm, like a nice hug. They expect worship to always feel emotional. And they expect God's nearness to always feel obvious.But scripture never promises constant emotional intensity. What it does promise us is God's presence, His faithfulness. It promises his mercy, his word, his spirit. It promises us his love.And sometimes maturity means this learning to trust what God has said more than what you currently feel. Now, let's get honest. We're living in an exhausted culture, a distracted culture, a spiritually thin culture. People all around us are overwhelmed.Attention spans are fractured, quiet. If we ever find it, is rare. Deep reflection doesn't even happen anymore. And the spiritual focus has become harder than ever.Many people are not walking away from faith in one dramatic decision. I've talked about this on this show before. They're drifting slowly away, just one distracted day at a time, one compromised habit at a time.That neglected prayer at a time, an overloaded schedule. And even inside the church, a lot of believers are carrying hidden fatigue. Sure, they're still attending. They still volunteer.They still smile, still post that verse on social media. They still say they're fine, but privately they're dry. And maybe that's you today. Maybe nobody around you would even guess it.Maybe if people looked at your life, they would think everything is solid. Maybe you're still functioning. You're still producing, you're still leading, still helping others.But deep inside of you, there's a quiet ache, a private emptiness, a spiritual tiredness you don't know how to explain. But here's the danger. When that weakness stays hidden, shame starts growing. And shame whispers some terrible things.It tells us you should be past this. It tells us you should know better. You should be stronger. And it lies to us and says it shouldn't feel like this.But, friend, shame is not the voice of Jesus. Jesus convicts us, shame condemns us. Jesus invites us and shame isolates us. Jesus restores us, and shame buries us.So let me tell you the truth plainly. If your faith feels weak right now, it's not the time to hide. This is the time to return. Because weak faith can still reach a strong Savior.A trembling hand that you have right now can still touch the hem of his garment. That weary prayer that you may not even be able to get out can still reach heaven. And that dry heart can still be revived.And some of the deepest renewal in your life may begin. Not when you pretend to be strong, but when you finally admit you're tired. Now, I want to get into some scripture.Now I want to paint a picture for you. There's a man. Maybe he's a husband, a father, a provider, a regular church attender. We would call him a decent person. He works hard, he shows up.He carries responsibility well, pays the bills, he helps people. And he keeps moving. And for a while, he tells himself he's okay. He's not living wildly, not abandoning God, not doing anything dramatic.He's just busy. He's tired, stretched. But little by little, his Bible stays closed longer. Prayers become shorter.Worship just becomes a routine that they do every Sunday. And church becomes attendance instead of an encounter. And that faith becomes familiar instead of alive.And then one night, the house is quiet, the family's sound asleep. And he sits there in the dim light, staring into the silence. And the thought finally comes out. I miss God.Not theology, not church activity, not some religious routine. I miss God. I miss feeling close to Him. I miss that tenderness. I miss that conviction. I miss that hunger. I miss that joy.And maybe the most painful part of this is this. He can't even remember when he lost it. See, that's how drift works. It doesn't usually happen all at once. It's slow, it's quiet, it's subtle.And maybe that story is not about a man at all. Maybe it's about a woman.You know, A mother, maybe a widow, a leader, a helper to everybody, a faithful church member, a person who has carried more than most people know how to carry. And then somewhere along the line, faith became effort, that prayer became duty, and joy just became a distant memory of a time before.If that sounds familiar to you right now, Scripture has a word for you. Not condemnation, but hope. Let's get right into our Bible. Today we're going to go right to the Book of Revelation, chapter 2, verses 1 to 5.And it says this. These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven gold lampstands.I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them false.You've persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you. You've forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first.But notice what Jesus says here. They're working, preserving, enduring, holding truth, rejecting error. They were active. They were doctrinally careful.They were doing many right things. But Jesus says, something matters even deeper than that. You lost your first love. What does that mean?It's possible to stay religiously active while relationally drifting. Yes. It's possible to do Christian things while losing tenderness towards Christ.It's possible to persevere outward structure while inward affection cools. And what's Jesus solution? Remember, repentance and return. Not some fake emotion, not self hatred, not some spiritual theatrics. Just three things.Remember, repent and return. Now, I want to give you a little bit of historical context here. Ephesus was a major city. I'm talking about a powerful city, a strategic city.And this church