How do you find faith?

[Druswid]

So, here's the story. I haven't been baptized, and all my life I've been raised in a secular household. I was never taught that God or Jesus didn't exist, but both parents have always had vague, open-ended beliefs, and so I developed the same; I believe that humans, as well as animals, have souls, and that there is something beyond our mortal life, but it's undefined. At one point, I did go through a phase of non-belief, but now, I've become more open to the idea of Christianity and religion. The thing is, it's always been hard for me to come upon faith, not being brought up with it, so what I'm wondering, barring some kind of traumatic, life-altering experience, how does one find faith? I admit, I do try to talk to God, but I'm unsure exactly how one receives communication from Him.

I did have an interesting experience after reading Alma 32 from the Book of Mormon, which is about how faith is like a seed, and requires nourishment to flower, and the next morning woke up thinking of the word providence, but since then, I've had no similar experiences. But then again, Mormonism is a shade different from mainline Christianity. Anyway... I just thought I'd come on here and share my thoughts, and see what people have to say. Thanks for reading.

 

[dmgdnooc]

　
Paul, in Romans 10.17, says that 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God'.
Hearing the word of God comes before faith.
　
Read the Bible, let the words sink in, think on them, act on them.
From there faith will come; but you will never find it, it finds you.
　
　

 

[Pegg]

faith is definately something that needs to be developed.,..it is also something which is greatly misunderstood. A lot of people think that faith is 'blind' but that is simply not true. True faith is developed thru accurate knowlege rather then blind acceptance. The bible actually warns against 'blind faith' when it councels us at Proverbs 14:15 “Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.”

So to develop true faith, the first step is to understand what faith is. The bibles definition is as Paul states at Hebrews 11:1 'Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld'

Paul then goes onto explain what that means. He mentions a number of individuals of ancient times what had true faith based on what they had learnt. For instance he says about Noah
Vs 7 "By faith Noah, AFTER being given divine warning of things not yet beheld, showed godly fear and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; and through this [faith] he condemned the world, and he became an heir of the righteousness that is according to faith."

Noah first heard from God what was going to happen, and it was because he was in 'expectation' of the flood which God had told him would come, he built the ark. Did God dissapoint Noah? No. The flood came just as God had promised. So faith follows the thing heard, in other words faith is based on knowlege.

If you study the bible and gain an accurate knowlege of God then you can build a faith like that of Noah and learn to trust Gods words and what he promises for the future. Study the past and see what God has already done and how he did it. Read thru the accounts of the OT and you'll see how God intervened in behalf of his people...this will give you confidence in the things he promises for the future.

Faith is really about trusting/believing in what God will do for us in the future and the way to establish that sort of faith is to learn what he did in the past.





In Hebrews

 

[Nerthus]

I don't come from a religious background, my parents believe that there is something bigger out there, but don't want to question what it is, or look into faith. But, I always felt like there was something/ someone that I needed to know. I have looked into many faiths - Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism - but non have called to be as much as Christianity.

Faith hasn't been easy. I would always give up on God if I was faced with something challenging, and He didn't instantly change things for me. But, I came to realise that that what faith actually is. We have faith in God, knowing that one day we will all be judged and the wrong that I was so annoyed about, will be dealt with.

For me, when I need more faith, or am feeling down about things I listen to Christian music, I Pray, I read the Bible and I get a strange feeling, which I believe in my faith being acknowledged.

 

[Druswid]

Hi all, and thanks for your input. I haven't actually checked here in a while, and thought that my topic had died, but I see it's got a little bit of life in it. I absolutely agree that faith is something that has to be nourished; it's just that growing up, I wasn't nourished with faith. My parents didn't teach me disbelief, and I don't consider myself an atheist, but I'm not particularly spiritually aligned with any particular faith. I do, in fact, believe in some kind of... transcendence or transformation of the soul or rebirth upon physical death, I just don't know what it is, in any terms. Considering elements of the Christian faith, I believe that Jesus had an important message, and I believe that the single ideal of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is paramount to leading a good life. Do no harm to others and none to yourself, and you're basically good, in my book. As far as the whole hell part and the devil, well... I can't say I've ever believed in the devil or hell. I think that part is a scare tactic to get weak minded individuals to join the faith. I do like the idea of a universally benevolent, cosmic force of good will and kindness, though am not sure I can quite go along with it, many times I think the universe just is. At the same time, there's the whole "something cannot come from nothing" idea that often tickles me, and gets me thinking again. I mean, something has to pre-exist the universe as we know it, because if it didn't, how would we have got to where we are? But then again, how did the pre-existant thing exist prior to existence? All very deep, probing questions...

