How would this work?

Question

So, if I don't have any faith in God, and wish that I did, I should pray to God, right?
Now, even if I don't believe, and pray anyway, I should, though disbelieving and skeptical, come to faith?
That was what everyone said...
Twenty years of trying to find belief any which way, I have to conclude that I was correct and there is no God.
Now, when the religion itself (Christianity) says "ask and ye shall receive", and I haven't recieved, what is going on?
I can only conclude that it isn't right... It wasn't that I didn't want to... it simply didn't work, even though the bible says that it will.

No, I was not trying to prove it wrong- I was trying to find that it was right.

So I have to believe before I can believe?
What sort of twisted logic is that?
And of course we come back to Pascal... The argument is useless only to the target audience.

Johnny, you are right.
Other people, you say that I would have to believe first... and no one seems to be able to give me a way to do that.
Your God certainly hasn't.
So exactly where does belief come from? Someone mentioned grace...
through faith, again. Seems like you've either got it or you don't.

Well met, Lady phoenix....
All rhetoric and no answers.

Answer 1

see, you have to convince yourself that god exists before you can beleive god exists.

a long while back i said that, i was joking really. then years later i began to hear that same thing from christians. and now today i hear it alot. it may not be in the same words, it may be spoken differently but its basically the same thing.

its called self brainwashing. in order to beleive in god you have to first convince yourself that he exists. once you beleieve anything and everything that happens in your life can be construed as a sign or a symbol or something that shows god is speaking to you

but if you want to see those things you really do have to brainwash yourself...you really do have to convince yourself that he really does exist...after that its all downhill.

i was both surprised and disgusted when my joke actually came to be true and was actually a common phrase said by people who tried to convert other people....

so if you want to see signs...you first have to convinceyourself that god exists.

good luck with that!

Answer 2

Faith is not just dumped on your head. You already HAD some faith, because if you hadn't you wouldn't have been praying at all, would you? I wonder if you were seeking God's HAND and not His FACE.....or if there is something in your life that you refuse to give up because you just like it too much. I don't understand God fully but I know that He does EXACTLY what He says He will do; I've seen it time and time again.

What EXACTLY do you want? God to appear to you? An audible voice? A letter? Proof BEFORE you're interested in turning from sin and repenting? Are you really interested in living FOR GOD or are you just wanting God to make it easy for you?

Maybe God is waiting for you to stop acting like a child and start having faith like one.

Answer 3

Good and evil exist right? Well try to be a follower of "good". You don't need to believe anything other than that Jesus Christ was a pretty cool guy to be a Christian in my mind. If you have trouble believing all of the "mumbo jumbo" in the Bible than just believe as history teaches us that Jesus was the world's "Most Valuable Person". We started counting years from when he was born right? It's been 2007 years since Jesus was born. If you do a decent job of being a follower of "good" than perhaps you can try praying again. Here's a hint, don't pray for yourself, pray for someone else or for many people.

This worked for me and guess what? I believe all the "mumbo jumbo" stuff about Jesus that I had lost faith in...!

Peace,

AAD

Answer 4

You could go to a church and have the elders anoint your head with oil and pray with you.
Get around those that can encourage you. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

And its not just a Sunday thing.

God hears our cries.
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Have you Given up?? Don't!
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The reason I Tell you to have someone pray with you is "Where two or more are gathered in my name(Jesus) He will be in the midst of you."
Have a friend come over If you don't want to go to a church.
Someone who knows how to use the Word of God to release your faith and so you will know that you know without a doubt.

Hey, I live it not just talk it there is a difference and my heart goes out to you. And you will be in my prayers!
I am 29 not 16. I wasn't raised in church went through plenty of life struggles blamed God for not meeting my selfish wants and overcame abuse and a lot more stuff. If I can be helped by God I would believe He can help any one.

