How does one start believing in God?

[Adele_26]

I used to believe in God until about 3 years ago. I just don’t feel Him around me at all. I’ve tried going to multiple churches, but none have really spoken to me. I would leave disappointed. It’s hard because I’ve always been a spiritual person. When I was little, I used to have so many “encounters” with “spirits”. However, after being diagnosed with psychosis, I keep thinking that all of this “spiritual” stuff is a result of me going through a psychotic episode again. The first time I experienced psychosis, I genuinely believed a demon had attached itself to me. Sometimes, I still do. I would love to believe in God (doesn’t have to be Christian based). I still pray sometimes, but then I get frustrated that I don’t wholeheartedly believe in who I’m praying to. I have nothing against atheism, but it doesn’t feel right for me either.

[Exterminatore]

I’m going to give you the truth Adele.


You ask how do you start believing in God? To do so requires action first on God’s part.



“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:44‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I don’t believe us humans make the first step towards God, I believe he first steps towards us. I don’t believe we have the capacity to believe or obey or repent until he makes it possible.



“When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.””
‭‭Acts‬ ‭11:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬
Notice there God is the one who grants repentance both to believe and serve.


And here:



“correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And here:



“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬
So it is God who must grant you repentance to believe in him first and then to obey his command to be saved.


That said, clearly you’re seeking at least a higher power. Allow me to point you to the only God and the highest power - Jesus.


You mentioned you cannot feel him. The unregenerate, that is the unsaved cannot feel this.



“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!””
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:14-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬
So, you cannot feel God’s presence. Those who belong to God are lead by him. Those who are born again, have received the spirit of adoption. Meaning the Holy Spirit.



“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Those who are saved, the Holy Spirit confirms to them they are saved. So the saved know they are saved and the Holy Spirit actively confirms this. The Holy Spirit speaks to the heart of the saved and testifies to us that we belong to him.


Here is a great sermon on that subject:


https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/45-59/the-spirit-confirms-our-adoption



You admit you don’t believe in God…but want to. So you cannot be saved. No one can be saved and not believe in God. Therefore you cannot feel his presence.

[Exterminatore]

All you need do is believe. There are ample evidences for why Jesus is who he said he is. Two books to help provide evidence that Jesus is who he said he is and that he is real are: More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell and The Case for Christ by F. Lee Strobel. Those two books will do a far better job of apologetics than I can do here. I suggest reading them. Perhaps they will lead you to the conclusion that God does exist. If so, God has provided the faith required to you to believe. Then you must confess you are a sinner and be sorry for your sins. You must then repent. Meaning, stop sinning and obey the Lord. Your obedience will be the evidence of your salvation. This doesn’t mean you’ll be perfect but the general pattern of your life will be one of obedience if you are saved.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I pray Jesus calls you and you respond.

[Exterminatore]

In regards to your prayers, I know you can see the futility in praying to a God you don’t believe exists. I’ll tell you another reason your prayers are futile. God will not hear them.

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear me:”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭66:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The only prayer of the unbeliever God will hear is the one where they wail over their sin and beg his mercy and accept him as the Lord of their life and their savior. Apart from this God will not hear the prayer of the unbeliever. He will not hear the prayer of the willful sinner either.

If you want him to hear you, you must repent.

May God grant you repentance unto salvation. I will pray for you.

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

[Guy13]

FYI…John MacArthur did not train you SO THAT you can beat the living Potential Hope out of Lost‼️

What you did and How you did it was Shameful ‼️ You are exactly the Christian that I have to try to explain away especially to Buddhists (Negative Energy) and LGBTQ Crowd‼️

“Make one of mine Stumble” AND/OR James would be “saving” reads for you.

[Exterminatore]

@Guy

Sir, John MacArther did not train me. I am self trained.

I wonder why any sinner would follow Christ when 2 of his servants are debating their own religion. Follow me and PM me. We can continue there if you’d like. After this I will not speak to you any further on this thread.

Do we need to sell people Jesus? How about we simply give them the message. That’s what Jesus did. Answer their questions honestly.

If you were on your way to eternal judgment would you want someone to warn you?

