How do you believe in God?
 

I am 46 years old and struggling to believe there is a God. When I was growing up I was never taught there was a God. My grandparents went to church and on occasion I went with them but I didn't know exactly why I was there. When I stayed all night with my cousin I went to church with her on Sunday and wondered why I didn't get to go up front and get something to eat like she did. I have had many debates with people about this and I think it boils down to having faith. I want to have that faith. When I hear "Let go and let God", I can't because I don't know how. I go with my mom to her church for some functions and try so hard to believe. My sister, who was raised by her father, is very religious and we have had many talks about this. I'm trying to figure out what part of my life is missing. A friend recently loaned me the book "Battlefield in my mind" by Joyce Meyers and it's so confusing to me. Tomorrow night I'm going with my mom and sister to a gospel cafe at a local church and I don't even like gospel music. Any advice for the lost soul in me? Are there any good books that would help me?

Read AA's Big Book. It discusses spirtuality and addresses your struggle with getting in touch with a Higher Power. These issues are addressed in Chapter 4, titled "We Agnostics." I think that's a good place to start. I don't think anybody can tell you what to believe or not to believe. I happen to believe in an imnipotent being called God who is running the show. Not the way I may want him (or her, or it!) to be running the show, but that's life. It is also my personal choice to believe as I do, but I'm certainly not going to tell anyone which path they should follow as far as believing goes.

Joyce Meyer uses a lot of Biblical references in her writing. Perhaps reading something a bit less biblically-oriented would be preferable. As I said, the Big Book gets into it. There are plenty of books online you can purchase written for those who are struggling with what, if anything, they should believe.

I've always believed in God so what i suggest may not help,but try.

I believe God loves us all but deals with volunteers. Do you have enough faith to ask Him to give you enough faith to believe? I think that is all it takes.........the more faith you have the more "reasons" you will find to have it. Just my experience. I hope you give it a try.

p.s. "Praying" is just talking (outloud or in your mind) to God just as you would a friend......no special words or phreases are needed nor go-betweens.

Thanks for the quick replies. I've just been to a website about "Is there a God" and even though it was a Catholic site it was extremely enlightening. It actually started to make sense to me. Maybe I should do more reading. I do have the AA book but have never read it. Thought maybe AH would pick it up and glance through it. Weighed more than a beer can though, so he wasn't interested.

Everyone has to find their own unique understanding of a Higher Power. You could even think of God as the King of all furbabies. Who else could create something as wonderful as that?

Personally, I was never taught about God per se while growing up. I went to church and such, but no one ever talked to me about faith or beliefs. I was always the sort to over think things though, and I've always had faith in something, even if I didn't have a name to give it. Search yourself for answers. Once you have something to hold onto faith will come.

Personally for me,other peoples decriptions,really didnt do it for me.One person said to me that God is Love.I thought about it,but it didnt bring about any faith inside of me.It was in my own seaching and seeking,open-mindness,that i came ,came to,came to believe and have faith.It was through prayer,God please reveal Yourself,and show me the way,that worked for me.Meditation,the quieting of my mind,helps to.And faith happened in my life.And for me i started to read the Holy Bible.

Help me do what I can't do for myself.

I found that going direct helped me find the answers.
No trust in what man had told me. Been lied to enough. I will seek my own answers and bypass them.
How I went direct (with guidance from another person)
This is all they said to me and I listened to that person and did it and found it worked.

Get a bible (NIV is a good easy read to start with)
Before you read... ask God to guide your understanding (every time you pick it up to read)


God opened my eyes with my asking and brought the increase.
He helped me do what I could not do of myself.

I started on page one and read through the whole thing (cover to cover)
Some say that a good place to start in the book of John then Matthew, Mark, Luke.

I like what pick-a-name said here:

One thing I would add to all the excellent replies you have received is to remember that we can experience religion by going to church and even by growing up in a spiritual home/atmosphere. Although good and necessary it is far different from knowing God in a personal way. I don't know who said "God has no grandchildren" but I like the phrase. If I seek Him I will find Him.
I appreciate your openness and how you're seeking God, I'm sure He does too.
Thanks for sharing.

Hello Luvmyfurbabies
The Christmas before last I received an excellent book that brought me closer to God, I highly recommend it....The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren. Give it a try.

Prodigal is right, try the big book first..............Joyce M. is great, but maybe too much right now. I have found that by reading the AA books, going to al-anon, etc..........I have become more spiritual. I think the rest will come later..........You have to make that connection to the Higher Power first....