had influence. They had pressure. They also had opposition. They had doctrinal challenges. In the middle of all that, their love had cooled. Let's bring it to today.Because sometimes that pressure hardens the heart. Sometimes routine numbs the affection. And sometimes doing ministry replaces intimacy.With Jesus, we kind of get stuck in the doing and we lose sight of the why. Let me ask you this right now. Have you persevered activity while losing tenderness? Oh, sure, you're going through the emotions.You're doing the right things, you're making the right decisions. But have you lost that tenderness? Have you maintained appearance while your heart quietly drifted? Those are tough questions.I want to go to the Book of Psalms next. And in the book of Psalms, if I can find it. Let's get right there to it. We're going to go to Psalms and we're going to go to chapter 77.Let me get right to that. Now, Psalm 77, Psalms is a long one, so it takes a second to get there. So let's go to 77 and verses 1 to 14.And you notice I've been reading right from the Bible because I just feel like it's best to get right to the word. Let's get right to it. And it says. And it says Psalm 77. I cried out to God for help. I cried out to God to hear me when I was in distress.I sought the Lord at night. I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned, I mused, and my spirit grew faint.You kept my eyes from closing. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago. I remembered my songs in the night.My heart mused and my spirit inquired, will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?That's super emotional, isn't it? That's not polished religion there. That's pain. That's confusion. I dare say it's anguish. That's what a struggling heart sounds like.But then the turn comes, we get to verse 11. I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember the miracles of long ago.I will consider all of your works and consider all of your mighty deeds. You notice the shift there. He's not denying the pain here.He's just redirecting the focus from those present feelings of being neglected to that past faithfulness. And see, this psalm reflects deep anguish. If you're honest with yourself, this writer felt abandoned.But instead of staying trapped in emotional confusion, he goes back to deliberately remember what God has been to him. Well, how does that apply to today, friends? Spiritual renewal often begins when memory interrupts despair.Your feelings can be loud, they can be shouting at you. But God's record in your life is louder.And when you're in that moment, you got to remember what God has done before becomes fuel for trusting him again. So let me ask you this today. Have you forgotten that God has already done so many wonderful things in your life? Ask yourself this.What answered prayer have you stopped thanking him for? So easy to get lost in what's going on today and we forget about what he's done in Our lives before. Let's go to the book of Isaiah.That's going to be our next Bible verse. Here, let me get to Isaiah. And that is Isaiah right here. We're going to go to chapter 40 and Isaiah 40 is coming right up and here. Okay again.Isaiah 40, verses 28 to 31. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary.And his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall.But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. I love this verse of the Bible.Reminds me as a kid going to high school, there was a song we used to sing in church, on eagle's wings. So don't miss that phrase because this is all about strength for the weary.Not to the impressive people, not to the polished people, not to the self sufficient people. To you and me, the weary. See, Isaiah spoke to people who felt depleted, people who felt discouraged, people who were uncertain about their future.But God didn't shame their weakness. He answered it with his strength. Well, how does this appeal to us today?Your weakness, the weakness that you may be feeling right now is not a disqualification in God's eyes. That weariness is not the end of the story. God. Hope in God is where renewal begins. So let me ask you this.What if the weariness you're feeling right now is the very place where God wants to meet you? What if that weariness that so many of us are feeling is not the barrier but the doorway we've been needing to walk through?Well, let's get to our next Bible verse. We're going right to the Gospels now and we're going to go to the Gospel of Luke. So let me get there. And this is Luke, chapter 15.And I encourage you always, you know, if you want to, when you're watching the show, you're listening to the show, grab your Bible. It's great to be able to follow along. And then after the show go back and reread it.My grandfather used to always say, listen to what the preacher says, but then go back and verify what he told you. It's interesting, it's, it's funny how God works. So I'm going to show this on the screen.I keep a picture of my grandfather when he was A kid in my Bible. And it was right here in Luke 15. So interesting how God works in our lives, isn't it? Well, let's go to Luke 15. And my grandfather's name was Otis.You don't hear many people called Otis anymore. But he meant a lot to my life. As you know, I've talked about it on the show before. But let's go to Luke 15. And this is verse 20. And verse 20 says.So he got up and went to his father. This is the prodigal son we're talking about here.Probably a lot of people know this, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. That's heartbreaking. Put my grandfather's picture right back in that spot. But that's God's heart in our lives.The father wasn't sitting there with crossed arms, open arms, not, not some icy distance, compassion. He didn't humiliate the son. He tried to restore the son. And maybe that is what somebody listening right now needs to hear. Maybe you're right now.You're right there. You drifted. Listen, friend, God is not waiting to embarrass you. He's ready to receive you.Let's talk about why Jesus tells this story, because I think we don't want to miss this. Jesus told this story to reveal the Father's heart, not just for openly sinful, but for anyone who has wondered. Guilty. I've wondered.So right now you may feel far away from God, but friend, the Father still sees you. And your return may feel slow. You might be like, wait a minute, Ralph, I've been feeling like I've been returning for years.That's okay, because his compassion moves quickly. But that journey back starts with turning towards home. Let me ask you this.What if God is more willing to restore you than you're willing to believe it? I think that's an important part. Is it? What if your home is still open?Well, let's get to the Book of Hebrews, another book that I really enjoy in the Bible. We're going to go right to Hebrews. And now you look at me, I've got one of those Bibles with the side tab.So if you're wondering what Ralph is doing, Ralph's got side tabs on his Bible so he can keep track of this a little easier. But we're going to go to Hebrews, chapter 10, and we're going to go to verse 19. So we're going to go to chapter 10, verses 19.And in my Bible, the title of this says, the call to persevere, which I think is really appropriate here.Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way open for us through the curtain that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith.Having a heart sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. Another beautiful verse, encouraging verse. And I love how this passage begins with access, since we have confidence.And it begins with a powerful statement, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus. That right there is revolutionary language. Think about this. In the Old Testament, only the high priest could enter the holy of Holies.And that was only once a year, with sacrifice, with fear, and with careful preparation. What do we have now because of Jesus? The barrier is gone. The veil is torn. Access is open.So, friend, when faith feels weak, many believers assume they've lost access to God. But Hebrews reminds us of a truth. Your access to God does not depend on your emotional strength. It depends on the finished work of Christ.Don't ever forget that. Ask yourself this. What if the distance you feel is not a closed door from God, but simply a discouraged heart that has forgotten it can just walk in.But Hebrews continues, it says, by a new and living way open for us through the curtain. See, Jesus didn't just show us the path, he became the path. His sacrifice opened what religion could never open.Friend, faith does not depend on how impressive your spiritual life looks. It depends on who stands between you and God. And that person is Jesus Christ.If Jesus is the living way to the Father, why do we sometimes act like we have to earn our way back? You don't have to earn your way back. What does the passage say?Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. That's an invitation to draw near, not to perform not to impress, not to pretend, but to just draw near.And you need some historical context here, because the book of Hebrews was written to believers under pressure. I'm talking about significant pressure. Many were discouraged. Some were tempted to abandon their faith. The writer reminds them not, do not drift away.Draw near. Weak faith does not disqualify you from approaching God. Weak faith becomes the reason we need to approach him in the first place.What if God is not waiting for your strength, but simply waiting for you to come close again? But then Hebrews goes on, it says, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. Why do we do that? For he who promised is faithful.And so you got to notice what that hope rests on. It doesn't rest on your consistency, it doesn't rest on your emotions, and it certainly doesn't rest on your spiritual performance.That hope rests on God's faithfulness. And this is why I think it messes us up sometimes. Because faith feels unstable when it depends on feelings in our flesh.Our feelings will come and go. Listen, our feelings change by the minute. But faith becomes stable when it rests on God's character. So ask yourself this.If God has been faithful before, why would he stop now? But then the passage shift to something extremely practical. I love how the Bible does this. It goes from a big idea to practicality.It says this, Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. And then this line, not giving up, meeting together. They might wonder, okay, Ralph, why is that in the Bible? I did some research. Here's why.Some believers had started withdrawing the pressure around them. The fear, the discouragement, the isolation. Does that sound familiar to you? Sounds like where we're living right now, doesn't it?But the writer warns them faith weakens when believers disconnect. See, friend, God did not design the Christian life to be lived alone. Faith grows stronger in shared encouragement.And so I wonder to myself, how many