The Corrosion Of Confidence
October 18th, 2026 | Pastor Russ Smith | 8 Minute Read
Confidence in God does not always disappear in a moment of crisis. Sometimes it weakens gradually. We pray, we wait, we receive another difficult report, and then we hear that someone else has experienced the healing we have been asking for. The question in our hearts begins to change from “When will God answer?” to “Does he even see me?”
Confidence in God does not always disappear in a moment of crisis. Sometimes it weakens gradually. We pray, we wait, we receive another difficult report, and then we hear that someone else has experienced the healing we have been asking for. The question in our hearts begins to change from “When will God answer?” to “Does he even see me?”
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Pastor Russ Smith compared that process to corrosion. Exposure and neglect can quietly weaken something that once carried considerable weight. Our confidence can deteriorate in much the same way, even while we continue to believe that God is able to heal. The account of Jesus and his disciples in Mark 4–5 reveals what threatens that confidence—and where it can be restored.
A storm does not mean you missed God's direction
The disciples were crossing the lake because Jesus had told them to go. When a violent storm overtook their boat, they were not running from God or refusing to obey him. They were doing precisely what he had asked.
Yet fear took hold. Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat, and the disciples woke him with a desperate question: “Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?” (Mark 4:38). Jesus rebuked the wind and commanded the waves to be still. The storm stopped, and the disciples were left asking who this man was, that even the wind and waves obeyed him.
Their experience challenges the assumption that following Jesus should protect us from every difficult circumstance. Obedience did not prevent the storm, but neither did the storm remove Jesus from the boat. As Pastor Russ put it, “Following Jesus does not exempt us from storms. Following Jesus means we have someone with us in the storm.”
The disciples knew things about Jesus before that crossing. In the storm, they encountered his authority in a way they had not experienced before. The storm was not proof that they had missed God's direction.
How confidence begins to corrode
Isolation weakens confidence
One of the first responses to disappointment is often withdrawal. We assume no one understands our situation, or we stay away from church because we are hurting, frustrated, or simply not feeling up to being around people. But isolation can leave our doubts unchallenged and our burdens unshared.
Pastor Russ drew attention to the man Jesus encountered after the boat reached the other shore. This man lived among the tombs, separated from ordinary relationships and unable to be restrained. His condition was extreme, but his isolation illustrated a danger that can take quieter forms in our lives: suffering alone can deepen the erosion of confidence.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes that temptation is not unique to any one person, that God is faithful, and that he provides a way to endure it. Pastor Russ made an important distinction: this passage is about temptation, not a promise that life will never bring more than we can handle. There are seasons when our circumstances exceed our own strength. Those are not reasons to abandon our need for God or the support of others.
That is why praying with other believers matters. When our confidence is weak, someone else's faith can help us continue.
Questioning God's goodness changes how we see him
Listen to the progression in the disciples' questions. In the storm they asked Jesus, “Don't you care?” After he calmed it, they asked, “Who is this man?” Pastor Russ warned that questioning God's goodness can lead us to doubt who God is.
He did not suggest that hurting people should hide their struggles. Instead, he described the kind of church City Church should be: a place where someone can say, “I'm still hurting,” without being dismissed because prayer has already happened. A person who has carried a heavy burden all week may need someone to help carry it a little longer.
God's goodness is not something we should measure only by how quickly our circumstances change. The invitation is to keep turning toward his character, even when we are still waiting for an answer.
The storm may have a voice, but Jesus gets the final word
The familiar account of Jesus calming the storm ends in Mark 4, but the journey does not. The next chapter begins with a remarkable sentence: “So they arrived at the other side of the lake” (Mark 5:1). Jesus had told his disciples to cross, a storm had threatened them along the way, and they still reached the other shore.
Pastor Russ emphasized that we can lose our confidence when we lose sight of the destination. He pointed to the instruction in Hebrews to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith—not on the crisis that currently consumes our attention. He also drew on Jesus' words in John 6:39: the Father's will is that Jesus should not lose any of those given to him.
Those words redirect our confidence to the one we are following. The storm is real, and the waiting may be painful, but it is not the final authority over our lives.
Your storm may matter to someone on the other side
Why did Jesus take the disciples across the lake? On the other shore was a man who desperately needed freedom. Jesus delivered him, and when the man asked to accompany Jesus, he was told instead to return home and tell others what the Lord had done for him. The man went throughout the ten towns of the region, and the people were amazed by his story (Mark 5).