Just by asking, I think you are hearing that still small voice.
 

I can't help you with books, for me God has always been there. My religious beliefs are some sort of weird amalgamation of Christianity and Star Trek. God exists for me. If for no other reason than for someone to dump my troubles on. Keep reading, keep asking, keep looking. If he is there for you, you will find him.

Roni

Excellent points.

I find the Lord to be my strength and savior. When my burdens are too heavy he shares the load. You could start out just by having a conversation, share your thoughts and troubles. My personal relationship with God is first and foremost.

Hi Luv,
I am confident that your sincere desire to reach out and find God will lead you to Him. For me my faith is not a "warm and fuzzy feeling" but is based on the evidence I percieve. My faith was tested when my wife got cancer and we lost our home. Depite the way I "felt" at the time I continued to lean on Him. By that I mean I would ask him to help me endure my depression and begged for him to show me that He was there. I must admit I had more days of silence than not, but the more my week faith was stretched the more it grew. I continued to press on in prayer despite me "feeling" like I was talking to the wall. In small ways he showed himself to be in control. I could chalk these small occurances up to coincidance but I chose not to. I think that by your simple question and your desire for His comfort you do have faith. Keep your search simple and your motives pure and what faith you have will surely grow. Just remember God does not want religeon he wants a personal relationship as a Parent has with a child. A book that helped me was "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. Do not think you have to "earn" his love by being good. Come to him as you are and let Him do the rest. I hope this helps and I believe you are on the right path to the peace in which you seek.

Glad you are comming to some understanding. For me, I remember when I go outside, I feel and see the sunshine or the warm or cold rain. No one person on earth can create this lovely earth and all the living things on it. As a scientist, there must be a higher power (God to me) who created all of this for us. Don't loose sleep nights questioning, just look outside and appreciate and love.

Sometimes people get turned off "God" because they confuse institutional Christianity with a relationship with a Higher Power.

Although many people find God through Jesus Christ, Christianity is not the only path to God.

Simple daily contemplative practices can bring you closer to your Higher Power. Just 5 minutes of quiet prayer or meditation every morning before you start your day can make a huge difference in your life - I say this from experience.

The works of Wayne Dyer are very spiritual and also very practical. I recommend The Power of Intention - Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way by Dr. Wayne W Dyer.

the concept of god was too big for me to embrace right away. i did not feel it. then i read a quick little read called "embraced by the light" by betty jean eadie. it changed my life. started me onto the path of spirituality.

i used to try to read the bible, and it looked like gibberish to me....like a foreign language. after reading embraced by the light....this was at one of my lowest points in life.....i picked up the bible, and it was if scales fell from my eyes, and the words flowed smoothly for me with understanding.

from then on out, it was a leap of faith.

you are searching, and it will come.

love to you
jeri

Many years ago, I was really finding my Spiritual side. I was studying my Bible and reading every night, I was feeling a sense of peace that I'd not experienced before, etc. but I ended up pulling away from it and dropping the whole thing.

Many years later, after my now Xah and I had seperated, I began to notice a lot of different things. Things that may not have seemed like much if they had been individual things - but looked rather large when looked at as a group.

Things were happening in my life that were to coincidental to be a coincident. Day after day - I noticed something. Time and time again, a need was met for my kids and I out of nowhere. Things were happening in my life that were just too big and important to be coincident. And in those repeated happenings....my Faith started being restored. I have no doubt in my mind that a Power much much greater than myself was working His magic in my life.

For me, finding God again was being able to open my eyes and look around and see the blessings in my life that I couldn't explain as something normal. Seeing the repeated blessings that were happening that were far more than coincidence. One day I realized also that I'd completely changed my whole group of friends without even realizing it. The majority of the new friends that I'd made were spiritual in some manner or other - not all at the same level - but each had a sense of God and each of them were at diffent levels in their relationship with their God. But funny how I'd not noticed my switch in friends, nor had I noticed the calm and serene lives these people led before.

It's hard to explain to someone how to find God. It takes Faith. But in the thought of you asking and seeking, I believe that there must be some seed there that is wanting to sprout. Perhaps moreso, you are just looking for the water to make it grow.

Start slow and I believe you will find the answers you are seeking.

i sure did believe in god when i saw the condition of my car and path of destruction after my daughter's black out accident. no way she should have walked away from that night without killing/hurting herself or someone else, no way. i say thank you everyday.