I want to believe in God but I don’t know how.
Sometimes the idea of God makes a lot of sense but all of the ramifications of believing in God are hard to swallow. If you find yourself wishing you could believe, you’re not alone. Consider praying a prayer like this:
God, I don’t know if you’re out there. I’m not sure how I feel about you if you are. But if you do exist I’d like to know more about you. Reveal yourself to me. Help me to find you.
It says very clearly in the Bible that those who seek God will find him. Ask God to reveal himself to you. Be honest about your reservations. God is not offended by questions or doubts.
If you have questions you’d like to talk about, we’d love to hear from you.
Hi Jessica, how would you characterize your relationship with God when you were younger and how is it different now?
to edith– you are not alone in your belief i am like you i believe in God but don’t feel him either it can hard some days
I really want to believe and trust in God but something is wrong with me. I was saved when i was younger but i want to believe like when i was a kid.
Hi Maddison, you are not alone in finding it hard to understand God. He is without limits in every way including power, love, time, authority, etc. There is no one on Earth who can fully understand Him. But as we talk to each other about how He has shown Himself to us we get a shared understanding of Him. That’s why places like this can be so important for us all.
So what are some of the things about God that you are trying to understand but are getting confused?
Let me also say, that God has promised that if any of us lacks wisdom we can ask Him and He will give generously to all, so you have God on your side as well. He is going to help you figure out what he wants you to know in order to help you accomplish the plans and purposes He has for you. So let me pray for you: Heavenly Father I pray for Maddison to know You better. Open up Maddison’s mind and heart to see You as You are and in that, to trust in Your plans for life. Amen.
I believe in God i just have a gard tine understanding help?
Jen do you have any christian friends who can pray with you.God understands how you feel. Crying out to God,and saying to him all the things you are saying to your mum even though doubts assail you is called clinging faith.jesus understands this because in the garden of gethsemane before facing the cross cried out asking to be freed of the path he was to take ,but eventually trusted Father God died on the cross and was resurrected on the 3rd day. This is the hope that Christians have.We are not just mortal. The weak minded are those who dont believe in God and are in denial about the truth imortal spirit and soul which goes on.Please find someone to pray with you regularly and the spritual support you are giving your mum is great.Shall uphold you in my prayers
I totally get your struggle Sarah. God has said that while He has created us with a desire for something more, we are held captive by our inherited nature that refuses to acknowledge God. We do need God’s help to discover who He is and to hear what He is trying to say to us. That is why Jesus came to Earth; He is, after all, Emmanuel “God with us”. He told one of His followers, “If you have seen me, you have seen God the Father.” So in order for you to know, believe and trust in God you need Jesus’ help. So ask Him! Let Him know the struggle that is in your heart but that you are ready to know Him personally, not just as some historic figure or the center of some religious rituals. Jesus said, “Come to me all of you who are weary and weighed down; I will give you rest for your soul.” He wants to help end that struggle within you and allow you to feel the joy and hope of knowing Him.
So ask Him for His help and then put yourself in places where you are most likely to hear His voice. Reading the stories about Him in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are great places to discover His voice speaking to you. Spending time in prayer telling Him about your struggles, asking for His help and being silent listening for His voice are also activities that will help you hear what He is saying to you. It is also so helpful to be in conversation with other people who know Him and are living life under His direction. They can help you recognize His voice amongst all the other voices vying for your attention. It is also helpful to acknowledge Him when you do hear His voice. Say thanks when you see something beautiful that He has placed in your life. When you learn something about Him be grateful for that part of His character. That’s an important part of worship, acknowledging the revealed nature of God and showing thankfulness and awe for his beauty.
I guarantee that as you ask God for help and engage in these activities that make it easier for you to hear His voice; you will soon find the struggle being won and the resistance to God diminishing more and more. You will find Him because He is reaching out to you.