Here’s John the Baptist preaching:

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3:7-8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

He was harsh. I think I spoke the truth in love here.

https://www.azquotes.com/quote/917890

[Guy13]

You are 15 years my Senior and I can't believe I'm having to do this...

Let me explain it this way... And you can verify this from my East Coast Church. And fyi, Masters' young adult choir has performed at our church... we have a Seminary.
As one who has brought 2 Buddhists, Muslim, and Stanford PhD to Christ, as well as thrown a many of International "thinking on it" soccer pitch seeds... As one fielding who is Maggog questions... is he here... since Ukraine... Turks and Khurds...
I know for certain that NO ONE comes to you for suggestions... with questions. In my view, you are a brute. IF I did what you did the way you did it, my Mobilization Lead would wonder how did the heart and spirit of the devil get in him... he's left a gate open somewhere.
-Best in your endeavors.

[zeitgeist057]

I don't think it's a good idea to pick a religious idea and try to force yourself to believe it; that's probably not going to work. I know I thought panentheism was really cool when I found out about it, so I 'decided' I was going to be a pantheist. But the reality was I didn't actually believe it, I was just playing at it. I did the same thing with the ancient Norse gods, acting like Odin, Loki, and Thor were gods that I believed in. I tried really hard even, but it didn't take.

Instead, a much better plan imho, is to do some learning about different philosophies and religions that many different people have around the planet, and I'm sure you will find something that really fits how you feel naturally.

There's a cool book called "Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy". which you might be able to read for free from a library if you don't want to buy it. It basically illustrates a lot of philosophical concepts.

I personally don't have a religion or god, though I used to believe in god and pray to and talk to him/her/it. Now I am more or less agnostic and Buddhist, though I don't adhere to any agnostic or buddhist principles or rules, those are just the philosophies that best describe how I naturally feel about reality. I feel like the real "truth" of reality is fairly well described or at least approached, by the concept of Tao.

I wish you luck on your spiritual journey. It sounds like with your interactions with spirits and/or demons, you might find a belief system that fits you, but it might not be your standard Christianity or Islam type religion.

[Daniela1982]

If you had encounters with spirits, they were not good ones. The only reason anyone would have an encounter with a genuine angel would be if God dispatched an angel to either protect you from something or get you out of a jam. And even then, you may not see the angel because they are invisible, unless they want to be seen. It is possible that a person can be possessed by a demon if they delve into the occult, say with a Ouija board. A Christian cannot be possessed because the Holy Spirt resides inside them. So if you having these experiences I will assume you are not a Christian. That is why you find no peace in going to church. The things of God, to those who are perishing in this world, is foolishness, because they are spiritually appraised and make no sense to the unbeliever. Only the fool believes in his heart that there is no God. God has no obligation to help the unbeliever. Your prayers will most likely not be heard. The prayer that God will hear is when you ask Jesus to come into your life and repent. Then when you receive the Holy Spirit your prayers will be heard and you will have peace as all your sins will be forgiven, and you will have a new meaning for your life. I hope this helps. If you have any questions you can send me a message.

[Daniela1982]

Judging by the downvotes, you must have lots of company. *rolls eyes*

[JoyGirl]

Hmmm…try opening your heart to accepting. Just get on your knees and ask Christ to be in your life. Let him know that you don’t know why you are doing what you are doing, and that you just really need answers and help. Christ especially loves those who are broken, and feel lost. Not so he can take advantage of them, rather so he can help them realize they are not alone.

Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

When you don’t know what you are praying for, or what you are praying about, just say “Holy Spirit intercede for me”. Sometimes we need some help, and the Holy Spirit can help us.

Romans 8:26
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

I am actually glad you asked this question. Everything I just said, is a very good reminder to me as well.
Sometimes as humans, we feel like there is no way out, but there is. 🌸💜

[CountessSarah]

You need to be convinced that a God exists. You cannot simply choose a belief in a god any more than you could choose to believe in Bigfoot or unicorns or the Easter bunny simply because you thought it would be a fun or satisfying belief to have.

Instead, I would suggest looking deep into why you feel you require such a belief.

