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female
age
41-50,
anonymous
writes:Hello there! Im going thru some rough patches.... I really feel I want to believe in God, and build faith. But I'm not sure how to. Those who believe... do they have answered prayers, or some sort of a sign, what proves that someone really listens? Or am I totally lost? I feel, I need some sign that I was heard, and yes, it is the way.. But how? Reply to this Question
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reader, Laura1318  +, writes (8 February 2010):
 I believe God answers prayers according to His will. When you have accepted God,you will see your life and those problems from another spiritual perspective which is hidden from you .
You will find peace , joy and serenity and you can sense a hidden hand taking over your life.
It is just like you cannot see the wind but you can feel it and see those tree's swaying.
We cannot understand the mysterious ways how God works. I believed He does provide us and lead us to the right path but on condition that we do not live in sin but obey His words.
For sin separates us from God.
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (6 February 2010): , xxxsabsxxx United Kingdom
''if you want to believe in God then do. besides, why does there need to be proof?''
I think I dont want proof,like to see God in person, but I want to see,if he can hear me, and see me. Is this a very bad approach? I do not want to hurt anybody's feelings ,I really do look for God on this point,but I don't know how... But all opinion seems to improve my understanding of faith.
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reader, anonymous, writes (6 February 2010): THANKS FOR ALL ANSWERS!The reason,Im asking if there are answered prayers or signs, because this way it would be easier,to feel the presence of God. But I understand all the different aspects on how you just have to notice all the miracles around us,yet, it is harder to take this personally,than an answered prayer. I have friends,who are saying ,that God,really answers their prayers,and helps them all the time, to resolve hardships. Do you have this experience too? One of my friend says,God provides..Do you believe this?
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reader, anonymous, writes (6 February 2010): Ask God (Yahweh) or His son Yeshua into your life ?Confess and repent your sins.
You will find a special kind of peace coming over you and you see those mountains in your life in a new light. They are no more scary and you will know that God will show you the away to overcome them.
Your faith will grow and you know that He will take up your burdens .
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reader, anonymous, writes (4 February 2010): I don't think you can really find faith. Faith comes to you ,like love! But you can try to believe in yourself.!
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reader, anonymous, writes (4 February 2010): We can not PROVE (or disprove) the existence of God. I think the fact that you want so much to believe means that you do already have faith. Someone once said about God that God is the One who seeks us - calls us, beckons to us, His beloved people. I see God as the Creator, who through the Big Bang and evolution brought everything that is, into existence. Nor did God CAUSE the earthquake to strike Haiti. It happens because there are such things as tectonic plates that move and shift......its the way reality is.
Speaking of reality, you could say that God is the Ultimate Reality. The root and ground of all that is. Were it otherwise, the world would simply cease to be.
Going back to Haiti for a moment: Jews, Christians, Muslims would say that our response should be to try to help as much as we possibly can. Because according to the teachings of these religions, and that of Jesus, while God cares and loves everyone (including animals - we are not to set limits on who God loves) more than we can ever possibly imagine, those who are living in poverty, or oppression, people who are victims of war and all kinds of injustice, including, incidentally these days, the environment, are precisely the ones for whom God has a special care and calls on the rest of us to work to right what is wrong with the world.
This is not to say we can cure all the ills ourselves. No, but we are to work with God, as individuals, and as communities to do everything we possibly can. (Atheists and agnostics would say we must work for justice and practice compassion because its the right thing to do, God or no God. And they are on target in that attitude).
Jesus taught us the Lord's Prayer which, as you may know, begins: Our Father in heaven, may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.....his teaching was that the work of establishing God's kingdom here and now is what matters most, and that God, not us, will ultimately have the last Word. God's will to bring this about will not be defeated.
Nor is it about being saved and going to heaven. Make no mistake, we ARE held accountable for the way we live and the decisions we make throughout our lives. The Christian teaching is that after death we are in some sense with God, safe, and at peace, until the kingdom is finally established with THIS world made new again.
This part is not easy to understand, its true, but we are asked to trust. Being in relationship with God is rather like being in relationship with your mother or father: they love you and want the best for you, and want you to love and trust them.
I recommend that you look into different church (or synagogue) congregations and maybe visit some of them to see if the people are friendly and welcoming. Hopefully you will find them open-minded, willing to search and ask questions - doubts are very good, they encourage you to learn and grow! Being part of a community is essential to spiritual growth. This is not a do-it-yourself undertaking.
Finally, take time to pray, to talk to God as you would to a trusted friend. Read the Bible with a good commentary at hand (very confusing to just simply read by itself). Take time to listen, and see what kind of insights you get, whether in your time of silence, and in listening to what others may tell you. Be open to a bit of skepticism, too. If something sounds full of you-know-what, that's worth paying attention to! Its called discernment. By all means, talk to a good clergyperson.