Heavenly Father, I pray for Sarah as she embarks on this journey of discovery of You. I pray that You would help her to avoid the ritualistic representation of You and discover the real You who is reaching out to her to initiate this relationship. Give her a heart and mind that can discern Your voice and a willingness to accept the gifts that You are pouring out into her life. I know that she has had things hard and I pray that You would help bring rest from those troubles. But most importantly let her find rest in just knowing You and knowing Your guidance and direction for her life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
When I was little, my parents took my brothers and me to Catholic church, we went to a catholic private school, and we went to bible studies together. If I remember correctly, I truly believed in God. Then, my parents got divorced, I went through a rough fifteen years of life, I suffer from physical and mental ailments, and I don’t think I believe in God’s existence. I struggle with the idea of the divine, and I even get frustrated when people “preach” at me. I don’t think it’s their fault, I just think that somewhere between my six year old self and my twenty year old self I lost my ability to fully believe in the unseeable, the untouchable…I feel as though I don’t believe in God because I don’t know how to, and, what’s worse, I don’t think I want to. I’ve had a hard life. It could’ve been worse, but it for darn sure could’ve been less difficult. I’m at a point now where I need help. I feel as though the universe wants me to fail, and I can’t handle it anymore. I want to believe in God and trust in something other than what I know…but I don’t know how.
Dear Edith, thank you for opening up and sharing your concern with us here. It is so beautiful to hear that you know God exist but you don’t feel it. Have you accepted His beloved Son, Jesus, into your heart and life? It is through faith in Christ that bridges the gap between us, sin, and fully experincing Gods unconditional love. Here is a link that will explain more:
http://powertochange.com/discover/faith/discoverpurpose/
Father God, I pray for Edith at this time. I ask that You would answer her question in desiring to want to know You more fuller. Her heart is searching for answers and may You fill her heart with truth. Open the eyes of her heart in believing in Christ Jesus and deposit Your Spirit into her so she can perhaps feel Your indwelling presence within her. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
I have problem.. I know that God exists. I just know it but I don’t feel it…
Hi Ashley, Would you like one of our online mentors to pray for you? You can use this form to send in your request and you’ll hear back, usually within a few days.
Lord things are giving me doubts right now I reach out to you to heal my troubled mind and help me believe again I love you lord. Please got help my disbelief.
Hi Grace T, sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation with God but I was impressed with your honesty and humility. I would like to remind you of something that Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29) If there was a time that you were in the hand of God, then you have never left because God is greater than ALL. It sounds like you have turned your back on God but He has never turned His back on you. You can be sure that He has heard your prayer and that He is working in your heart to restore it again.
Let me remind you of another promise from God: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) You realize that ‘NEVER’ is an all-inclusive term. There are no exceptions, no addendums, no provisos and no exclusions. So you can know that God is still with you.
Are there people in your life that you can talk to about what is happening in your heart right now? It sounds like you have put yourself into a circle of friends that are not choosing God and that can be a powerful influence. Connecting with people who are choosing to follow God will help you hear from God and recognize His voice in your life. A safe place to start is by connecting with one of our online mentors. They will pray with you, search for the promises of God with you and help listen for God’s voice. Just fill out the Mentor Request Form at http://powertochange.com/discover/talk-to-a-mentor/ and one of our mentors will contact you by email.
Lord God I pray for Grace. You know her heart and the struggle that is there within her. I pray that Your Spirit will strengthen her to choose to follow You. I pray that He helps her to hear Your voice and to obey Your directions. Bring strong friends into her life that will point her to You and support her as she makes this change. In Jesus’ name amen.
Lord, if you’re out there, you know it’s Grace. I don’t know if you’re listening…Your Word says something like You only listen to those who pray with their whole heart, and something’s holding me back, but if you are listening, I guess You already know what a mess I am, living only to glorify myself. I want to believe in You, Lord. I want You to let me believe in You, because I’m scared what will happen if I don’t, and it’s too late. There was a time we were so close, Lord, but then I gave my heart to someone else, and it’s still his, and I want you to help me take my heart back so it can be Yours again. So that I can believe in You. I know I won’t be happy without You, I mean, I’m not happy now; I’m scared every second. I feel like a hole, a helpless hole. Please, please help me believe in You. I want to love You and no one else.
Everyone else, please pray for me. :(
In Jesus’ name, amen.
respect all answers but if she has the problem accepting God is there, why we forcing her to accept Jesus Christ or others. Please sincerely read books about those who were in similar doubts but finally they reached their faith. Example is Dr. Mourad Hoffman, a jerman professor who wrote great books to find his faih, Last good one, start talking to God, make small expriements to see a response..you will find the way. best wishes.
Hi Kaylee, I want you to know that the desire that you have to do what is right and to know God is evidence that He is at work in your life. Jesus said that it is the work of God’s Spirit that makes us aware of the wrong things that we do. It is one of the ways that He gets us to search for Him. And if He is helping you to recognize the wrong that you are doing He is revealing Himself to you.
