Are you a good citizen? Does your faith make you a better citizen, or worse? Believers have a duty to obey the law of the land, and to love their enemies, and should have a world view that supports community, even beyond the walls of their church. Is it possible to be in a conflict between obeying the civil authority and obeying God? Yes, but how often does this happen? Have you ever experienced it personally? I have a special measure of grace for those in such a conflict.

Do you think of your faith as primarily intellectual; that it is verifiable truth claims? There is an intellectually rigorous approach to faith. Do you think your faith is primarily emotional; something deeply felt, and meaningful for that reason? Your emotions are a valid expression of human experience despite what a rigidly rational culture would tell you. These are both valid aspects of human experience, but is your faith reducible to either, or both of them? What else is there? Your faith is transcendent, and your Kingdom is not of this world.

Do you know that you are a child of God? What effect does this knowledge have on you? An identity crisis is a serious foundational problem, but how many people do you meet who really know who they are? A foundational sense of being goes beyond nationality, church, family, education, wealth and all the other markers that people normally identify with. It should neither inflate nor depress you, but give you a sense of stability. This knowledge that you are connected to eternity and divinity should give you the courage and confidence you need to face a future that is otherwise uncertain.

What does your church teach you? Do you receive instruction in the Bible and in prayer? What else? Does your church teach you how to deal with a faith crisis? This is rare, more so than faith crises are, so people who experience them are normally left to deal with them on their own. A faith crisis can be an opportunity for growth and development, but it is helpful to have considered the matter before you are in the midst of it. Do you double down on all your original positions? Do you examine them for revision? You don’t have to assume that you got everything right at the first.