WHAT WEAKENS THE FAITH? From the book "life of Faih" as H. H. POPE SHENOUDA III wrotes

 The devil labours continuously with all his efforts to
weaken the believers' faith. He and his companions try to
deceive even the elect (Matt. 24:24). It does not suffice them
only to weaken the faith, but even to turn their victim into an
apostate. This is how in the end of days many will abandon the
faith “Giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
demons” (1 Tim. 4: 1). How dangerous is the Bible's saying
about the Second Coming of Christ “Nevertheless, when the
Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth” (Luke
18:8).
What are the demon's tricks to weaken the faith? There are
many: some are terrible, and some are calm that nobody can
feel.

1- The Self

The self often opposes and refuses God because He is
against its sinful desires.
The self feels that God limits its freedom. It desires things God
does not agree upon, to enjoy this (liberty) or this negligence, it
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thus separates itself from God, as the lost son did. He left his
father's house (Luke 15:11-14), to spend his share of the
money as he wishes ... or to refuse God. The apostates are
examples of those who refuse God and their motto becomes:
It is good that God does not exist, so that I can exist.
These people have misunderstood the real meaning of existence
and the real meaning of freedom. Liberty is not doing what one
wishes, ones wishes may be wrong, but the true liberty is to be
freed from all what assails the self... to be freed from bad habits
that enslave him, and from the sinful desires that defiles him,
and to be freed from the domination of material things on him.
All that prevents the self from souring towards God and from
being in God's companionship; which is the real existence.
From the hindrances of the self towards faith is the desire of
man to feel himself, in power, greatness and pride and here God
sees a rival.
Herod the king found that the new born in Bethlehem will
share with him the reign, thus he refused to have faith in
Him and tried to get rid of Him by killing Him. The Pharisees
are also examples like Herod, who saw Jesus taking their place
and familiarity as a teacher. They said one to another “You see
that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone
after Him!“ (John 12:19). Many refused the faith in Jesus
Christ's resurrection because of their self, so as it won't be
evidence against them being guilty of this man's blood (Acts
5:28) ... The self is the greatest hindrance towards faith.
Accordingly, the Lord said: “If anyone desires to come after
Me, let him deny himself... “ (Matt. 16:24).
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He also said “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses
his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt. 10:39). Thus, Saint
Peter the apostle says relating to faith "... Nor do I count my
life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race “ (Acts 20:24),
“I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of
all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
and be found in Him.” (Phil. 3:8-9). Are you like that? or...
Is your faith hindered due to your self? due to your wishes,
desires, ideas and passions?
Is there opposition between God and your self? If it so then
deny your self, resist it, overcome it, because better is a man
who controls his soul than one who controls a city (Prov.
16:32).
The Pharisees, scribes, and priests took much care of their
selves. In each self, there were faults. Jesus used to discover
these faults without having to speak about them, just by
comparison it was revealed. For this reason they hated Him and
didn't believe in Him because He was the light that endangered
their darkness. Their selves were obstacles on their way of faith.
Not to forget that the devil's self was a reason for losing his
faith.
When he thought of how to magnify his soul. How to ascend to
Heaven and to sour up above the planets of God, and become
like the Most High (Is 14:14), so the (greatness) of his self
opposed his faith in God. As for the virtuous angels, they kept
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their places because, in their faith in God, they considered
themselves “His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His
pleasure.” (Ps 103:21).
Many find their selves beautiful in their eyes, their selves
are their idols.
What prevents them from the life of faith: the self love, self
esteem, the desire to magnify the self, to fulfil the self's
passions, and to run away from everything that reveals this self
and reveal it disadvantages ... thus they want their selves to live
in an atmosphere of coquetry, courtesy and praise. They are
annoyed from every sincere word, every reproach and every
punishment. So how can they live in faith?
If you were like this, try to improve yourself so that you humble
yourself before God and live in faith.
From the matters that also weaken the faith:

2-Domination Of The Senses.