 

[Pegg]

I mean, something has to pre-exist the universe as we know it, because if it didn't, how would we have got to where we are? But then again, how did the pre-existant thing exist prior to existence? All very deep, probing questions...

we think this way because we are physical and we know its a fact that nothing comes from nothing...life only comes from pre-existing life for instance.

But, as hard as it is for us to understand, God is not a physical being and therefore he is not bound by the same laws of physics as we are. So its easy to say that a physical life must have come from pre-existing life, but we cant really say the same about a non physical being because we have no idea on the sort of laws that exist in the spirit realm...we dont even know where they exist or how they function.

 

[idea]

So, here's the story. I haven't been baptized, and all my life I've been raised in a secular household. I was never taught that God or Jesus didn't exist, but both parents have always had vague, open-ended beliefs, and so I developed the same; I believe that humans, as well as animals, have souls, and that there is something beyond our mortal life, but it's undefined. At one point, I did go through a phase of non-belief, but now, I've become more open to the idea of Christianity and religion. The thing is, it's always been hard for me to come upon faith, not being brought up with it, so what I'm wondering, barring some kind of traumatic, life-altering experience, how does one find faith? I admit, I do try to talk to God, but I'm unsure exactly how one receives communication from Him.

I did have an interesting experience after reading Alma 32 from the Book of Mormon, which is about how faith is like a seed, and requires nourishment to flower, and the next morning woke up thinking of the word providence, but since then, I've had no similar experiences. But then again, Mormonism is a shade different from mainline Christianity. Anyway... I just thought I'd come on here and share my thoughts, and see what people have to say. Thanks for reading.

- yep Alma 32 explains how to get faith!

(Book of Mormon | Jacob2:13)
13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly...

prov·i·dence (pr

v

-d

ns, -d

ns

) [SIZE=-2]KEY[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]NOUN:[/SIZE]
Care or preparation in advance; foresight.
Prudent management; economy.
The care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity; divine direction: [SIZE=+0]"Some sought the key to history in the working of divine providence"[/SIZE] [SIZE=+0](William Ebenstein).[/SIZE]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Providence[/SIZE][/FONT] God.
Careful use of material resources: frugality, prudence, thrift,



I wrote this a bit ago

Faith is required, not just in God, but in all aspects of life. We have faith in banks, in schools, in the bridges we drive over and in the airplanes that we fly in. We have faith that the sun will rise in the morning, and we have faith in one another. Imagine what life would be like if we did not have faith in anything. The opposite of faith is fear, mistrust, doubt, and uncertainty. It is impossible to accomplish anything while in a stupor of paralyzing fear and uncertainty. Faith is the only means whereby we can progress in anything.

We gain faith in something through experimentation. We gain confidence in a recipe by trying it out, by getting the food, following the instructions, and cooking it. Once we find that one recipe in a cookbook is good, we might have greater faith in trying another recipe out of the same book. If we never try it out, if we never experiment on it, we’ll never really know if the thing is good or not. Trying it out once is helpful, but keep in mind it’s hard to get anything just right the first time through. Practice makes perfect, third time’s the charm, or perhaps the hundredth time’s the charm. The more time, honest effort, work, investigation, and experimentation we put into a thing, the more faith we will gain in it if it is good.

Gaining faith in God and in His commandments comes the same way gaining faith in anything else comes – through experimentation and practice. The scriptures are like a cookbook – if you never go and try out the recipes, the book is pointless. Try out the commandments. Experiment by scheduling one day of the week to be a “day of rest” and then compare your productivity during weeks where you observe a Sabbath day vs. when you don’t. Experiment by trying to be extra honest in all of your endeavors, and then see how that makes you feel inside. Experiment by trying to love your neighbors and feeling happy for them instead of coveting what they own. Experiment by refraining from drinking alcohol and trying to eat healthy foods. Our faith in God and in His directions grow in proportion to the diligence with which we experiment upon the word.


