Questions of faith and god?

Question

Yesterday evening I went out to run some errands, standing in the Walmart Parking lot, mom and I were talking about this book i've been reading "women art thou loosed" by TD Jakes, since I've been reading this book I have been enlighted in my faith, it wasn't as strong up until this point, my mother actually gave me the book to read even though she hadn't finished it or gotten further than I have. However yesterday I told I have faith and then she started up again asking me " Do you know who god is?" Yes he is the creator of all living things..etc...then she told me that faith and believeing are two different things, that she has a personal relationship with god and I haven't gotten there yet. That I don't know what faith is. Faith and believing in god has kept me alive from the streets, from the abuse, from this cruel world and shown me a different light. She is always questioning me if I know who he is and puts fear in me when she ask? Is it true is faith different from believing? V

Answer 1

Please allow me to put it this way to you. As I have had this same question come up in my life. There is a difference between knowing about some one and actually having a one on one intimate relationship with that person. If we meet and say hello and then walk off, well thats one thing but if we meet and then become friends and start meeting together regualrly then thats a relationship. Even Satan and all His demons believe in Jesus Christ. They know he is real. In the bible when Jesus confronted a demon posessed person, even the demons in that person said out loud, "What would you have with us oh son of the most high God?". Even the demons recognize who God is. They even believe, But Faith comes in when you extend yourself on that beliefe and trust God in that you extend your belief further out there by trusting God in that He is who He sais He is and operate in life out of Love for Him. Jesus sais, "If you love me then obey my commands." The next step towards turning from mere beliefe into living in Faith is trusting God in who He sais He is in the next step which you must decide for yourself and become a child of God in praying the sinners prayer and becomming a christian. Having Faith can only begin when you willing take a chance on God and take that first step. Hey, let me put it this way, If God is not who he sais He is, then if you pray and nothing happens, You haven't lost anything really except maybe a few minutes of your time. But if He is, then when you pray and REALLY mean it with all of your heart, then He will change you deep inside and it will reflect on the outside. God will change your heart, but He desires you to truly desire HIM. Not al the churchy religeous language you've been hearing, but the simple message that God see's you, someone He wants so much to be his own. He loves you and desires a relationship with you. Its good that you know about Him and do believe in Him, Oh but he is waiting and so desires for you to EXPERIENCE Him full heartedly. I am not saying everything else will go all rosey from here on. Sometimes the road in life even gets tougher. But the true miracle is when you exend yourself and tell God, "OK I believe in you and now put my trust in your word in believeing that what you say is true and you mean what you say and I come to you Lord for a new relationship with you where we communicate one on one." God loves you! He created YOU and he deeply desires to have a one on one relationship with you. Some folks like your mother have been brought up with a very different "sort of churchy" way of saying it. A different sort of lingo thats hard to understand if you haven't been around it. Yes there is a difference but, the point is, very simply put, God loves you and he wants more than just your beliefe in Him. He wants a relationship with you exclusivly as you have faith to not only believe that He is ALIVE but also you take action on that beliefe and pray the prayer of faith and become "born again.". Just try it and if its not real, then hey nothing will happen, oh but if it is, Look out because it will be the greatest experience in your life.
In 1987 I took that step of faith and it changed my entire life. Its the BEST thing thats ever happened to me when I met Jesus Christ for the very first time and my life, though it hasn't been perfect, has been radically changed for the better.

The prayer of faith is so simple. Here is an example of one and I encourage you to pray it and as you do, really mean it and speak it as if talking to your mom or another person because you are speaking to a real live person, the person of Jesus Christ. He's right there and He is waiting to hear from you.

"Dear Lord Jesus, I come to you a person in need of you. I am a sinner, Lord I believe in you and I believe that you were crucified, died and then raised again on the 3rd day. Lord I want a relationship with you and I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of ALL. Yes you are King of Kings and Lord of Lord. Lord I ask that you'd come into my heart and be my personal saviour and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Lord please forgive me of my past and of all of my sins. Thank you Lord Jesus for dying for my on the cross at calvery. I so apreciate your suffering and sacrifice. I love you Lord and I seek this brand new relationship with you for the rest of my life. Thank you sweet Jesus for saving me this day for eternity. Thank you Lord that I am now Born again, a new creation in Christ Jesus. I love you Lord.
In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, AMEN!"

Now, if you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, then go and tell someone. Whitness to them about God and what He has done for you today.
Welcome to the family of God! :)
Know that you are LOVED, God Loves you!

Answer 2

Faith is believing, but it is also being confident. To have a relationship with God, you must accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. Christ died for your, my, everyone's sin, and was raised from the dead 3 days later, hence the upcoming Easter celebration. Faith is believing and accepting the free gift of His salvation. If you have access to a Bible, read John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9&10. This is just the beginning, there are many other verses in Romans that could help you. I am not sure of the reference, it may be in Hebrews, but the scripture says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is knowing the truth without seeing it with the naked eye. The truth is God loved you enough to send his Son to die for you, so that you could have eternal life. I hope this is helpful to you.

Answer 3

You can believe a toaster is a toaster. But do you have faith it will work? Faith is when you blindly rely on an unseen entity to guide you through life. Not just the bad times, the good ones too. Faith is putting your EVERY decision in this entity's hands, and not expecting a certain outcome. Faith is the understanding that EVERYTHING, from life to death, happens for a reason, even if we do not like the outcome.