One more thing: I hope you will steer clear of both New Age stuff, as well as the fundamentalists. they're entitled to their ideas, but personally I think they are mistaken.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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reader, ~Maureen +, writes (4 February 2010):
I assure you God exists. You are His child and you are wonderfully made. God does gives signs. He wants you to be humble when you approach Him as He "resists the proud". The 'proud' are people who think they are gods and make up their own rules in life. The "proud" will never get to know God until they realize that they need Him.
It looks like you have realized you need Him. He will be there soon. He is a loving Father and cares about all your troubles, joys, defeats and triumphs. He cares about all of us, even the Haitians.
Because God gave us free-will to do anything we want, we also have the unpleasantness associated with the evil choices, the fall-out, of the human condition. We can choose to get to know God, or we can ignore Him. At any rate, our lives will be a test and we can pass or fail at the end. With our free-will, there will come suffering when we or people in our lives make evil choices. It is well known that evil people in governments can effect the lives of all of us with their bad choices or evil intentions. Sometimes, "things just happen" and sometimes God allows things to happen to call us to repentence. Each are under Divine Providence. He is aware of everything at all times. I can tell you that God allowed me to suffer the effects of my own evil choices...not pleasant, but He also delievered me from the evil when I begged Him to intervene in my messed up life.
My suggestions to you: Begin to pray. God, as Father, is patient and He can be spoken with like anyone else. You don't need fancy prayers. Just beg Him for His Mercy and invite Him into your life. When you rise in the morning thank Him for another day. Try and change the things you do that are wrong-sin- and be open to opportunities to help others in the day. When bad things happen, ask God for His help in handling them correctly...and at night examine your conscience. Ask God to help you know when you went off track that day. Say, Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Thank Him for the Blessings of that day. He will then begin to reveal Himself as you have invited Him.
In choosing to know God, we want to find out what He wants us to know. One God means there can only be ONE TRUTH. Many religions claim that truth. I believe that the teaching of the Catholic Church embodies that TRUTH. I offer this information in good faith. Look up the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is online in totality. You can have all your questions answered there.
~Maureen
PS. For the nay-sayers, the Catholic Church has had any number of frightful scandals, even worse than the "priest molestation" overblown thing.(less than 1% of priest involved, WAY better odds than every other group of men, as it should be! Jesus too, had his Judas.) The Church had had any number of dictators try and bring it down. The media has been after it from the first. The Catholic Church has outlasted many an empire & government. It will continue to do so because Jesus instituted it and promised to be with us until the end of time. He is present in the Sacraments, instituted by Him to give grace.
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reader, james675  +, writes (3 February 2010):
Well it's a nice enough thing to believe in but if you want my advice you're better off forgetting about all that silliness and doing something constructive with your life.
Rather than putting your faith in a fairy-tale try believing in yourself!
A much better use of your time and one that might actually see some results.
Good luck
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reader, xxxsabsxxx +, writes (3 February 2010):
if you want to believe in God then do. besides, why does there need to be proof? if having a relationship with god will make you happy and lift up your life, then you should. if you arn't part of any religion, you should look into that. For example vist a Christian priest who can answer your questions properly. all i know is that having faith can't hurt, and it definately makes my life better. even if it is just the fact that saying a prayer makes me stronger.a little proof that i like to go by (you may not think these are significant but mean a lot to me):my grandma was lying in bed early afternoon with me, my mum and my sister around her. she sudennly started mumbling some words, and we heard her saying that she can see her brother and he is waiting for her to come and join him in heaven. we were all confused, because he wasn't dead. it was then that grandma passed away. later on that day, we got a call saying grandma's brother died that morning. grandma couldnt have known about it. there are many other things like that have happened, and they all strenghen my faith. do you have any friends or relatives that are religous? if so you should definately talk to them, as they can help you on a personal level and answer some questions. hope this helpsxx
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reader, Dr.LanceMerryweather +, writes (3 February 2010):
 Religious following is called a faith or a belief for a reason. There is no actual 'proof'. You assess the world, history, your own and others' circumstances and work out for yourself if there is a supreme being. You then, if you feel the need, have to work out which religion best serves your belief. Some just allow themselves to be guided through life by their conscience, while others feel the need to worship in a religious environment. I personally do not think any of us actually receive a definite 'sign'.
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reader, anonymous, writes (3 February 2010): Look around the world at all of the wonder for a minute and ask yourself if there is not a divine force at work.
Why does a spider spin its web and a salamander change color to match its surroundings?
While those types of things imply there is a divine being, does it mean the divine being will interact with us or simply watch events unfold. I tend to think the latter. I think you need to wrap your head around that. God does not intervene in our lives. You will need to effect changes in your life and take charge. That is God's test. Praying will do nothing. Just ask the poor Haitian people.
How could anyone possibly hang on to outdated religions after witnessing the devastation caused by tsunamis and earthquakes and think that there is an interactive God. It simply makes no sense.
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