Do you care whether or not what you believe is true? That seems like an obvious, rhetorical question but it's not - sincerely, do you care? Would you rather be convinced of a God claim despite it being false if it somehow satisfied this requirement you have for spirituality? If your answer is yes, I can't help you.

I'd like to explore your line "atheism isn't working for me" - there's nothing (real and positive) that theism offers that atheism does not. Perhaps talking about that would be a far more advantageous discussion to have.

[Adele_26]

I see what you’re saying, and I truly love your questions! I guess I feel as though I require the belief because I have the hope it would help me see reality in a more positive light. I’m scared that if it’s all in my mind, I will most likely end my life. The reason I said “atheism doesn’t feel right” is because of the “experiences” I’ve had. Anytime I would share with people close to me, 9/10 think I’m crazy and/or psychotic (both have been said to me).

I don’t think it’s necessary to believe in a God to have good morals. For me, it’s more so about having a good perception on reality and a positive outlook on life. Not to make this a therapy session lol (just explaining the root of cause), but I was abused, neglected, and/or abandoned by people I thought unconditionally loved me or at least cared. The word others have used to describe me is “misunderstood”.

After writing the second paragraph lol, I realized that maybe it’s because I want to be loved unconditionally and not feel so misunderstood?

[Sour-rose]

...

Oof. I... dayum. So that's a good one. Like a REALLY good one. But i suppose if you weren't to believe in a long time, then you'd just have to stop. Think sure god is up there... and he might be looking down on you with love. But you just keep going about your days until something happens where you can't believe such a thing could happen... good or bad. Good- because wow, they did something. Bad- BRUH, ARE YOU F**KIN' KIDDING ME? WHY DA FUK WOULD YOU DROP THIS SHI- And turns out it was something you needed to grow. <3

So yeah, something like that could help.

[Guy13]

God is not existential alone. God requires obedience and regular relationship.

Prayer: (John 1:1) Declaration , (Matthew 6:9-13/Lords Prayer), and then talk to God. What’s up with the evil spirit is okay to ask.

Are you sure you’re saved? Indwelled Holy Spirit guards against any other spiritual indwelling.

[Adele_26]

I’ve never been baptized.

[Guy13]

Baptism is symbolic in nature. It’s a proclamation from one who has publicly accepted Jesus the Christ (Messiah) as Lord and Savior. It’s like a Holy trophy declaring public victory over Satan and the world. IT DOES NOT MEAN ONE IS SAVED OR NOT SAVED.
-What you do is read those Bible verses aloud. Confess your Sins that you recall. Ask for forgiveness and Jesus to make you one of His.
THEN, you find a Baptist church and tell Pastor what you did above. A good Pastor will want to walk with you awhile before declaring to God, via Baptism, that you are Daughter of God.

Long ago, I rolled up in a ball and said, “you win”…that was my profession of faith. It’s a soul, heart, mind and Being thing.
I’m subject to a Loving God and not a taskmaster or finger ruler smacking God.

Faith Alone In Christ Alone is it.-obedience yes but list of “Must Dos”-NO.

[Derekk]

The thing with belief is that it's too often treated as an act of identity claiming rather than a true reflection of what you think inside of you. Unfortunately it isn't a choice as to what we believe; we either do or do not. May I ask what encourages you to want to believe?

[Needadvice1202]

If you truly call out to Jesus I don't care what anyone else says
He will answer you and you will feel his presence but you have to really mean it
He will not turn his child awayKeep praying and ask God to come into your life and repent He will not forsake you

[RawIronhide]

You're beating yourself up by not adhering to social standards. One does not need a bible to know God. Did Jesus read the Bible?
I think obviously sense you have mental health concerns. You should be very cautious.
I recommend to you as I do to most.. meditation
Observe your thoughts just let them come n go without judgement. Through time you'll find yourself closer to God.

[Adam1978]

I don't know, you start a self-delusion circle, ignore lack of evidence of an existence and ignore prof that if that if a god existed he isn't doing his job. Because the world is full of shit that shouldn't be there if there was a divine presence that actually did follow some kind of good code.

[Exterminatore]

Of course the would is full of stuff that shouldn’t be there. Satan is running the world. Do you expect different with the greatest sociopath of all at the helm?