This is what happened to Saint Thomas the apostle, when he
refused to believe in the resurrection of the Lord and said
“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my
finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side,
I will not believe.” (John 20:25). God condescended with the
weakness of Thomas's faith and permitted him to become sure
through his senses by saying “stop doubting and believe” and he
rebuked him saying “Because you have seen Me, you have
believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
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believed” (John 20:27,29). What the person sees we call
observation and not faith, but it may lead to faith.
Is this faith weak? There is even worse: he who sees and
still does not believe.
As an example of those are the priests who saw the empty tomb
and did not believe in the resurrection. The Pharisees who saw
the miracles of Jesus, like the healing of the born blind, and the
raising from the dead, and did not even believe. Those refused
faith due to reasons in their hearts. What our father Abraham
said to Lazarus applies to them “Neither will they be persuaded
though one rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31).

3-Submitting Faith To The Mind

The mind has limits which can not be overcome and that faith is
at a higher level than that. But there are people who want their
minds to perceive the unlimited, the miracles, and what is
beyond their understanding or else, they refuse all this!
They want theology to be submitted to scientific research and
this is logically impossible. It is not reasonable that the mind,
which is limited, subdues to the unlimited.
Maybe as an example of this, is what is known today as the
'New Theology', in some of the institutes, where they want to
submit the soul and miracle to pure scientific research or to
symbolic explanations. Thus they deny many of the miracles and
many stories told in the Bible and mix it with Mythology!
Really, the mind is lost if it tries to think highly of itself more
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than it ought to (Rom. 12:3), and thus it strays away from faith
and tries to lead others in the same obliquity.

4- Associating With Doubtful People:

Just as associating with men of faith strengthens the faith, also
associating with doubtful people plants doubt in minds and
hearts. If it was persisting, or if, it has a deep effect or if the
level submitting knowledge to doubts is lower than the mind, or
if it was not deep enough in the faith.
For this reason the Bible prevents the association with
apostates.
Saint John, the apostle, says “If anyone comes to you and does
not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor
greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.. ” (2
John 1:10). That is why the church prevented the association
with the heretics and the banished.
How many people associate with non Christian groups like the
Jehovah witnesses for example, and the result is that they lose
their directions. How many church members associated with
strange groups or heretics and their beliefs where deeply
affected.
Considering behaviour and spiritualities, the association
with doubtful people weakens the faith:
You may be faced with a test or a problem and you accept it in
faith, and you submit the matter to God thanking Him for
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everything. Then, a person with little faith visits you, and he
keeps on explaining how dangerous the matter is and frightens
you of its results, until you lose your peace of heart. It also
weakens your faith in God's care and you get worried.
Be careful with whom you associate and with whom you mix
your ideas.
This leads us to another point which also weakens the faith:

5- Yielding And Having A Weak Personality:

Mary Magdalene is as an example of those: she saw the empty
tomb, heard the angel's good news, even saw the Lord Jesus
after His resurrection, held on His feet, heard His voice, and He
gave her a message... but after all that she said three times
“They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not
know where they have laid Him.“ (John 20:2,3,13, 1 5), and in
this she denied the resurrection. What is the reason of this
transfer? and how did her faith weaken after seeing Jesus and
speaking with Him (Mark 16:9, Matt. 28:9)?
Mary Magdalene was young in age. Her personality weakened
due to the rumours which the Jewish priests spread against the
resurrection. She also weakened due to the disciples' non belief
in the resurrection (Mark 16:11,13,14). Doubts and suspicions
entered her heart, and she repeated it with her own mouth the
rumours she had heard.
The faith of Mary Magdalene could not oppose the
rumours and the people's talk.
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She was inwardly moved due to the outer pressure and she
yielded to it.
Many people are inwardly moved. They retreat. from their first
faith, belief or behaviour, due to people's mockery and due to
that their personality is being weaker than the opposition.
God wants your personalities to be strong. As the apostle says,
“Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a
reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3: 1 5). The
children of God are not weak. They should be like those whose
faith or rather spiritualities are moved, and yield to any outer
ideas, but apply what the apostle says “Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be steadfast, immovable... " (1 Cor. 15:58).
Our mother Eve is also an example of the kind who deviated
from faith due to yielding. She deviated from faith as she heard
what the snake said and it resulted in her being sent out of
Paradise.
How many go after rumours and believe them. How many utter
words about the Second Coming and people believe them. They
say the Anti Christ is born, is in an American State, and that he
is now 17 years of age!! And also that the world will come to
an end this year or another! How many dates did the Jehova's
Witnesses fix about the second coming, and nothing has
happened...
The faith of some may weaken and they would follow those
who claim they saw visions and dreams.
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They think that those who claim having visions and dreams are
true and that they come from God! They are cheated by what he
says, even if it was against their beliefs and spiritual principles.
God warned against those people since the days of Moses the
prophet, and said:
“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams,
and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the
wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, `Let us
go after other gods'--which you have not known--`and let us
serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or
that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to
know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart."
(Deut. 13:1-3).
Yielding is one of the reasons that weakens the faith. Another
reasons is:

