Yes God can speak to anyone and does clearly from time to time as you pointed out.
Well do you believe in an afterlife? If so what will you be, and where will you be? Do you hope for a resurrection? And an entrance into paradise with a Heavenly Father that loves you?
If so then perhaps going to church and investing time and effort into God is a wise choice. And then perhaps God will speak to you and prove in the Holy Spirit He exists.
A main problem here is that I don't believe. I am seeking truth, and I suppose I hope to find it in God. I like to think of myself as very open when it comes to different beliefs. I want to know what is true, but without some form of evidence to base my belief on, I struggle to believe. I've searched in scripture, science, and in my heart, and I keep drawing blanks.
I'm sorta in agreement with that, but with a difference. I had a friend who used to say that the hardest 18 inches to traverse was the distance between head and heart. I identified with that because I would tend to intellectualize what I was reading. I was sincere, I was trying hard, but for some reason it couldn't penetrate as deep as I needed it to.
The answer isn't to add more quantity of reading or studying, or worship or church attendence or anything else, or to try harder. The answer is to deal with the heart. Examine yourself and see if you can identify anything holding you back. Ask the Lord to show you whatever it is that you lack. Recall the promise in Jeremiah:
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. -Jer 29:11-13
It all comes down to the heart. Sometimes we have things buried there, usually due to negative life experiences, that keep us from coming with a childlike heart of trust. And this dynamic is not just true of people just coming to faith. It happens again and again as we undergo progressive sanctification and go "from faith to faith". God is always dealing with our hearts.
So to wrap it up, maybe it is time to "Cease striving, and know that I am God. I will be exalted..." (ps 46). Doing this in your own strength is wearing you out. Instead, go to the Lord and ask Him to show you what you lack. Or if you're sure you want it then simply ask Him for faith. And then keep your heart quiet and wait for the answer. It will come. Faith is, after all, a gift. So relax, quiet your heart, and get in a receptive attitude.
Thank you for your response. I can't help but feel that I've done this, though. I've definitely burnt myself out before with the amount of scripture and study, in addition to the rest of the work I have to do, and I did step back from that. I definitely searched for intellectual answers, but have since come more to the approach that my relationship with God should be a personal one, and so for some time now my ever-present prayer is for God to show Himself to me, and open my heart and my eyes and my mind to Him. It took a lot to open my heart, and to keep that belief that if I did that, He would reveal Himself to me. That it would be worth it. And instead, I just feel more discouraged that He is silent. The more I seek, and the longer He is silent, the more I feel that I'm just trying to fool myself.
Don’t know if you have tried this yet. Read the Gospel according to John to learn who Jesus Christ is.
Then read Paul’s epistle to the Romans.
For the overall story you may want to check this out.
The Story | Watch the Film
Thank you. John is a familiar source of some perplexion to me, but I haven't read as in-depth into Romans. The story of Jesus is familiar, one of my problems comes in the belief of its truth.
...I've been there, and in some ways, since I'm more or less in the "existentialist" camp of Christianity, a camp that sometimes causes fellow Christians to tell me that I'm still 'there,' in a state of disbelief. However, I would suggest to you that the effort to have faith isn't, in fact, probably shouldn't, always be expected to be accompanied by a feelings of 'certainty' about this or that Christian doctrine. Instead, it more philosophically realistic and reflective of the transcendence of God for us not to have an absolute feeling of certainty which each thought we ponder over in relation to God and Christ and the Holy Spirit and the Christian life.
Also, maybe do yourself a favor and reflect upon the degree to which you think you might suffer from depression, because that in and of itself can suppress feelings of confidence in the Christian life. Just something to think about.
Blessings,
2PhiloVoid
Thank you, your response is very helpful. I have struggled with depression before, and although for the most part I'm not in a depressive period right now, it's my struggles with faith that bring it forward most recently. Engaging with people around me is one of my methods of dealing with depression, and unfortunately I don't have too many people in my life that I can talk to about this. Probably why I started this conversation on the internet on a Sunday night.
I hesitate to concede this as my final resting place as a Christian - I don't think I could stay here in this land of unbelief. If that's what God requires of me, I don't think I'm strong enough. I don't think I would need to believe in all the doctrines and literal details, but I would struggle to call myself Christian in my current disbelief in God and Christ.
Hey Elle12,
It is good that you are reading the Bible, going to Church, seeking fellowship, ALL of that is good, but it's important to remember also that this relationship with Jesus is a personal one. It's between you and Him.
He is with you right now, even as you read this response He is with you. There is a whole world that is unseen around us, around you. Jesus and His angels are there with you and they are fighting for you. You may not see it or even experience it at this moment but I promise if you keep seeking you will find, that is a promise in The Bible and God honors His promises.
So the next question is: what are you seeking? Are you seeking a feeling? He may very well give that to you. Are you seeking a vision or a dream, or even in some cases the ability to experience and see the spiritual realm so that you can prove to yourself that all this is real? I will tell you right now from experience, ALL of those things are very real possibilities.
Pick something that you are seeking, be specific, and then pray for it. Even if it doesn't happen right away doesn't mean it won't happen. And the next question is, will you be able to endure while the answer hasn't been given yet, IF that's the case, can you wait? I know we all want things right away, trust me I'm one of those people, and sometimes God does answer in that way, but are you able to be content knowing that as you wait for whatever you are seeking from God that He and His angels are with you and are protecting you?
I would love to chat more about this, please, if you want to ask me any questions feel free to inbox me ANY questions I will gladly tackle them the best I can, and may God Bless and Protect you and give you the answer you seek.
I don't know how to be content waiting for God's answer when I don't know that God is really there. There are many things that I want answers on, and I do pray for these things, and I know God doesn't usually answer with a yes as you're standing up from prayer. I understand that there is supposed to be waiting, and that some things aren't meant to be. But when the question is, "Are you there?" and the only answer is silence - for years - I don't know why to keep trying, to keep hoping.
I've tried to avoid specificities in my prayers, because that seems, I don't know, pretentious? Only the wicked ask for a sign, right? I want to know that God is true, that Jesus rose from the dead, that He is there. Whether that comes in a feeling, a vision, or an angel on my sofa, I don't particularly care.
See, Elle, that's a big problem, and not your fault. We all know how our minds work differently and some people just get more elated then others during the onset of salvation, so they feel things, and then they tend to get sloppy and tell others that's how it is or has to be. Some even to the point, if you haven't felt it, you don't have it.
Honestly, I felt very little if anything at all, except that I was on the right track. Sure it's a good feeling to know we now have a shot at living forever, but the way some of us see salvation, it's a day by day, endure til the end thing, so in affect, that will be when the major elation hits, when we are sanding at the gates and get the, "Don't worry, you made it" nod.
Anyway, I've always thought it was dangerous to express we must have certain or any feelings at all at first, because when some don't get them, they think something is wrong with them.
Hope you mange to get things worked out, and I know you're already aware of the following scripture, and it may be easier said than done , but the verse is there for a reason...and has always helped me when I try to overthink things. At some point we just have to say WTHeck and go for it.
Prov.3 Verses 5 to 6. [5] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Thank you for your response. I honestly am not worried about salvation or heaven or hell or living forever, probably because I didn't worry about them before I began searching. I want truth more than I want salvation. I'm sure if I find truth in God, I'll change my tune right quick. I'm looking for a "feeling" I think because that's all I can bring myself to hope for, right now. I don't expect a divine revelation or the voice of God in my head. I don't expect to read the next article and have it all make sense. It'd be great if that happened, don't get me wrong.