“And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

That’s Satan speaking to Jesus.

Satan has full access to those who are his and prompts them to do his will. Chiefly this is in the form of rebellion. Frequently it is in the form of an active assault on God and his followers.

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8:44‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:2-3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Prince and Power of the air is a euphemism for Satan.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

So…everything all screwed up as you are asserting is not evidence of God not existing. It’s evidence you don’t belong to him and that Satan is you master. When you climb on God’s throne and sit yourself there and say as Satan did:

[Exterminatore]

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭14:13-14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Things are gonna be messed up. To be like the most high. Meaning the desire for self rule apart from God. To be sovereign over yourself…this is what Satan wanted. It’s what every willful sinner does. They sit on God’s throne and declare self rule apart from God. They declare themselves to be a God unto themselves.

So there is not the absence of divine presence. There is rather the absence of acceptance of God’s rule. That puts you and all who do so as God’s adversary and Satan’s servant.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

So…short short version: Being Satan’s servant makes that individual God’s adversary. If God’s adversaries whom serve Satan make up the majority of the population of the earth, which they do, and God is pouring out his wrath on them and Satan is leading them…. yeah the earth is gonna be a mess.

[Adam1978]

Yeah right you need to invent another divine force to explain why the first doesn't make sense. You will release that satan make as little sense as a god.

[Peroni]

God is there waiting for you. He is patient, and will be there when you are ready. Believing in god and religion is a choice of faith. God could show himself to the world and everyone no how powerful and mighty he is and the world would be saved. But why? Would it be out of fear, or because you didn't have a choice? God gives you choices in everything you do and his words should give you faith that he is real, he is with us and that one day he will come to take all of his children home. When that day comes all will see his love for the ones who chose to have faith in him and the ones who listened to the nonbelievers and had no faith will feel his wrath.

[skytatoe]

If you repeat something enough, you'll learn it, then you'll internalise it and believe it.

Which is why religions place such a paramount importance on prayer. Especially in the abscence of physical evidence of a god, thats really the only way to cutivate belief.

[Exterminatore]

No. The Christian does not pray in repetition.

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

[Henry_-_Blakes]

I have never seen god. I do not a single person who have seen god. Some people may argue, existence of God on the basis of creation of Universe.
Even if the "GOD" created the universe, i don't believe it had a body like Jesus, Allah or Krishna. And i don't believe that it can hear prayers or change things accordingly.

[Waldoe]

many people have a crisis of faith, it's pretty normal, somewhere inside you... you know he Exists... no matter the evidence to the contrary... So, remain calm and ask yourself this... "Why does God want me to renew my commitment to faith? Have I wandered away from the "Path"? , do that... and wait for His amswer"

[Anonymous]

GOD Christ is above the dome
what are you talking about

https://www.youtube.com/embed/LMr6Qb0_5kM

this is the real earth and yes the snake and tree are real

[AndrésC64]

This trolling idiot who has to hide behind anonymous so that is posts get through.

[JoyGirl]

Chris, that was not her question.
Omg… 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

[Opinion Owner]

@JoyGirl

if she cannot see it,
that is her own fault
she is a grown women
she can look into it

2 Thessalonians 2:10

and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

[jshm2]

Thats like asking how to becone honest.

If you need to ask, you are not yet on the right level, kiddo

[IMuser]

Do not feel God. Understand God, read the scriptures and understand them

[JoyGirl]

You are right.
Scripture needs to be read and understood, but sometimes we do need to feel God, too.
I don't know if you are really like deep Christian, but I will give you and example of feeling God.
When we listen to worship music, and it feels like nothing else around us matters, and we just start crying, that is feeling God. :)

[IMuser]

@JoyGirl i believe that crying was not because of God but how you interpreted the music

There are a few songs which, irrespective of language, can make you cry

[JoyGirl]

*sighs*
I am not even going to go further into this…lol
Believe what you want to believe.
Take care. 💜

[slatyb]

Is it a choice or a conclusion? I could no more believe in God than I could believe in Santa Claus.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Don't bother, it's all bs anyway.
As far as your hallucinations go, thats more something you have a doctor treat.

