Ten years ago, I faced an unexpected bout with severe anxiety and depression. I was approaching my twentieth anniversary as senior pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church and had just completed a procedure during which doctors successfully removed cancer from my body.
Yet I slid into this dark pit and did not fully resurface until a year later.
Everyone knows what it’s like to experience darkness. And with all that’s gone on this past year, there’s a good chance you’re fighting it right now. But the question always remains the same: “How can I break free from darkness and start to walk by faith again?”
And as I looked for a silver bullet to reignite my faith, I came to a surprising realization…
The rope that I eventually used to climb out of my pit was made of the raw materials that had been a part of my life for years—time spent with God’s Word, time with God Himself, and consistency in making the choices that compelled me to live beyond myself. It wasn’t about finding a new solution.
Having made it to the other side of that experience, what I can tell you is that regardless of the brokenness you have known or the pain points that remain tender still today, there is One who is perfectly suited to pick you up, see you through, and make you whole.
If you are downcast and depleted, or like me, disoriented and dismayed, your faith can be reignited, and your hope can be restored. Just look to Jesus.
That’s the message of my new book, Reignite, and it’s my hope for you in your relationship with Christ. God longs to do this work in us. We need only ask Him to.