6-Fear

Fear weakens the faith and a weak faith leads to fear. Saint
Peter, the great apostle, denied Jesus, when he feared. He
insulted, cursed and swore that he didn't know the man (Matt
26:74), and thus his faith weakened. Jesus told him before that
“I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.” (Luke
22:32).
Many lose their faith due to fear. That is why Revelation puts
the cowards at the top of the list of perishers, and said “But the
cowardly, unbelieving, abominable... shall have their part in
the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.” (Rev. 21:8). The
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placement of the cowardly before the non-believers can mean
that the cowardly, due to their fear, became non-believers.
Pontius Pilate believed, deep within, that Jesus of Nazareth was
innocent of the charges set against Him by the Jews. He was
confident that the Jews handed Him due to envy. He tried to set
Him free and said about Him “this Holy person”... but finally he
submitted to his weakness, and presented Jesus to be crucified
because he was afraid the people would say about him that he
was against Caesar...
As for the spiritual person, he doesn't lose his faith at all
because he doesn't fear...
From the matters that also weaken the faith is:

7-Lust

Many lost their faith due to lust. As an example of those is
Demas who was Paul's helper in preaching. Saint Paul wrote
about him “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present
world.” (2 Tim. 4:10). Love of the world weakens the faith
because it is hatred against God (James 4:4).
Also from the examples of those who lost their faith, due to
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lust, was the rich young ma ... He left Christ “Sorrowful, for
he had great possessions." (Matt. 19:22). Thus, the lust for
money may weaken the faith.
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How many left Jesus for the sake of a woman or a position...
Solomon, the wisest on earth, lost his faith due to his lust
for wome .
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He “Loved many foreign women " (1 Kin 11: 1). “When
Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other
gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was
the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after
Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the
abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of
the Lord." (1 Kin 11:4-6).
This great wise man fell, however we believe that he repented in
his last days. The book of Ecclesiasts is evidence to his
repentance.
Ananias an Sapphira lost their faith for lust of money, so
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they perished.
They both “lied to God” (Acts 5:4) and also “tested the Spirit
of the Lord” (Acts 5:9). They both died perishing.
Balaam lost his faith due to his lust for money. He was a
prophet and had beautiful prophecies about Jesus. Finally, he
fell in darkness due to “Wages of unrighteousness.” (2 Pet.
2:15). He thus caused people to fall and taught Balak the way
of sin (Rev. 2:14)... he and others perished.
The lust for greatness and overcoming others lead to the
loss of faith of many:
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Maybe one of those was Diotrephes who “who loves to have the
preeminence among them”. Thus, he opposed Saint John and
drove away many brothers out of church (3 John 1:10)
The lust for Godliness lead the great Cherubim to lose his faith
and became a devil. He was earlier an angel of light with
greatness and beauty.
Indeed, lusts are from the matters that weaken and stop the
faith. From the reasons that also weaken the faith are distresses
and the pressure of outer circumstances.

8- External Circumstances

As an example of such cases is Gideon. When his faith
weakened concerning the care of God, the angel told him “The
Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" Gideon said to
Him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this
happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our
fathers told us about, saying, `Did not the Lord bring us up
from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered
us into the hands of the Midianites”? (Judges 6:12-13).
In this way, the faith may weaken if the distress lasted long
or if it became stronger.
The faith of the disciples weakened and they doubted when the
waves of the sea broke over the boat. They told the Lord “Do
You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38-40).
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When the Israelites stayed long in the service of Pharaoh they
were discouraged and their faith in salvation weakened (Ex.
4:1).
There is another dangerous reason that weakens the faith:

9-The Devil's Deceptions.