[Flower7]

Try reading the Bible. Especially the New Testament.

[AndrésC64]

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for Atheism ever created"
-- Isaac Asimov

[AndrésC64]

You can't make yourself believe in the Christian God anymore than you can make yourself believe in Zeus or Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. You either do or you don't.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Can't you tell a creator exist? Don't you see His fingerprints of creation everywhere?

Use the brain God gave humans. 🙄

[JoyGirl]

You know, I thought you were actually a good guy…
I have been on here long enough to see a lot of your opinions, and I have been recently disappointed.

She needs more than just being about to see God’s creations around. Her question was deep…

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

@JoyGirl: Deep what? If you can't tell a creator exist then that makes you a fool like the Bible teaches.

God existence is very clear and evident as the Sun that rises in the morning.

Some people are just desperate to have not to acknowledge God so they can live as they wish.

[JoyGirl]

I am not a fool. 😂
She came for help, and you expect her to automatically know what to do.
Well, I think this is where our paths officially end. Take care. 💜

[Anonymous]

One of the easiest ways to first pledge your soul to the Unholy Master. He lies and manipulates and takes you to a place of total darkness. Then, you will seek God with every fiber of your being.

[Exterminatore]

Theologically you are incorrect. Scripture would counsel that everyone has a master. Either God or Satan. Those who do not belong to God are Satan’s. Those who belong to Satan cannot become children of God of their own will. Their master is Satan. They serve him whether or not they realize it. Only God can intervene. Apart from God snatching anyone from the grasp of the Devil no one will come to God. No one need pledge their soul to Satan, that is the default position of everyone who lives and has ever lived but Jesus.

Although the essence of what you are saying is theologically incorrect, philosophically I’m certain it is quite correct. I’m sure every soul in Hell, where spiritual darkness must be at its greatest depths and the agony must be extreme, would flee to God if they Could. I would add not one would likely flee to God for any interest in him or the beauty of his statutes, but rather only to escape judgement and the all consuming darkness.

God shining a light into the darkness…that is to make one see and be aware of the depths of sin and Satan…once one can see all that evil and have a basic comprehension of its depths…and to understand its ugliness…that would drive any sane person to God with every molecule in their body moving towards God as quickly as possible. In fact that is the default position of the Christian - Running from sin due to awareness of its ugly darkness and to God as fast as one can. The more one knows God, the more one knows the opposite of God.

[Opinion Owner]

@Exterminatore I am afraid that it is you who is theologically incorrect. First, the assumption that only "God can intervene" is ludicrous. The Prince of Lies intervenes constantly. His influence causes countless to lose hope and faith. Also, just as children must be disciplined, so humans learn best in the depths of hellish suffering. Mere theological discussion and Bible study is woefully insufficient. So many are illiterate and just plain ignorant. We can see this in the overwhelming idiotic response to the COVID pandemic. It's the absolute height of arrogance to think that anyone "belongs to God." Why do I say this? Many church leaders who believe they "belong to God" are disciples of the Dark Lord - molesting children, stealing money, and a plethora of other crimes. Since sin and evil are the "default" position as you say, it's by taking that position to the max by pledging allegiance to the Devil that brings you to full, clear awareness. Only those who have done so can speak with total understanding and authority. They don't shriek from the Darkness because they know it thoroughly. They can save far more than some self-righteous missionary. God has far more respect for their most courageous journey! Blessed be!

[Exterminatore]

I agree with much of what you said, but not all of it.

“They can save more than some self-righteous……”

No one can save anyone. If we could why would we need a Jesus? One can only carry the message.

[EnglishEuropean]

You either believe or you don't. You shouldn't try to force yourself into shoes that no longer fit.

[tponderingundead]

do more research on the religion you want to practice.

[Anonymous]

Don't think, reject reason, facts and science, and don't question anything.

[Iron_Man]

Talk to the Lord Jesus Christ pray to him

[Anonymous]

Start going back to Church?

[Anonymous]

A lobotomy is the quickest way lol

[checkingavailability]

Try Buddhisam once..

[Anonymous]

It's her choice!