people today are struggling spiritually simply because they're fighting the battle alone? Are you fighting the battle alone? And let's look at the final instruction. Encourage one another. Not criticize, not shame. Encourage.What does the word encourage mean? It literally means to strengthen someone's heart. And sometimes that's exactly what a weary believer needs. It might be what you need right now.Someone to remind you that God is still with you. God is still faithful. God is still working.Friends, sometimes renewal happens not in isolation, but in a conversation, in a prayer, with a friend, in a word of hope, in someone just simply reminding you that you're not alone. I just want to summarize Hebrews 10 because I've spent a lot of time here. But we ought to understand this.It reminds us of three very important anchors. The first one's this. Because of Jesus, we have access to God. Because of God's promises, we have hope that holds.And because of God's people, we have encouragement to endure. Access, hope and encouragement.So, friend, if your faith feels weak right now, what if the next step is not withdrawing from God, but drawing near him again? So let's get practical. What do we do when faith feels weak? Because I put out a lot of scripture.We talked about all the beautiful things that scripture tells us. But what do we do when it feels weak still?What do we do when that passion just feels distant, when our prayer feels quiet and worship just feels like this mechanical production we go through? Well, scripture gives us a path. And it's not complicated, it's not mystical, but it sure is powerful.And now I want to share with you five movements that lead the heart back to God. Here's the first one. Remember God's faithfulness. The first step is remembering his faithfulness.Now, this isn't about nostalgia, not some sentimental religion. Oh, I remember when I was a kid. No intentional remembering.The Bible tells us throughout the book that remember what God has done, because memory anchors that faith. When Israel crossed the Jordan River, God commanded them to build a memorial. Why did he do that? 12 Stones right there in the riverbed. Why?So when future generations ask, what do these stones mean? They would tell the story God brought us through. And so I truly believe spiritual drift often happens when memories fade.We forget about those answered prayers that we had that we weren't expecting. That unexpected provision. It just happened to arrive at the very right time. Those moments of protection we weren't expecting.And those times when God lifted us up and carried us. And when we forget those things, our present struggles feel bigger than God's past faithfulness.But if you can remember that, it changes your perspective. So right now, I want you to think about your own life. Think back. Just think back five years ago, ten years ago. Where has God protected you?Where has he provided for you? Where did he answer that desperate prayer that you had? Where did he rescue you from something you could not fix on your own? Those moments matter.Those are your stones of remembrance. And sometimes renewal begins not with new miracles, but just remembering the old ones. So I'm going to encourage you right now.Start writing those things down. Write down those answered prayers. Write down Those unexpected provisions. Write down those moments that God carried you.Keep a record of it, because you are going to have dryness and times of feeling weak in your faith. And then you go read those things. And that memory strengthens the trust. So that's the first thing. Second thing, repent and return.The second step is repentance. Now listen carefully. I'm not saying repentance is about humiliation. It's about restoration. The word repentance literally means turn around.Because sometimes faith weakens because something else quietly took first place. Something else is in the lead right now. It's not always about rebellion. Sometimes it's just a simple distraction, Comfort, Exhaustion, success even.And sometimes pain that you just can't get past. But remember what Jesus said to the church in Ephesus. Three things. Remember, repent and return. And notice the order. Remember what you had.That's what Jesus was saying. Remember what I've done for you. Turn away from what replaced it and return to what mattered. Somebody said this, and I thought this was perfect.Repentance clears the ash from the fire. Just imagine, if you will, a campfire. The flame is fading. Why? Because ash has covered the embers. The fire is not gone. It's still in there.It's just buried. Well, that act of repentance clears the ash. That returning adds fresh wood to it. Sometimes the honest prayer sounds like this.Lord, I've been distracted. I've been tired. I've been numb. But, man, I want you again. And hear this promise. This is from James 4. 8. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.But notice what it says. Not might draw near to you. Not maybe draw near to you. He will draw near to you. That's the second thing.Here's the third thing, and this one's super hard. Super hard for me. Worship even when you don't feel it. This is a difficult one, but it's powerful.Sometimes you gotta worship before the feeling returns. I felt this on Sunday morning. Sometimes if you wait until your heart feels passionate, you might be waiting a long time, you might wait forever.But that worship, that act of worship, reorients your soul. Psalm 42 shows us this. The writer speaks to his own heart. Why are you downcast, O my soul? And then he commands himself, put your hope in God.See, that's worship. That's declaring the truth over that emotion that you're feeling. I remember one Sunday, I was exhausted. I think it was during tax season.I was spiritually drained, emotionally numb. And I was standing there in church, and everyone around Me was singing passionately, hands raised, voices loud, and I felt nothing.And then a quiet thought came. Just lift one hand, Ralph. Now it felt super awkward, felt heavy. I'm looking around. Is anybody watching me? Kind of embarrassing.And I'm not a hand raiser, by the way, but I did it. And slowly something began to fall in my soul. And it wasn't instant, it was gentle.And sometimes worship starts with obedience before it produces emotion. So I want to encourage you today. Sing even when your voice shakes.Pray even when your mind wanders and you don't even remember if you got the prayer completed. And lift your hands even if your heart feels quiet. Because that act of worship moves our attention from our weakness to God's greatness.Here's number four. You gotta rest and rediscover joy. This is something many believers forget. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is rest.Listen, we live in a culture that glorifies exhaustion, constant productivity, constant activity, constant noise. I do this myself. But God built in rhythms into creation. Six days of work, one day of rest.And even Jesus said it, come away with me to a quiet place and rest. That burnout you're feeling affects your faith. That stress we live under affects our prayers, and that exhaustion affects. Affects our perspective.Because joy matters. Nehemiah says it great. He says, the joy of the Lord is your strength, not your performance, not your reputation. Joy.So sometimes renewal begins while slowing down. Walking outside, seeing creation, listening to the birds, watching a sunset. Sometimes it just breathing deeply and remembering this.God made all of this. And God made you too. And finally, number five, serve and reconnect with community.Renewal often happens when we stop focusing inward and start loving outward. I've seen this in my own life. Faith grows stronger when it moves. James said this faith, faith without works is dead.Now, people take that scripture and turn it around upside down. But what I'm talking about here is this. When we serve others, something shifts inside of us.When you're serving somebody else, you stop obsessing about our own spiritual temperature and we start seeing God working through us. In many ways, the early church lived this way. So sometimes I feel like we need to go back to that.The early church, they prayed together, they shared meals, they met each other's needs, they encouraged each other, and faith just flourished. So right now, if your faith is feeling weak, this is not the time to isolate. Lean into the community. Serve someone. Encourage someone. Yes.Even when you're feeling like you need the encouragement. Encouragement. Encourage someone else. Help someone.Because sometimes that spark of renewal Returns when you become part of God's answer to someone else's prayer. When I want to make it even more practical, I want to give you five simple things that you can begin this week. I want you to do this.First, write down three moments when God has been faithful. Just write them down. Three moments. God was faithful in this. God was faithful in that. God was faithful in this.Another thing you can do is spend 10 minutes in honest prayer. Now, I'm not talking about some polished prayer that you're reading verbatim. I'm talking about just letting it out and letting God feel it.Honest, awkward, painful anguish. Another thing I really think is great is turn on some worship music and sing out loud.Listen, I'm not a singer, but sing out loud, even if it feels awkward. And we'll put a link in the show notes. We write a song every single week for this show.And the reason I do that, and my team supports this, is because I know that that's a way to connect to our faith. When you're feeling distant, when you're feeling weak, when you're feeling dry, go listen to the promises of God. Go listen to this.The music that can just sing and listen. I don't care what your voice sounds like. God doesn't care what your voice sounds like. He just wants you to be with him. Here's another great idea.Take a quiet walk. Leave your phone at home. No agenda. Just breathe and thank God. And finally, do this. Do one act of kindness for someone else.Encourage them, serve them, pray for them. Because those small steps create huge spiritual momentum.Now, before we finish today, I really want to speak to two different people listening right now, because this message about renewing your faith may have landed in two very different ways. You might be listening today, and you already belong to Jesus. You love him, you believe in him. But your faith just feels weak right now.It feels dry, feels tired, maybe even discouraged. And if that's you right now, I want you to hear this clearly. Weak faith does not mean failed faith.I want to say that again because you need to hear this. Weak faith does not mean failed faith. A struggling believer is still a believer.And as I said at the beginning, renewal is possible because God restores, God strengthens, and God revives. So have hope.But maybe right now, you're listening today, and the reason that your faith feels distant is because you've never truly surrendered your life to Christ. Yeah, maybe