Among these misleading are the false visions. Satan -so as to
teach the people- “transforms himself into an angel of light.”
(2 Cor. 11:14). He can even perform false miracles as it was
said about the lawless one at the end of time “According to the
working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish.”
(2 Thes. 2:9, 10). The prophet said that this will cause the great
rebellion before the coming of Christ (2 Thes. 2:3). Namely the
loss of faith due to these Satanic misleading which deceive the
people.
Satan may deceive people with dreams and false prophecies,
with ideas, misleading and innovations so as to destroy the faith
in their hearts... he may even send them “false prophets will rise
and show great signs and wonders .” (Matt. 24:24). He may
tell them “here is the Christ”. The Lord warned “If anyone
says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!' or `There!' do not
believe it.” (Matt. 24:23).
All this needs setting apart, as the prophet said “Do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
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because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1
John 4:1).
One of the main factors that weakens the faith is

10-Doubt:

Doubt weakens the faith and a weak faith produces doubt...
This is exactly what we said about fear. Each of them causes the
other or results from the other.
a- Doubt was one of the wars the devil fought against our first
parents to lose their faith. He told them “Has God indeed
said ... you will surely not die? ” (Gen. 3:1-4).
If you are faced with doubts concerning the existence of
God or other principle beliefs then do not fear. These
are from the enemy's wars and not your denial of faith,
and especially, if your heart was refusing it. In such
circumstances, you have to pray so that God lifts up these
wars from you, and that you change your way of thinking,
and occupy yourself with another subject. But if the doubts
are from you and you are convinced with them so you have
to treat them with a pure spiritual understanding by asking
the specialists in theology, and by reading useful books in
your subject.
There are other wars against doubt lighter than this, we
mention the following:
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b- Doubt in God's aid or in that God has abandoned you.
The Lord rebukes this kind of doubt by saying “O you of
little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31). Here He
relates between doubt and little faith, because the person
with a strong faith would never doubt in God's love and
care.
They many perpetual distresses may sometimes press on
the heart and one would say, “Why do You stand afar
off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?” (Ps
10:1).
This is blame and not weakness in the faith. It seems to the
psalmist that the Lord is standing afar, but the Lord keeps
guard with all love and care the security of His children, like
the eagle that teaches its youngsters to fly, and like the
father who teaches his son to swim. He leaves him for a
while to train and gain experience. He watches him with all
care. If He sees danger surrounding him, He will hurry to
rescue him.
There is also the example of the mother who teaches her son to
walk. She leaves him to fall down and stand up again to
strengthen his bones and muscles and to learn. However, if she
hurried to carry him in her arms after each cry, that will harm
him, because he will not learn and his bones will not be strong
enough.
The distresses are a school to train us to pray and to hold
onto God. We are also trained in faith and we see how God
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works, and with which strength. For sure, God works, in
spite that we do not see Him and do not feel His work.
The person may doubt if he only looked to troubles and not to
God. That is how we see Peter doubt when he looked to the
water beneath his feet and did not see Jesus who held his hand.
As the faith of Peter decreased so did he start to sink and then
the Lord rescued him.
The children of God may be like “lambs among wolves” but
they do not doubt or fear. As long as the good shepherd is
among the lambs so the wolves and not even the lions will
endanger them.
Our father Abram did not doubt in God's love and care, in spite
of the difficulty of the matter of giving his son Isaac as a
sacrifice, as if he were saying:
My heart is not tenderer than the heart of God on my son
Isaac, and I can't manage the future of Isaac as God does.
As long as God agrees on something then, no doubt, I have also
to agree upon it, because I do not have God's wisdom or love.
So let it be His will.
He who does not doubt lives always in tranquillity and
peace.
He always lives in security and the outer circumstances will not
tire him. He does not impose on God certain solutions, and if
God does not carry them out, he will be angry. Nevertheless, he
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agrees on any solution coming from God according to His
Godly wisdom.
How many troubles does doubt cause in the heart and the
mind... like doubt, fear, disturbance and little love. Doubt in
itself is tiredness, a burning fire.
Doubt is heated by confidence and love. He who loves a
person doesn't doubt in him. That is why we are with God
and we do not doubt in Him because we love Him and have
confidence in Him. Our faith in Him doesn't allow us to doubt in
His Godly and Fatherly deeds with us.
Holy is He in all what He does.
Faith kids fear and doubt. Fear and doubt on the other side
kill the faith.
Hold on to your faith because it is a strong and victorious
element. You will then live in joy, peace, tranquillity, without
fear, and without any doubt all the days of your life.
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