There was a man in the Bible who was suddenly aware that the way he was living was opposed to God and he asked the Apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” The answer given to him is the same one that comes to you today, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!” What is it you need to believe about Jesus? You need to believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for the penalty of the wrong things you have done and that He rose from the dead to offer you a new life to live that is no longer slave to those wrong desires. God will then receive you as His own dear child because of what Jesus has done on your behalf. From that point on you will have Jesus to guide you and show you how to live this new life. He will help you have the strength to say “No!” when the temptation to lie and steal comes at you. He will help you to make things right with other people and with God when you make mistakes. He will fill your heart with an even stronger desire to do what is right because you will be so grateful for how He has saved you from a life of doing wrong things.
You can then spend your life getting to know God and Jesus better and better. Jesus said that is what eternal life is all about: knowing God and His Son Jesus. Every day you will be able to hear His direction for your life. You will be able to read the Bible and have the Spirit of God help you to understand what God is saying to you there. You will have other followers of Jesus who will help you make right decisions and share with you how God is showing Himself to them. You will have the confidence that when your life here is over that you will be welcomed into the presence of Jesus forever and continue a never-ending discovery of wonderful He is.
If you want to find out more about becoming a follower of Jesus take a look at this site http://powertochange.com/discover/faith/truefalse
Let me pray for you: Dear God I thank You for the way that You are helping Kaylee to realize that what she is doing is wrong. That You that she has started looking for you to change her life. I pray that You would help her to understand what it means to follow Jesus Your Son and that she would surrender herself completely to Your control. Bring more people into her life that can help her discover who You are and to fall more and more in love with You all the time. Amen.
Kaylee, let me also invite you to talk with one of our online mentors. They will be able to help you believe in Jesus and help you begin this new life as a follower of His. Just fill out the Mentor Request Form at http://powertochange.com/discover/talk-to-a-mentor and one of our mentors will get in touch with you by email. If you have any questions about any of this let me know.
Dear Kaylee, first may you know that God loves you no matter what you have done and no matter how your family treats you. He loves you beyond measure and wants you to find Him and the truth that will help set you free from those things that you are doing wrong. At this time, His Holy Spirit is working in your life making you aware of your sin and by placing the desire in your heart to want to know God. By reaching out to us here with your question about God…may you know that you are on the right path in discovering blessed answers to your sincere question.
Here is a link that will help you to understand more fully about accepting Jesus Christ, God’s Son, into your heart and life. Once you read it and have further questions, please let us know. We would love to encourage you in finding truth about God. How much He loves and adores you and wants to draw you closer to Him!
http://powertochange.com/discover/faith/discoverpurpose/
Do you attend church?
Father God, at this time I pray for Kaylee. I ask that Your Spirit open the eyes of Kaylee’s heart in finding and knowing who You are. I pray that Kaylee will receive the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son. May You fill her searching heart with all that You have to offer. I ask that You place the right people into Kaylee’s life that will guide her along the proper path that leads directly to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
i need help finding god i lie and steel i. feel bad i just need to find him
what do i do i have some serious problembs with stealing and lying indont know what to do i feel sorry when i do them but i just dont know my family hates me and i whant to know god i just dont know how to do it
Hi Amila, I appreciate your willingness to have this conversation. Jesus said that He was not created, that He has existed with God from all of eternity past. When faced by the Jewish leaders of His day Jesus made a remarkable statement. They were challenging Jesus’ authority to do and say the things He was. Jesus responded by saying that Abraham looked forward to His coming and they said, “How can you know what Abraham thought, you are not even 50 years old?” Then Jesus made this stunning statement, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)
This statement is significant for two reasons: 1) Jesus was claiming to have existed prior to His own birth. That means that He is very different from all the rest of us who are human; 2) Instead of using the past ‘I was’ or ‘I existed’ or something like that, Jesus used the present active form, “I AM”. Given in this context it is a claim to an existence in the eternal present just like God. For God, past, present and future are all a part of the eternal now. He can see the past as if it is happening right now. He sees the future as if it is right now. Jesus using the present tense in a place where He should have used the past tense is claiming that He, as God, sees all things in the eternal present.
