Fortified Faith: How Doubts Help REconstruct Beliefنموونە

Should I be deconstructing?

I begin this plan with a confession: I’ve considered deconstructing my faith.

I’ve endured enough painful seasons and church wounds to at least warrant the question.

Since you're here, there’s a good chance that you’re wrestling with big questions too. Or maybe you’re reading on behalf of someone else who is.

It seems like everywhere we look, people are pulling apart their beliefs, trying to figure out what still holds.

“Deconstruction” often gets a bad rap in Christian circles. It's seen as a threat, a path to losing faith. The dictionary definition is “the analytic examination of something, often to reveal its inadequacy.” That’s where the problem lies.

Deconstructing just to prove that something is flawed leaves you with nothing but broken pieces.

But what if you reframe it?

What if deconstruction is actually an opportunity for growth? For building a stronger, more resilient faith? What if you reflect with the intent of rebuilding?

I’m convinced that deconstruction is missing the mark of what God intends as a beautiful, Holy Spirit-accomplished thing. Ongoing construction. Spiritual formation.

When you're renovating a house, sometimes you need to strip things down to the bare bones. You might remove old wallpaper, replace pipes and flooring, or even knock down a wall or two. It looks messy for a while, but it's all part of creating something better.

That's what this season can be for your faith.

• A chance to examine what you believe and why.
• An opportunity to question, dig deeper, and ultimately, invite God to build your faith.

Rather than simply pulling your faith apart, God invites you to partner with Him in reconstruction —to remove what is shaky and man-made and rebuild on the solid foundation of Christ alone.

Sometimes you and I can layer man-made ideas and efforts into our foundations:

• Putting your faith in the credibility of people, but it crumbles when they fall or falter.
• Depending on your strength or performance, building with materials that won’t last.

Those all fail us when trials come, leaving only what is truly built in God.

Are you experiencing a shaking in your life right now?

God isn’t trying to tear you apart. He’s helping you rebuild a faith that can withstand the storms of life. Lesser foundations, built on your own understanding or cultural ideas about faith, won't last. But if your foundation is Jesus, you can trust that God will strengthen and rebuild. He will remove things in your life that don’t align with His truth.

This process isn’t about tearing down for the sake of destruction. The Holy Spirit accomplishes the transformation you long for, including clarity in your faith and healing in your soul.

So, let’s shift the question a little:

Better than "Should I be deconstructing?" ...

How is God reconstructing my faith?

Let God shake you. Invite Him to remove anything that can’t hold up to His truth. Trust Him to build in you what is meant to remain.

Could some things you’ve believed for years be the very areas where God wants to do His reconstructing work? We’ll dive into this tomorrow.