How do I find faith?

Hi Kath....we all struggle with this in our lives...some more than others. It's hard to have faith in the unknown, but it's simply just something you have to believe or not believe. I do believe in God, I do go to church, I too struggled with this topic myself. What I have learned is that faith comes from "letting go" and realizing that you will never know the mystery of God until death and until then, you have to have belief that everything happens for a reason in your life in order to teach you lessons on Earth so that you can reach the ultimate goal-Heaven. Ask. Believe. Receive.

Hi Kath, I too am unsure of what to believe. I have been searching inside and outside of myself for some kind of faith since my late 20's. I am 41 and still searching. I do have faith in myself as a person and I know I am genuinely good. Sometimes I tell myself that is enough, and that I don't need to practice a specific religion or believe in God. But honestly, I have asked myself the same questions as you "How can I make myself feel something like faith when it's just not there?", because I can't fake it either. But there are many days when I wish I couldn't reason away all the religious teachings of my childhood. I am envious of those who put so much faith in their religion and allow it to carry them through tough times. It hasn't been a consious choice not to accept religious beliefs, it's just not something my mind will accept, no matter how much I want it to sometimes. I do believe that there is a "God" of some sort that is responsible for this universe but I haven't figured out just how involved in everyday matters of all of our lives "he" is. I will continue to search for faith and all that it will mean to me when I find it, and I don't think I will ever feel complete until I do. But until I find it I will continue to live my life as a good person to the best of my ability. I hope you find what you're looking for and I'm sure you will also continue to be a good person until you do, too!

Hi Kath, Wow, this was like reading something I would have written in my mid 30's. I was also raised Catholic; in fact, I had 3 daughters, who I also sent to Catholic school. Although I attended mass through my 30 30's, for the most part my attendance was only to perform my duty to keep my girls in their school system. I know that sounds awful, but it wasn't that I didn't believe in God, but I had not seen a lot of evidence in my own life of His works, and like you, I was completely unsure of the whole thing. Thank God, I did not stay stuck there, though. I could do almost nothing these days without praying and talking to God about it first, and can honestly say that I never want to again. Like most people, I had to have a pretty significant fall first; however, the fall was only the beginning. I still was not convinced, because my life was coming together, I thought, on its own again (even though I had preyed during those hard times), and I somehow did not see the connection. In the midst of rebuilding my life through counseling, "spiritual" guidance, and seeking out ANYTHING other than God, I decided to try out a nondenominational church. - I just felt empty inside and felt that there had to be something more. God has worked wonders in my life since then its been an unbelievable time for me since then, and it has only been a year since I totally regained my faith again, and perhaps, 6 months since I have been "filled with the Holy Spirit." Kathy, I cannot explain it, I can only tell you it is the ONLY way to live. Once you truly understand what God has done and is still doing in your life, it is so overwhelming, it literally makes me cry thinking of the tremendous grace and love He so abudantly gives. Even when things are hard, I still have my joy, and that has been one of the most awesome feelings of all. I did not get there overnight, and I will continue to grow closer to God for the rest of my life. How? I read the Bible every morning for about an hour - at first, it seemed difficult, but over time, it is become precious time with God that I would not want to be without; jjust try it, its worth getting up early for - He has many things to say and many surprises for you. Sometimes I pray before reading, but oftentimes it is both before and after, I just can't help myself. I am learniing to live by His word and follow His will for me, the rest is just gravy - I know it will all work out. Also, you have to ask, specifically - and He may not answer as you might suspect, but believe me, Kath, He Will answer. Get involved in a good church, one that has programs for seekers, and I think you will be very glad you did. Nisi Dominis Frusta, Cindy

Kathy, God Bless you!!!!! 1st thing i will ask you to ask yourself !? DO YOU BELEAVIE THAT JESUS CHRIST DIE FOR YOUR SINS? IF SO THATS ALL YOU NEED ....NOW ASK HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART TO SHOW HIMSELF TO YOU AND HE WILL HELP YOU IN THIS WALK!!! GUESS WHAT HE WILL SHOW HIMSELF TO YOU, MANY TIMES IN WAYS YOU WOULD NOT LOOK FOR, SO LOOK VERY CLOSE AT EVERTHING!!!! I WOULD BE HAPPY TO EMAIL WITH YOU AND GUIDE YOU MORE IN THIS WALK OF FAITH....IF YOU LIKE,... PLEASE EMAIL ME AT ( ALL4HIM@RURALTEL.NET ) GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU SEARCH FOR HIM!!!! AUDREY

