Judges 2:12 Thus, they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger.

      Our faith and character can be eroded in the same way our health is eroded when we consume processed products we know are detrimental to our health. My friend Christy Woodward says it this way, “Our spirit and faith’s health is wrecked when we take a cheat day from being a forthright person.” Christy elaborates and says, “Being a good person is a full-time gig. As in cheating with food will cause terrible effects in the body, so will sneaking a cheat day on Tuesday to exhibit some nasty ego thoughts, and your character is affected negatively for the rest of the week. You don’t want a cheat day in food or in expressing derogatory feelings, because hopefully we have come to understand the only one being cheated is ourselves.” We need to become the people we were created to be, not the ones we pretend to be. Authentic faith in God brings us into His presence, where we can, through prayer, find our purpose in God’s eternal plan. This is when our faith grows and leads us in righteousness.

The erosion of faith comes when we let the enemy dim our light by dragging us into a fog of unbelief and uncertainty. When that happens, we also find ourselves slipping into judging people and not being able to differentiate between what is uncomfortable or cuts across something we strongly believe in and what we disagree with. It does not automatically make what we disagree with immoral. Faith in Christ leads to love, which chooses the best in others. Why is it so important for some people that their inner circle believes exactly as they do? This is a burdensome way to live. Remaining dumb to certain facts does not change the facts; it only keeps those who are not seeking clarity in a state of ignorance. Why are some so easily knocked off their pedestal of personal reason when an idea they have not considered casts a shadow over their beliefs? When we stumble in the area of faith and belief, it is time to draw closer to God and have Him clear up the misunderstandings of our hearts. It is not the time to reject everyone and everything because one might not know the truth of a situation.

The key is who you believe in. Wisdom dictates that we would be wise to believe the author and finisher of our faith, who is Jesus. Heb. 12:2a Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. If we turn away from what the Lord has sown in our hearts, the erosion of faith is definite. We sometimes mock the ignorance of those who, throughout history, were led by gullible superstitions, and yet, today, we act the same way. Sometimes, there is more superstition at work in Christianity than faith. If our faith is built on gossip rather than Gospel, then get away from it. We cannot take a cheat day in our faith by substituting faith with unbelief because of a letdown in life. This, too, will erode our faith and bring confusion to our lives and keep us immature in our ability to love others. The writer of the book of Hebrews says that if one does not grow up, they will be in a constant state of needing milk rather than solid food. Heb. 5:12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.

We are witnessing the erosion of faith on a national scale. These statistic represents only a few denominations, as recorded on Google and other search engine platforms. “Millions have left the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) since its 2006 peak, with recent data indicating steep declines, resulting in a loss of over 3.6 million members by mid-2025.” Another denomination is showing the same decline. “The Presbyterian Church, the largest Presbyterian denomination in North America, has experienced a severe, multi-decade decline, losing roughly 75% of its membership.” I realize that statistics fluctuate and change regularly, but the above statements are a repeated story for most denominations. The reasons for this departure of the once faithful are varied. The main reason for departure is that these people cannot justify in their hearts what the Christian Nationalist movement, the expanding Christ-Culture cult, and the lukewarmness of Christian consumerism have done to affect their faith. Over the past few years, Trumpism has sullied and scared the faith of many. Those who are leaving feel that authentic Christianity has been hijacked by an untrustworthy political movement that has left the teachings of Christ behind and replaced them with consumer politics run by the modern-day Pharisees.

Hopefully, this will change, but at this time, there is another discouraging statistic: an average of 250 protestant pastors per month are leaving the ministry due to burnout, stress, and conflict. Some have expressed their discouragement with the whole marketing of a church brand and feel that God left the building long ago. Some may be saying, “Where is their faith to go forward in the call God has placed in their hearts?” Often, people forget that it is God who builds the house. Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain. As my wife often says, “Being a Christian is not for wimps; it takes courage and a whole lot of help from the Lord to stay strong in God.” The erosion of our faith is a real battle that the enemy of our soul have brought to our doorsteps. We can no longer afford a cheat day here and there because our character will display what is in our hearts.

After entering the Promised Land, the children of Israel started cheating in their faith, which had eroded to the point of becoming an unfaithful nation. They were influenced to go after other gods. Judg. 2:12 Thus, they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger. The erosion of Israel’s faith brought them nothing but heartache and hardship. If you feel like you have lost your footing in the relationship you once had with the Lord, then repent sincerely and put your hope in God again. The Lord says to stop being double-minded and draw close to Him so that He can draw close to you. James 4:8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. At the end of our lives, we would be devastated if we did not finish well. If we do not finish full of hope, faith, and love, we will be disappointed with ourselves because deep down we know that the God of Glory lives whithin us and with that promise we can do better. Remember, you and God are a majority. Let us finish well!