Even more significant is that this is how God identified Himself to Moses at the time of his calling at the burning bush. God had called Moses to return to Egypt to redeem the descendants of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Moses asked who he should say had sent him so that the people of Israel would know that he had been sent by God. God said to him, “Tell them that I AM has sent you.” (Exodus 3:14) That then became the special name of God “I AM”. When Jesus used this same term to speak about His eternal existence He was claiming that same name for Himself. And the people He was speaking to recognized that because they immediately picked up stones to kill Him which was the proscribed punishment for anyone who blasphemed the name of God.
So you see Amila, Isaa was not created by God. In fact, in one of the earliest testimonies of who Jesus is, we are told that, “For by Him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17) Now we know that God created the universe and everything in it so when we see that Jesus is given credit for Creation we are supposed to think that He is taking credit for what God has done but rather that He is God.
I know that raises a whole bunch of questions and is not an easy thing to completely understand all of the details about, but just because something about is difficult to understand doesn’t mean that we reject it. In fact, for me, it makes sense that since God is so much bigger, more perfect, more wonderful and more wise than I, is going to be difficult for me to fully comprehend everything about Him. And I know that I will have all of eternity to get to know Him better so I continue to ask questions and think things through to try and get better acquainted with Him all the time.
I am sure that this raises questions in your head as well. I would love to discuss those questions you have and see if we both can get a better understanding of God together.
Look guys i’m just wondering how can you belive in Christ like he is God When God create him? I belive in Allah but i don’t hate you cuz i think everybody can belive in annything they want! Jesus in Islam is Isaa, but except Isaa we have many Phropet or messengers
Dear Kayce, thank you for opening up and sharing your concern regarding faith in Christ. God does not want you to be questioning His love for you and your faith in His beloved Son. Sometimes those around us are unable to explain faith in God. Here is a link that I hope and pray you will take time to read. It will help you understand more fully your own personal relationship with the Lord.
http://powertochange.com/discover/faith/discoverpurpose/
If you have, any further questions please feel free to ask. We would love to encourage you in your relationship with the Lord.
At this time, I would like to pray for you:
Father God, Kayce is seeking to learn more about You and having a personal relationship with Your beloved Son. I ask that as Kayce takes the time to read the above link that Your Spirit will move in Kayce’s heart allowing him to understand more fully, what You would like to reveal to him. I pray that you will open Kayce’s mind and heart to accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
I was born into religion but it never striked me in the heart. I grew up thinking god and religion was just a simple way of escaping those stress and mediating all our problems and troubles away. Im ashamed at times when people, especially my girlfriend talk about jesus christ and god because when im in these discussions, i tend to not feel emotionally driven to it. I really want to learnto accept jesus christ as my lord and saviour, yet how can i when i seek for proof, for some sort of connection thatll make me believe. I know that some of you will say “walk by faith, not by sight” yet i try. It is hard to believe, to open my eyes and heart to this matter. It makes me feel worthless at times. I just dont know how to believe.
Hello,
It’s a good desire to believe in God. You can’t do it on your own strength. Jesus is the way to God. You need to receive Him into your heart as your Lord and saviour. The Spirit of Christ in you will then give you the Grace and faith to believe in ahimsa by the Holy Spirit. We have access to God through Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God(Ephesians 2:18). In order to believe, you need to speak what you want to believe. Jesus died on the cross of Calvary for your sins. To receive Him into your life, just say the prayer:
‘Heavenly Father, I believe you sent your Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins and that He rose again on the 3rdday. I repent of my sins. I reject evil and the devil in Jesus name. Lord Jesus come into my heart. I receive you as my Lord and saviour. Fill me with your Holy spirit and help me walk in righteousness and holiness. Thank you Father in Jesus name’.
All you need to do now is join a Holy Ghost filled Bible believing Church. You are now born again. Congratulations and best wishes in your christian journey-Kings
Well Lizzie, you are doing the right thing: asking questions, going to places where there are others who can help you understand. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) God wants you to know Him and He is going to help you understand. Do you talk to God and ask Him to help you? Have you talked to people at the youth group about the questions you have? Don’t feel like you are the only one there who has questions. A lot of the other kids also have questions and when you start talking about those questions you will be able to find those that can help you.
What are some of the things that don’t make sense to you right now?