Answer 5

'Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a holy man and the other a tax collector. The holy man stood and prayed, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this lousy tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes
of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far away, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' Jesus explains: 'I tell you, this tax collector went home forgiven, rather than the holy man; for every one who praises himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be praised.'
Beware of the proud holy man who hangs a bunch of rules
around your neck. That humble tax collector had it right. He was doing the only thing you and I can do to be accepted by God. He just asked, with humility.

My dear, I don't know your full story or what "faith" you were trying to pursue, but no faith can come by self effort. It is something that everybody can have but you can't force it. My guess is that God was trying to give it to you but your unbelief kept you from it.

I am not judging you.

Answer 6

Caution...

Ok.... looks like you've tried all the adult things, have you tried being a "child" when you talked to God?

Seriously... think about it. What is a child like when they go to their mom or dad with questions or needing help?

When I was a little girl, hurt and alone, I remembered hearing a voice on the radio say that God was our "Father".

So, I asked God if He would be MY "Father" like the radio said. I then asked Him to teach me to read His Book (the Bible) and would He explain what it all means to me.... and, I talked to Him about everything on my mind and heart... and said "thankyou" before I went off to do something else.

I didn't wait for Him to say "yes", I just went right on expecting Him to listen and do as I asked because I "asked". :)

and because that is what I had always heard a real Father would do if their daughter asked them for something.

Now then, I suggest you try that... but instead of the radio, say, ForeverSet and (others) on R&S say you are their Father... will you be my Father too?

Then, talk to Him like you expect a child to talk to their Father. Tell Him anything and everything. ask Him to teach you to read His Book and to explain what it all means. and say "thankyou".

The next 2 days do the same thing...at least once a day.

On the 4th day, Ask God to forgive you for hurting anyone no matter how small a hurt it was...even if you had only thought it and not said anything to the person. Then, talk to God about all the hurts YOU had received by people...about whether you can or can't forgive them for what they did...talk it out to Him.

If you can't bring yourself to forgive everyone that day, do the same the next day, and the next, till you can see clear in forgiving them.

Then ask God to forgive you for everything you can think of.

say thankyou...

Open your Bible and try to read one book chapter...maybe John....

ask Him a question whenever one pops up in your head about what you are reading. Stop and talk about it.... look at it from every side...ask God what HE thinks. say thankyou.

While you read, try to see what you are reading within your mind as though you were there watching. See the scorn. Feel the scorn. See the love. Feel the love. etc.,. Put yourself in Jesus's place as He walked and talked among the people...knowing what they are thinking and what they are going to do....etc.,.

LOL May not take as long as this...depends on you. Give God the benefit of the doubt. If He isn't "real" what do you have to lose?

I will be praying for you too. God Bless you :)

Answer 7

I would suggest instead of just praying (which is good by the way), you should read at least one book of the Bible every week, seek out evidence of the truth in the Bible. I would suggest first reading Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John
May the Lord bless you for begining your journey into light.

Answer 8

You are exactly right.

I went through the same thing. As a born again Christian, I spend days and weeks fasting and praying for God to show me his will and help direct my life. He never answered, which caused me to seek his will through preachers, and the bible, both came up short.

Preachers were just humans who made a living off of faith, and tended to impart their own will on me in God's name.

The Bible was too contradictory and wasn't helpful in this age at all. It was very confusing, praying for guidance from God and then reading about how he killed thousands of Gentiles in the OT, and thinking, 'wait, I am a gentile?'

Answer 9

Faith is not something that can grow without nurture. Become a part of a faith community and discus it with the pastor.

Answer 10

There is a verse in the Bible that says to "pray expectantly". (I don't have it right at the moment...)
So that means, if you say in your head that you don't believe but you'll try it anyway...then you are not praying and expecting anything to happen.
You have to believe. You have to open up your heart to the reality that God exists, that He made you and He knew your name before you were born!
Keep seeking! I will pray for you too! : )

Answer 11

If one's INTENTIONS remain TRUE in seeking God, perhaps this passage might be more illuminating:

"Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God." --Isaiah 58:2.

Hope that helps.

Peace be with you.