Answer 4

Hi!
I think what your Mom (maybe) is saying is that even Satan "believes" in Jesus...there is more to faith than simply acknowledging Jesus' existance. To believe that God gave you His only son so that you won't perish and have eternal life with God and to pray that Jesus comes into your heart and fills you with His spirit...this is the beginning. Faith is having hope and believing/knowing that God is your Holy Father and is control of your life. Admitt that you are a sinner and need his forgiveness, direction, and love. Once you have accepted Christ as your personal savior, then your faith will grow as you learn to depend on Him for all things. The great thing is that God created you for His glory and purpose. You are chosen. He will never leave you. Your relationship with Him is personal, which means that it doesn't matter what type of relationship others have with Christ. You just need to focus on your walk with Him. God loves you. I hope this helps.

Answer 5

Faith is believing without evidence but having an assurance that God will provide as He has said. To believe something it can either be tangible or intangible. The bible is tangible and many people believe it's true but few have faith to step out and actively do as it say's with total abandon for what they don't know may happen. I can believe that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me but if I never step out to test it then I haven't arrived at faith. As the word say's "Faith without works is dead." It doesn't mean you are not going to heaven or don't believe in Christ, it simply means that if you have faith then you will see to it that your faith is acted out and you won't even question the outcome.

Answer 6

There are lots of believers. Most people believe in God but those that love Him obey his commandments. To have faith in God, you trust Him.

Heb 11:6 (Amplified Bible) But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

I would suggest the book Drawing Near and Intimacy with the Holy Spirit by John Bevere

(A personal fav is Fight Like a Girl by Lisa Bevere)

Just remember that opinions are like feet...everyone has them and some stink. You can get everyone's opinion on this but ultimately you should find out what God says about it. The answer can be found in your Bible. I recommend you get a Strong's concordance. You can also use www.biblegateway.com to look up key words. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

In prayer tonight, ask God to increase your faith in Jesus' name. Say, Lord it is written in Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Say, Lord I believe, help my unbelief. Lord, I have faith, strengthen my faith.

After you pray this start looking forward to something because God is getting ready to increase your faith. The Lord tells us to ask and we will receive. He loves to strengthen our faith and help our unbelief. Ask Him so you can have a day to day relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit will make this happen.

I tell my grandson that God wants us seeking, knocking and asking. He says, "My sheep hear My voice." When you hear His voice, your faith will burst into a river flowing.

The Holy Spirit is guiding you along right now. You have faith and you believe in Jesus, but there is so much more coming your way. Just say "fill me, Lord." It really seems like we can't get enough of the Lord. Your mother wants you to keep seeking more. She may not know how to tell you without seeming critical, but I encourage my daughters and grandchildren to learn all they can about the Word of God. We are commanded to know the Bible. It is part of the armor of God for spiritual warfare against the demonic forces in the world. Nothing works better than "It Is Written."

There is an urgency for us to become more knowledgeable of the Bible, more faithful and more equipped for these latter days. Trust God that He will not leave us or forsake us and He will give us what we need when we need it.

Answer 8

I understand where your mother is coming from. Think of it as being an orphan on the street. There is a great man who lives in a mansion who has been secretly watching over you and making sure you are not abused or hurt. Sometimes the orphan will sneak to the mansion and look in. There she sees many children enjoying the company of the rich man. These children have all been adopted by the rich man and are not only part of a large family--ie brothers and sisters, but destined to receive the inheritance as well.

Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Colossians 1:12
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

God may be watching over you, but that does not necessarily make you part of the family. You need to be adopted, and this is a legal process, not an emotional one.
My treatise below details this difference. It is a very difficult difference to point out. It's very personal.

Answer 9

u have given ur mum the definition of God as u understand Him. the question now is, do u know the definition of faith? Bram Stoker said that faith is the faculty whicch enables us to beleive that which we know to be untrue. it may be different from the definition u get in Churches, yet it is a practical definiton of faith. if u know that God exists, u no longer need faith to beliieve in Him, rather, it is part of ur knowledge, u knoww that He exists, we believe in God thru faith, cos we are not sure He exists. U need faith to believe in God. u dont just believe that God exists cos it is beyond ur knowledge and that is where faith comes in.

for further analysis on the two, just im or email me.

Answer 10

Yes, there's a big difference. Agnostics don't deny God exisits, but say that if He does, so what? Furthermore, many religions believe in a divine being, whether Muhammad or Buddah, or who- or whatever. But they don't believe the Bible, and what God had to say about Himself. One can believe God, one can believe IN God, and still not have saving faith OF God. It is insufficient to believe that God exists. You must have faith that His Word is true, that He is all that He says He is, that He has done all He said He has done. This includes what He and Jesus testified to about Jesus' divinity and the Trinity. Faith is produce by what we believe about God. Knowledge is the beginning of faith, not vice-versa.

Answer 11

Your mom talking about having a relationship with god - makes sense - you can say you believe in him - and you have faith in him - but if you dont have a CLOSE relationship with him ... it really doesnt mean much. Thats what i think your mom is trying to explain to you.

However about the whole - faith and believing thing - to me its the same thing? they go hand in hand.


If i were you - i would try this ... try sitting in your room - no TV no nothing - and just sit and TALK to god - tell him everything ... like hes there with you ... this is what makes a close relationship with him.



your on the right track ... good luck!