Hi,I am 14 and I recently started going to my boyfriends youth group. All my life I have said that I believe in God and I am a Christian. Now, I am not so sure. My parents don’t force a religion on me because they want me to be able to make my own decision. Sometimes God makes all the sense in the world to me, but other times I just can’t wrap my head around it. At the youth group I see a lot of people embracing God in the songs and feeling his presence. I wish I could do the same, but I want it to make sense to me. I just don’t know what to do.
Hi Jessie, It sounds like you’re asking some really good questions. There’s an article that was written a long time ago called “How to Be Sure You are a Christian”. The language is a little formal, but I’d recommend reading it. I think it may answers some of your questions. There’s also a short series of lessons that you can take that will help you learn more about your relationship with God. It’s called Knowing Jesus Personally. There’s a short intro and then four lessons. For each lesson you fill in your answers and hit submit and a coach will read over them and write back to you and pray for you. The questions aren’t a test, they’re just a way to interact with what you are learning.
It sounds like you could really use someone to talk to. We have mentors that are available every day. You can use this form to contact a mentor and you’ll get an email back, usually within a couple of days. Mentoring is a free and private service. In addition, you’re always welcome to ask questions here. Let me pray for you right now.
God, I pray that you would be with Jessie today. She is looking for you and you say in the Bible that when we seek you we find you so I pray that Jessie would find you. You know the confusion that she has felt and you know if she has a relationship with you or not. I pray that you would make that really clear to her, that she would know that if she has asked you to come in to her life, if she has accepted that your sacrifice on the cross is enough to cover her sins then she is a Christian and nothing can change that. If she has never done that, help her to see if that is something that she wants to do. I pray that would find someone to answer her questions. If that someone is one of our mentors then I pray that you would give the mentor the right words to say so that Jessie would get the answers that she needs. I pray that you would watch over her today, give her peace, no matter what she is facing today. Guide her and protect her. Show her how much you love her. In your name I pray, Amen.
I’m 16 and I started going to church about 7 months ago. I’d been calling myself a Christian all my life until 8th grade when peer pressure confused me. Now I really want to be a good Christian, but I feel like something is missing. I don’t know if I really, truly believe in God. I want to and I want to trust in him completely, but I just don’t feel like I’ve been transformed. I don’t feel changed or comforted like people say they do when they accept Christ as their savior. I just don’t understand this and I don’t know what to do. I want to be his hands and feet and spread his love but I don’t feel like I have the faith to do that.
Jennifer you are not alone in struggling to hang on to a childhood faith in an adult world. There is much that a child will accept just because that is what they are surrounded with but never really tried to understand fully. University and college are places that cause you to question many things about life and for many schools faith in God is rejected as superstition.
But just because you never deeply understood the reality of God, His love for you and His plan for your life does not mean that they are foolish. Right now I would say that you have an opportunity to explore the truth of God as an adult. Talking to your mother as she faces the uncertainty of coming days to understand the foundation of her faith could be an important part of your exploration.
I would also challenge you to read the Bible with the eyes of an adult. Look for how the Bible describes God, humanity, and how Jesus changed the world forever. See how those match what you see around you. There are lots of books written by others who have also struggled with the truth of the Bible and they may help you know what questions to ask and where they found answers. One such book is Lee Strobel’s “Case For Christ”. Another great book is Josh McDowell’s “Evidence That Demands a Verdict”. You can listen to Josh on http://powertochange.com/itv/spirituality/the-bible-is-unique as He talks about his experience as a university student who wanted to prove that Christianity was a lie but how that brought him to a place of discovering that it was true.
Finally, I challenge you to also talk to God as you explore. Let Him know about your doubts, questions and struggles. Talk to Him about your fears and anxieties. Ask Him to show you His truth. I will be praying for you as well. Lord God I pray for Jennifer. I can only imagine the turmoil inside of her right now as she walks through this time of sorrow with her mom. I pray Lord that she would discover how You have been walking with her always and the things that she blindly accepted as a child had a depth of reality that is unshakable. I pray that she and her mom are able to go through this journey together and that both of them would find new confidence and comfort in Your promise and Your provision. Amen.
I am having trouble beleiving in God my faith was really strong as a child. In college I learned so many things that challenged my faith. I had a professor say that beliving in God is for febile minded people. That we make the whole concept up just because we can’t accept the fact the we are mortal.
My Mom is currently dying of breast cancer and, I want to be able to support her spiritually. It is really hard because I am trying to comfort her by saying things that I don’t even know if I beleive.
Thank you for your help,
Jen