Hello, Kath W, first let me say that unlike most of the participants in this forum, I am not a woman. I hope that doesn't work against me and that you will consider this humble contribution to your query, 'How do I find faith?'. When I was a child, I was raised in a Lutheran family, church regularly, sunday school, youth groups, etc........as I grew older I drifted away from the church and in my early 20s I considered myself a believer in God, but not in Religion as such. One afternoon, as I was sketching in a park, I was suddenly overcome by the beauty of a certain tree and the way the light was striking it.....in one moment I had one of those experiences that, I at least, consider to be life changing. I connected in my heart the beauty of that moment with the existence and reality of God, and I KNEW that He was reflected in all things.......that same evening, quite by accident too long to go into here, I attended a meeting of the Baha'i Faith, intending to leave when it got too thick, if you know what I mean,...but immediately touched by the spiritual truths I felt and heard there, I stayed. I invite you to investigate this teaching, here is a small excerpt from the book Baha'u'llah And The New Era by Esselmont: "The Promised One of all the peoples of the world hath appeared. All peoples and communities have been expecting a Revelation, and He, Bahá’u’lláh, is the foremost teacher and educator of all mankind.—‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ. The Greatest Event in History If we study the story of the “ascent of man” as recorded in the pages of history, it becomes evident that the leading factor in human progress is the advent, from time to time, of men who pass beyond the accepted ideas of their day and become the discoverers and revealers of truths hitherto unknown among mankind. The inventor, the pioneer, the genius, the Prophet—these are the men on whom the transformation of world primarily depends. As Carlyle says:— The plain truth, very plain, we think is, that … one man that has a higher Wisdom, a hitherto unknown spiritual Truth in him, is stronger, not than ten men that have it not, or than ten thousand, but than all men that have it not; and stands among them with a quite ethereal, angelic power, as with a sword out of Heaven’s own armory, sky-tempered, which no buckler, and no tower of brass, will finally withstand. —Signs of the Times In the history of science, of art, of music, we see abundant illustrations of this truth, but in no domain is the supreme importance of the great man and his message more clearly evident than in that of religion. All down the ages, whenever the spiritual life of men has become degenerate and their morals corrupt, that most wonderful and mysterious of men, the Prophet, makes His appearance. Alone against the world, without a single human being capable of teaching, of guiding, of fully understanding Him, or of sharing His responsibility, He 2 arises, like a seer among blind men, to proclaim His gospel of righteousness and truth. Amongst the Prophets some stand out with special preeminence. Every few centuries a great Divine Revealer—a Krishna, a Zoroaster, a Moses, a Jesus, a Muḥammad—appears in the East, like a spiritual Sun, to illumine the darkened minds of men and awaken their dormant souls. Whatever our views as to the relative greatness of these religion-founders we must admit that They have been the most potent factors in the education of mankind. With one accord these Prophets declare that the words They utter are not from Themselves, but are a Revelation through Them, a Divine message of which They are the bearers. Their recorded utterances abound, too, in hints and promises of a great world teacher Who will appear “in the fullness of time” to carry on Their work and bring it to fruition, One Who will establish a reign of peace and justice upon earth, and bring into one family all races, religions, nations, and tribes, that “there may be one fold and one shepherd” and that all may know and love God “from the least even unto the greatest.” Surely the advent of this “Educator of Mankind,” in the latter days, when He appears, must be the greatest event in human history. And the Bahá’í Movement is proclaiming to the world the glad tidings that this Educator has in fact appeared, that His Revelation has been delivered and recorded and may be studied by every earnest seeker, that the “Day of the Lord” has already dawned and the “Sun or Righteousness” arisen. As yet only a few on the mountaintops have caught sight of the Glorious Orb, but already its rays are illumining heaven and earth, and erelong it will rise above the mountains and shine with full strength on the plains and valleys too, giving life and guidance to all. " I sincerely hope that this gives you food for thought and that you find it intriguing enough to pursue the possibilities here.....may you find Faith!