Alma chapter 32:26-43 teaches us how to proactively gain faith through experimentation and diligence in heeding the words of God.
32:27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

 

[idea]

Hi all, and thanks for your input. I haven't actually checked here in a while, and thought that my topic had died, but I see it's got a little bit of life in it. I absolutely agree that faith is something that has to be nourished; it's just that growing up, I wasn't nourished with faith. My parents didn't teach me disbelief, and I don't consider myself an atheist, but I'm not particularly spiritually aligned with any particular faith. I do, in fact, believe in some kind of... transcendence or transformation of the soul or rebirth upon physical death, I just don't know what it is, in any terms. Considering elements of the Christian faith, I believe that Jesus had an important message, and I believe that the single ideal of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is paramount to leading a good life. Do no harm to others and none to yourself, and you're basically good, in my book. As far as the whole hell part and the devil, well... I can't say I've ever believed in the devil or hell. I think that part is a scare tactic to get weak minded individuals to join the faith. I do like the idea of a universally benevolent, cosmic force of good will and kindness, though am not sure I can quite go along with it, many times I think the universe just is. At the same time, there's the whole "something cannot come from nothing" idea that often tickles me, and gets me thinking again. I mean, something has to pre-exist the universe as we know it, because if it didn't, how would we have got to where we are? But then again, how did the pre-existant thing exist prior to existence? All very deep, probing questions...

wrote this awhile ago too:
Did God create out of nothing - by Jamie Turner - Helium

There was never a time of nothingness. All that now is has always been and always will be. That which exists can change form, but cannot blink in and out of existence. The laws of conservation of mass and energy are well established and form the foundation of thermodynamics, physics, chemical engineering, and all of the sciences. These conservations laws state that energy and matter can transform themselves into new states, but can neither be created from nothingness, nor can they disappear into nothingness. Everything is eternal. The origins debate is pointless. There is no origin.

The Bible does not teach that God created everything. The statement in John 1:3 contains an often overlooked clause. John 1:3 states “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” The disclaimer “that was made” is found in the last three words of this verse. If it was made, if it has been organized and formed into something better than it previously was, you can be sure that God was the author of that transformation. God has made all that is made. That which has not been made, that which exists in an unformed state, was not created by God.

The Hebrew word “bara” which has been translated into the English languages as “create” actually means to shape or transform. Consider Isaiah 45:7 in which “bara” has been incorrectly translated as “create”.

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

The Lord does not “create” evil and darkness; for we know that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” – 1 John 1:5. God “transforms” evil and darkness into light and peace. Here is the same verse in which “bara” is translated correctly.

Isaiah 45:7 I transform darkness into light, I make peace, and transform evil, I the Lord do all these things.

God is a being who is able to transform that which eternally exists. He is not the hypocritical author of an imperfect creation. God is selflessly cleaning up a mess He did not make. It is “the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” – Rom 8:15. Adoption is the process in which someone takes responsibility for a child they did not create. We enter into the adoption contract when we enter into the waters of baptism and agree to allow God to mold our lives. We “become” God’s creation through following His teachings.

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

The potter did not make the imperfect clay. No one made the clay. The clay exists without beginning and without end as does all of the matter and energy in the universe. The clay has no noble beginning, but thankfully it can be transformed into a noble end. Eternity stretches out before and behind us. As a lowly imperfect lump of clay we can take comfort in the fact that through our merciful redeemer our eternal existence now holds the possibility of infinite potential. May we grasp hold of those precious gifts which allow us to transform these fallen spirits into beings of light. May we listen, obey, and humble ourselves that we can become a creation of God. In the name of our most precious redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.

http://www.helium.com/items/1862584-becoming-children-of-god

 

[sandandfoam]

Regarding faith, I find when I relax within myself then what I need comes to me. If I go looking I generally don't find anything.

 

[idea]

Regarding faith, I find when I relax within myself then what I need comes to me. If I go looking I generally don't find anything.

true to a certain extent. trying to force our will in front of God's will not get anyone anywhere - so trying to force spiritual experiences, strong arm your way through it - to me that is saying "My will! My will!"... you have to go out and do what you can to follow the commandments etc. etc., ask for the understsanding / spiritual experiences you need - BUT THEN LET GO OF YOUR WILL - let God's will take over. Accept, be at peace, with whatever answer comes - with whatever experience comes... it's not a question but a demand if you have your heart set on one answer or another - don't set your heart on an answer, set your heart in God's hands, be content with whatever answer you recieve.

 

[Druswid]

So, essentially, reading the Bible will give me more information on Christianity... and whatever comes of that is whatever comes, regardless of what that happens to be. But then how do I know that what the Bible says is what is? I would have to accept the Bible (or at least parts) as true. What if I can't buy parts of it? Consider Adam & Eve, for instance. Wouldn't that story be more allegorical than truthful? Because we know for a fact that other life forms existed on Earth before humans ever showed up. And then you have to factor in evolution, if there's room for that in your belief system. And then there's the whole Old Testament vs. New Testament thing, because arguably, Christianity starts with the New Testament, because it's named for Christ, and the God in the New Testament is supposed to be a God of love and tenderness, not wrath and vengeance. I think it's extraordinarily complicated.