The disciples' storm was not the end of the story. Beyond it was a person whose life would change—and whose testimony would reach still more people. “The storms that you conquer change other people's lives,” Pastor Russ said.
That conviction is personal for him. At the beginning of the sermon, a family shared that after church leaders prayed for their young son's heart condition, a follow-up report showed that the hole in his heart was gone. Pastor Russ connected their testimony to his own experience of healing from a heart condition as a child. He also recalled how the grief of a child's death in a former ministry gave him a desire to reach out to other pastors enduring tragedy. In both joy and suffering, what we have walked through can become a way to strengthen someone else.
Common Questions About Faith, Healing, and Suffering
How can I continue trusting God when my prayers seem unanswered?
When prayers seem unanswered, look at God's track record rather than measuring His faithfulness by your expectations. Read Genesis and list God's promises and when they were fulfilled. Then ask longtime Christians when God answered as they hoped—and when He didn't. Listen for how their understanding of His purposes changed.
God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and trusting Him on our terms can create a crisis of faith when life doesn't unfold as expected. Scripture teaches that God uses trials to mature us, gives grace in weakness, and remains with His people. Instead of assuming His silence means unfaithfulness, ask what He may be teaching you through this season.
(Genesis 21:1–2, Isaiah 55:8–9, James 1:2–4)
Is it wrong to question God's goodness when I'm suffering?
No. Questions are often how we examine whether something we believe is true. Suffering can force us to ask whether what we've believed about God will hold up under pressure. Ask those questions, seek truthful answers, and be willing to accept them.
But questions pursued without sound guidance can develop into doubts grounded in false assumptions. Have you believed that following Jesus means you won't suffer, experience loss, or face unanswered prayers? Scripture promises none of those things. If your circumstances are causing you to question God's goodness, examine the belief behind your disappointment: What have I assumed God promised, and what does the Bible actually say?
(Psalm 13:1–6, Mark 9:24, John 16:33)
Why does God seem to heal some people while others continue to suffer?
There are different reasons some people experience healing while others continue to suffer; Pastor Russ Smith touches on this question in the first sermon of this series, Jesus Still Heals. But we may never know the reason for a particular outcome.
God's ways and purposes exceed our understanding, and faith means trusting Him even when we cannot see the answer. That trust is difficult in suffering. Trials reveal what our faith rests on, whether we're willing to release false beliefs, and how firmly we're committed to God. In the middle of uncertainty, ask: What is my faith made of?
(2 Corinthians 12:8–9, Deuteronomy 29:29, Hebrews 11:1)
Does the Bible really promise that God will never give us more than we can handle?
Definitely NOT. We can face more than we can handle in our own strength, and God can use those circumstances to test and strengthen our faith.
Our faith is like a muscle—it can grow stronger or be left to atrophy. Through spiritual disciplines, serving, authentic church relationships, and regularly connecting with God through the Holy Spirit, we exercise our faith. Trials then reveal what we're relying on: our own strength, wisdom, and abilities, or God's. God may not directly cause every trial, but in His sovereignty, He can allow hardship to help us grow and learn to depend on Him.
(1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Corinthians 1:8–9, Matthew 7:24–27)
How can God use my past struggles to help someone else?
When we suffer, it's easy to withdraw and believe no one understands. Few things are as encouraging as someone who has faced a similar struggle and can say, "I understand."
When we give God our pain and past struggles, He can bring healing and comfort, then use those experiences to help others. Our presence communicates care, our understanding helps people feel seen, and our testimony offers hope to someone who needs Jesus. What once caused pain can become a way to carry someone else's burden.
(2 Corinthians 1:3–4, Mark 5:19–20, Galatians 6:2)
Put It Into Practice
This week, identify one area of your life where your confidence in God has weakened. Share that struggle honestly with a trusted Christian friend, pastor, or prayer partner, and invite them to pray with you.
Hold on to the one who is with you
Corroded confidence does not have to be hidden behind a smile. The disciples admitted their fear, and Jesus was present in the storm they could not control. If your confidence has weakened while you wait, you do not have to carry that struggle alone. Invite others to pray with you, remember God's goodness, and keep your attention on Jesus.
Pastor Russ closed with a deeper invitation: healing begins with surrendering our lives to Christ. Whatever storm brought you to this moment, the first step is to turn toward him.
Watch The Full Sermon
Want to explore this teaching more deeply? Watch the complete message from City Church of Surprise on YouTube.
Need Prayer?
Whatever you’re facing, you don’t have to walk through it alone. Our team at City Church would love to pray with you.