Hi Kath, I just want you to know that above all else you need to know that you are precious and loved by the God who created you and sent His only son, Jesus, to die for you.... If you genuinely desire to know Jesus, all you have to do is sincerely ask him to make himself real to you, and I know he will....He loves you. I was raised in the Catholic church as a child, attended Cathechism classes, etc. but like you, as I got older it just didn't seem to be enough...I still felt empty inside. I remember thinking to myself....there's got to be more to God than this. When I was 25 years old, I happened upon a Christian TV program called "The 700 Club". They were interviewing three women who had recently lost their young children in death and I marveled that these women were genuinely happy and praising God for the joy and peace that He had given them....they told how His Presence comforted them .... I was touched someplace deep in my heart and their extreme peace accentuated the emptiness in my own heart.... The host on the show gave an invitation for anyone who wanted to know and experience the same relationship with Jesus that these women did, then we were to pray the prayer of repentance with him and ask Jesus to forgive us for our sins, invite him to come into our heart and give us a new life with Him..... so I did. I cannot adequately discribe to you how I know that Jesus heard my prayer and came into my life that moment and changed my life....but I know he did.... What your heart is crying out for is not religion, Kath, it is a relationship with your Creator.....sin separates us from God, Jesus Christ was sent to die on the cross for us so that we could have our relationship with God restored. The Bible was written by men inspired by God to show us how very much He loves us and just how much he longs for us to be with him here on this earth and in the life to come.....it's his greatest love story. Jesus's message was very clear when he told us in the book of John.... "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father, except through Me." John 14:6 Seek Him with all your heart, Kath and he will be faithful to hear and answer your hearts cry... read his Word...he will reveal himself to you and you will never again feel alone.

hi kath i am 53yrs old and i didn't always have faith in Our Lord. i was a single parent and raised them on my own. i went through a number of things in my life that made me question if there was a God. after my mother died i wrote a poem to My Lord, something which i never done before. as i was writing the poem suddenly it felt as it was no longer me writing but a hand guiding me. i don't know where the words came from but after i completed it, i read it and i couldn't believe i had written such a beautifull thing. it was that incidence that made me realize there indeed there was a God. I didn't write anymore poems until 15yrs later, and just one day i felt a urge to write, and it snowballed from there. now whenever i feel that urge there is usually something there that needs to get out of my heart. today i have a strong faith in My Lord and I believe deep down in my soul that God is with me through the good and the bad. it is hard for us to believe in something we can't see, but look at a little child kneeling down at his bedside saying his prayers and if you can have the belief of that child. then you will believe in Christ our Saviour. i pray you will find what you are searching for. margaret m

Hi, my name is linda. in every religion they teach a moralistic path to grow toward the light. you dont have to know who god is in a way that is taught through an organized religion. god is all that is good, positive, I promise you if you challenge yourself to grow more in morals and in speaking positive through that obediance, you will feel the energy of the holy spirit, or what ever your alighned with. I am a christian I started to challenge myself to grow toward the light, by giving up star magazine, challenging myself not to curse or speak poorly about anyone who offended me, I started to listen to music that served life not death and I get answers to my prayers and situations, easier. I wait on god to guide me when I am unsure, and when I mess up, I confess it to affirm to myself I want to do better and pass. life is tests, it doesnt matter what path you choose, it is serving the light that will serve you with your new faith. god is blessing you, one more thing, you dont need an organized religion but you will attract the tools from one that will help you to grow. I must warn you, most people who dont know who god is, go to tarot cards and psycics, I feel they mislead people with falseworship toward our spirit guides that were once a human who guide along with us not as our god but as a helper who is human on our journey, and psycics themselves take on a false worship by trying to give us what only god can, real direction. Not all pyscics are phony and witchs that curse people, but they lead us with falsehoods by playing god, in the bible it warns us not to play with that stuff..I hope that helps, linda colleran

Faith is not something you find in a church. Faith comes from God and believing in Jesus. Something you feel so strongly in your heart, you may question it, that is human. A church is a place we go to worship, and refuel for the week ahead. Also, a place to fellowship with other believers. I have friends with all different backgrounds and am always offended when someone does not understand the Catholic faith. Yes you can find faith being Catholic, by th way. But this journey is yours alone, God will be with you, if you ask. I truly hope you find the Faith you need, and I will be praying for you.

I do not attend an organized church these days and consider myself to be a "spiritual" person. I did grow up in a church and went to Sunday school as a child. Off and on in my life I have attended church services. My folks stressed being a good person and treating others as I would like to be treated. I think in your daily life you can do good deeds of kindness and spiritual acts without being a part of an organized religion. During stressful and dark days of my life, I, too, questioned my faith and wondered if anyone was really out there looking out for me, at least in the religious, spiritual sense. Those closest to me said to just keeping pressing on and live my life. I tried to remember often the darkest days are just before the brighter ones. I think it did help me to have a spiritual belief, but I just allowed myself to let it happen. I don't think you can force faith, it either comes or it doesn't. Kath, I think you are completely honest and there's nothing wrong in feeling like you do. I think we do need to question things now and then in our life rather than blindly go on without thinking or seeing things for what they are. Resolve to be the best person you can be, don't compromise who you are, open yourself up to new experiences and don't worry about whether you have faith or not, believe in yourself.