you know about God. Hey, maybe you even grew up in church. Maybe you even respect Christianity.But if you're Honest, you've never actually given your life to Jesus. But today something's stirring inside of you and you're starting to feel it. Not some pressure, not guilt, but just this quiet pool.A realization that maybe the reason you feel empty is because you were created for a relationship with God. And you don't have that. And until that relationship begins, something is always going to feel missing. The Bible tells us something powerful.Romans 3 says, all of us have sinned, all of us have fallen short, and none of us can save ourselves. But the Gospel says something else.It said, God loves us so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ to live the life we could not live and to die the death that that we deserved on the cross. Jesus carried your sin. He carried my sin. He carried our sin, he carried our guilt, and he carried our shame.And three days later, he rose from the grave so that anyone who believes in him can be forgiven, can be restored, and yes, made new, not repaired new. And the most beautiful thing about salvation is this. You don't earn it. You can't buy it. You just receive it by simply surrendering.So if right now, if you realize you need forgiveness, you need grace, you need a savior. I want to invite you to pray with me right now, right where you are.If this is your decision today, just pray these words with me right now in your heart. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. And I know I cannot save myself. But I truly believe you died for me. And I believe you rose again.So right now, at this very moment, today, I turn away from my sin and I surrender my life to you. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Make me new. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. And from this day forward, my life belongs to you. In Jesus name, Amen.Now, if you just prayed that prayer, I want to tell you something important. That decision you just made is the most important decision that you will ever make. Jesus said himself that one sinner repents. Heaven celebrates.Think about that. Just one sinner repenting. Heaven is celebrating. So right now, angels are rejoicing because you chose life. Your past doesn't define you anymore.Your failures don't define you anymore. Your shame does not define you anymore. Jesus does. You're forgiven. You're restored. And now you're part of the family of God.But salvation isn't the end. It's just the beginning. A beginning of a new life, a new journey, and a new relationship with God. So I want to give you three simple next steps.First thing I want you to do is start talking to God every day. It doesn't have to be fancy, not some elaborate pair. Just talk to him. Honestly, Lord. Hey, I'm with you now. What do you have for me?Second thing I'm going to encourage you to do just like I did today, get this Bible out. Start reading the Bible. And if you're not sure where to begin, I love to start in the Gospel of John.John's going to teach you all about who Jesus is. And he does it in a poetic way that I think just connects with new believers. But third, don't forget about this. Connect with other believers.We've talked about that on today's show. Faith grows stronger in community. So don't walk this journey alone. And if you've made that decision today, I would love to celebrate with you.I'd love for you to become a member of our community. You can get to that by going to truth unveiled with Ralph.com join and let me know about your journey. Let me know about your decision.Got some free resources there that will help you take your next steps in faith. And if today's episode has encouraged you, I want to encourage you to share it with someone else who might need to hear this message as well.Because someone you know might be quietly struggling with their faith right now as well. Remember this, even when faith feels weak, God is faithful. He's always faithful.Well now let me pray together for everybody else, Lord God, for the one whose faith feels weak, for the one who feels tired, for the one who feels distant, for the one who feels ashamed, I just pray right now that your spirit would gently restore them, Lord, remind them of your faithfulness and lead them back to your presence. Renew their strength, Lord, restore their joy and reignite their love for you and for the one who came home today through salvation.I just pray right now, Lord, that you would fill them with peace, with assurance, and with new life. Lord, we trust you even when our feelings struggle. And we thank you so much right now that you never abandon your children. We ask this in Jesus name.Amen, friend. If your faith feels weak, don't give up. Seasons change, hearts renew and God restores. That same God who saved you is the God who can sustain you.And sometimes the winter season of faith is simply preparing you for a deeper spring. And as I said earlier, if this episode encouraged you, I want to encourage you right now to share with someone who might be struggling.And if you want to grow deeper in your biblical truth understanding, join our site at truth unveiled with Ralph.com join. Like I said, you can get free resources, Bible teaching and tools to strengthen your faith. And I want to leave you with this.The truth of God's word does not change just because our feelings do so. Until next time, keep seeking truth, keep walking in faith and keep your eyes on Jesus. Thank you very much.