Why do we lose faith?

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

What does that mean? That is the King James version.

The New International Version is a bit easier.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

When we are children we are often promised something from our parents. If my Dad said that he was going to buy me a new baseball glove, I would believe him and just wait for the day that it would come. That was faith brought on by the hope of my father's promise. If your childhood has a lot of disappointments because mom and dad never delivered on their promises then that would cause you to lose faith in them. Grant it, parents are human and cannot always deliver but it really cautions all of us to carefully consider what we promise to others. The Lord created us to be carriers of faith and hope. He wants us to display these virtues in our life.

Nations that do not give their citizens freedom create a faithless atmosphere because the people have very little hope. Their lives are controlled and so they are downcast. The best atmosphere for hope and faith is one that allows us to be free.

Individuals are imprisoned in a different way. There are so many of us that live hopelessly and in fear because we are imprisoned by a life of skepticism. We begin to live a life of self-preservation and find little success in anything we do. We truly need set free from ourselves. God created us to be free and without bondage.

When we are trapped in this kind of disabling fear then the only real way out is Jesus. He is either who He says He is or we might as well finish out our time on earth and return to the dust from which we came. We cannot have real faith and real hope until we are set free from the old life and the old way of thinking.

Galatians 5:1

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free