How can I begin to believe in God?

Question

I am in my 30s and have been atheist since I can remember. I have wanted to beleive because I think it would add to my life, but it just hasn't happened. I haven't been able to find the faith. Does anyone think it's possible to try to find the faith? Or does it just exist?

Answer 1

The Bible says "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17)
I suggest you begin reading the Gospels. You need to discover the claims of Christ for yourself and come to a decision of whether you believe the things He asserts are true or not.
However I have to tell you that human faith can only carry you so far. There is a supernatural faith which God imparts that brings assurance of eternal life through Christ. It comes from God as a gift.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. "
(Ephesians 2:8-10)
"But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved....for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(Romans 10:8-10,13)

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Answer 2

here is how it happened with me.. I supposed in my feeble mind that there could not be any God for only bad stuff happened if there was a God why would people get murdered if he was so perfect and so Good why would chicks get raped and children beaten..So my natural conclusion was at first there can be no God or God just doesnt care..But not being to overly stubborn I decided I would test God persay so I went and I kneeled down and I prayed with real intentions in sincerity I really wanted to know .. I said something along these lines " God I dont think there is a god because lots of bad things happen but if there is a God and you can hear me could you show me that you are that I might know what the truth is... I found out God was real that he does love us and that he wont interfere with Free agency that is why bad things happen however the wicked do not go unpunished and he has all power and go do above all things that we could ever even imagine..

Answer 3

I encountered the same problem, although I was only 14 at that time. The process is different for everyone, but is invariably long and not easy. My only advice is to learn as much as you can about faith, and talk to a minister, priest, pastor, etc. if possible. If you have Christian friends who go to church, try attending a sermon with them, and really listen. You might have to try different churches before you find one that's right for you. Just keep asking, and keep looking. Somewhere, you will find the way to God.

Answer 4

You need to look around you and think. Who taught the new born to suck his mother's breast in order to get milk?
Who gave you the right number of eyes to see the world around you? Engineers say that in order to see three dimensional objects, you need two views. If you had got one eye, you would have only seen two dimensions. If you had got three, it would have been redundant. Same for ears: if you had got only one, you wouldn't have been able to know where the sound is coming from. Three ears is redundant.
When you speak, you produce sounds in the range of frequencies that the human ear can hear. Is all this a coincidence?

If the percentage of the Oxygen in air had been a little bit lower, you would have not existed. If it had been a little bit greater, we would have had a lot of fires everywhere.

Everything is in balance and is integrated with the universe.
You need to look around you and ask yourself: Who made all these rules and lows that govern our universe? Who put the earth in its orbit so that it's not too close to the sun to burn nor too far to freeze? Who managed all this balance everywhere?

If you see a chair, you will know someone has done it for sure. If the chair was beautiful, you will know the carpenter was skillful. So look in the universe and you will know God. That's one.

Second, you know God from the messengers he sent. You know someone is a messenger from God from the evidences he shows. Consult different religions and see what evidences they have about their religion. You need to search and if you're really looking for the truth, you will find it.

Along the way, God is there watching and hearing you. Pray to Him to guide you to the truth and nothing but the truth. Submit to Him and he won't let you down. You should have the right intention though.

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Answer 5

Firstly there's nothing called a believer or non believer. These are just words created by us. He doesn't judge you by your deeds or actions. All the creatures are equal in front of him. So don't feel guilty and don't worry about finding faith. It will find you.

Spend 5 minutes every day in front of HIM . Pour your thoughts out to him. Ask whatever you would like in life. Ask for forgiveness for whatever wrong has been committed by you. Thank him for all he has done for you.
And of course pray for your friends and family.

And the best part is he doesn't ask anything in return.

Your life would be better. Call me when you take the turn.

Answer 6

As the old song goes "If you want faith, you're gonna have to believe a little...."

Surely someone you know personally is a Christian - and I'd suggest going that route since I'm a bit partial to that religion.

Reading about how others made the journey out of Atheism might also help. C.S. Lewis wrote about his own journey from Atheism to Christianity - a few of his books would probably be good for you. I'd suggest "Mere Christianity" as a good starting point.

Answer 7

Sounds to me your searching more to find trust more than you are faith. There is a fine line between the two. Though trust usually comes before faith. My suggestion is to surround yourself with good people that you feel you may have a potential to trust in certain ways. Look more for genuine caring than their spiritual orientations, you may discover that those qualities are inspired by their faith in God. Check out their assembly and see what it's about and if you feel comfortable in it, I guarantee you they will make you feel welcomed. Through them perhaps you may begin to grasp the concept and allow yourself to open the doors to let the power of spiritual transformation move you to a life of faith, hope and Love.

Answer 8

You're like me, it would be NICE to believe and have that great "gods will" pillow to fall back into, but we just can't swallow it. Even in our wildest imaginations we can't believe half the crap the bible spews. But fear not, I have some advice; look into other religions BESIDES the mainstream ones. If you are able to identify exactly why you are an atheist, then you may be able to find a "god" that can answer some questions. It's a starting point.

Answer 9

If you are genuinely interested in religion, you should do some research first. Go to a bunch of different churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples and talk to the religious leaders, telling them what you told us. There are some online tests you can take that are pretty accurate and tell you what religion your beliefs most correspond to - if you want, you can take those.

Usually, in the local paper is a listing of faith organizations in the area. Check there to find addresses/phone numbers of the buildings so you can find out worship times, people to talk to, classes to take, etc.

Answer 10

This is a really hard question. The fact that you want to believe is evidence that God is calling you to believe, you just need to nurture it. At our church we have a program called RCIA (available at all Catholic Churches) and it is designed to grow the faith of adults no matter what their level of belief is. I am sure other denominations have similar programs. Find somewhere that you are comfortable expressing yourself in a truthful manner.
I am an active member of my church and I have to nurture my faith almost constantly. It is something I struggle with and pray for. I am jealous of those who have been given this gift where I need to work on it constantly. I'll pray you find what your looking for.

Answer 11

Pray and ask God to show himself to you. If you are sincere I truly believe he will.I recommend 2 movies.. The Privileged Planet and The Signature of God. I believe The Bible is the Word Of God and the truth is within it's pages. Give it a chance. You have to know deep inside that the world didn't just happen on accident. Someone had to design it. God bless.