How do I "make" myself believe?

Matthew Twentyfour said:

Here's your answer!

A Christians life and walk starts with faith in believing and ends with faith in obedience.

Obedience is Faith in action.

If someone truly believe what Jesus taught us is the only way to salvation, he/she will follow Christ's commandments. He/she will be faithful till the end. Those who endure their faith (who are obedient) against temptation till the end will be saved.

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Hebrews 11:4-12 (NKJV)
4 By faith (Obedience) Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

5 By faith (Obedience) Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

7 By faith (Obedience) Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

8 By faith (Obedience) Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11 By faith (Obedience) Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

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Faith is not equal to obedience.

And by putting it (the word obedience) in parenthesis (above) you are adding to scripture which the Word of God warns us never to do.

You should edit that out.

ToBeLoved said:

That is one of the oddest Christian stated things that I have ever heard.

Beliefs are not fairy tales.

And faith is not trust in the unknown. Although part of faith may be, but that is not all faith is.

Where did you get these definitions from?

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Understanding.

The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. -Proverbs 17:27

For me, my faith grew incrementally. I didn't have no faith one day and then have 100% faith the next. When I was a young seeker, it took me over five years to DECIDE to give my heart to the Lord. After all of that time trying to "figure God out" and know why He did, what He did...I just realized that was impossible, and I was correct. Still, there was a small voice in me that wanted God in my life in a new way. Once I gave my heart to Him, I knew I had made the right decision because the Holy Spirit in me is wonderful and so convicting and feeling God with me at all times is the best feeling I know. I would not want a life without God, even though I do not live a sinless life and may not understand, or agree, with everything in the Bible. I am blessed to know that he wants me ANYWAY, just as He wants you. I wish you the best, this is an amazing journey.

directory said:

I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

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A prayer called the "Act of Faith" is instructive in this regard:


Note especially the last part. Why do we believe? Because God is truth itself, and would not deceive us in what he has revealed. The red ball is there because God told you it is, and he doesn't lie. Indeed, his vision and knowledge are much more certain than your own. If you know that God has revealed something, then you have better reason to believe than if your own eyes saw it. Keep praying.

How do we know that this God the OP (and also people like me) is talking about isn't the God of Muhammed, and that the Qur'an is the true word of God, or that Christianity was a mistake, and it's really the Jews who hold the the truth, and Jesus was nothing more than a teacher? Do we study each religion and judge which, if any, is the most probable? I suppose that would be ideal, but it takes a long time. I intend to read the Qur'an (in English, and yes, I know that the Qur'an can only truly be understood in Arabic, and the same with the Old Testament and Hebrew) even though I doubt it will have much truth in it, but I feel I should research each religion and philosophy to the extent that I reasonably can with the time I have, to judge for myself which seems most likely to be true, or closest to the truth.

Meanwhile I will pray, doubting but hoping that the God associated with Christianity is true. It would be conveniant, I just happened to grow up in a place where Christianity and atheism/agnosticism are the most commonly held beliefs. If I were born in Saudi Arabia, I guess things would be different, and that "red ball" would be attempted to be accessed through the Qur'an rather than the Bible.

directory said:

I can make myself follow Christ's teachings about how to live. I can make myself pray. I can make myself go to church. And I experience little "flashes" that are almost faith here and there. But none of that means anything without actual, full-on faith, right?

So where do I get faith? Christianity involves not just practices but a set of factual beliefs– I have to believe that God exists, that Christ was the son of God, that his death redeemed our sins, etc etc etc. Sometimes, I think it's like being presented with a box and told that, without opening it, I have to believe that there's a red ball inside it. I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

It can be infuriating. I want to have faith (sometimes, anyway), I pray for faith, I try ordering myself to believe, but something's missing. I haven't been able to force faith, and it's not coming on its own, and sometimes it's painfully frustrating– it's like I'm dying of thirst in a desert and faith is an oasis of water lying just out of reach of my lips. Is there anything I can do other than wait?

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I completely understand what you're experiencing! You're convinced that God very well could exist. But, you're not completely sold that He does exist.

In short, you will never have hard proof. You just won't. It cannot happen. It wouldn't be faith if there was irrefutable proof.

This is where the verses about, "Seek, and you will find. etc." come into play. Have you asked God to solidify your faith? Have you asked Him to change your attitude, and your heart? He can do absolutely anything. You cannot force yourself to believe. But, you can do all things through Him. Ask Him to put your heart at rest over the issue. He will.

I too experience flashes of belief in God, but there's a big gap between that and believing Christ was born of a virgin by divine conception, was God on Earth, died on a cross for our sins, and was resurrected. That's a whole lot to swallow.

I see glory in that story, but it's a bit like believing The Lord of the Rings is true. Sometimes I can almost bring myself into the land of Middle Earth, sitting down by a road in the Shire, catching a whiff of the little hobbits' pipe-weed as they wander down the road, or I can find myself lost in the dark craggy rocks of Emyn Muil, with the smelly mists of the nearby dead marshes obscuring my path.

I know that the Bible is at least based in a historical setting, unlike The Lord of the Rings, but I think it's a fool's errand to believe in Jesus based on evidence, there isn't enough evidence, you need faith, and maybe if I read the Bible half as much as I read Tolkien, it would come to life less than half as that half of which it deserves!

But I find myself asking a question - if I practice Christianity, am I practicing the truth, valiantly keeping a great mythology alive, or pointlessly keeping a great mythology alive?

TheJust said:

Understanding.

The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. -Proverbs 17:27

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Interesting that you claim to have understanding, yet feel that this verse in Proverbs provides an answer to the questions I have asked you.

That is not showing that you have an understanding of the Word of God, but shows that you are hiding behind a verse talking about even temperment. Are you kidding me?

godshapedhole said:

I too experience flashes of belief in God, but there's a big gap between that and believing Christ was born of a virgin by divine conception, was God on Earth, died on a cross for our sins, and was resurrected. That's a whole lot to swallow.

I see glory in that story, but it's a bit like believing The Lord of the Rings is true. Sometimes I can almost bring myself into the land of Middle Earth, sitting down by a road in the Shire, catching a whiff of the little hobbits' pipe-weed as they wander down the road, or I can find myself lost in the dark craggy rocks of Emyn Muil, with the smelly mists of the nearby dead marshes obscuring my path.

I know that the Bible is at least based in a historical setting, unlike The Lord of the Rings, but I think it's a fool's errand to believe in Jesus based on evidence, there isn't enough evidence, you need faith, and maybe if I read the Bible half as much as I read Tolkien, it would come to life less than half as that half of which it deserves!

But I find myself asking a question - if I practice Christianity, am I practicing the truth, valiantly keeping a great mythology alive, or pointlessly keeping a great mythology alive?

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You're not alone. I've wondered the same things. There's lots of circumstantial evidence for God, and people will continue to argue over it forever.

In reality, God is so far beyond our understanding that we couldn't prove Him if we wanted to. It's like we're little ants in an anthill trying to decide if astronauts really exist.

Spend some time in honest prayer. God knows your heart. So spill it all. Tell Him you're afraid He's just a fantasy or myth. Tell Him you're struggling with how the rest of the world sees Him, and how the Bible says to see Him. Just be completely honest, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

directory said:

I can make myself follow Christ's teachings about how to live. I can make myself pray. I can make myself go to church. And I experience little "flashes" that are almost faith here and there. But none of that means anything without actual, full-on faith, right?

So where do I get faith? Christianity involves not just practices but a set of factual beliefs– I have to believe that God exists, that Christ was the son of God, that his death redeemed our sins, etc etc etc. Sometimes, I think it's like being presented with a box and told that, without opening it, I have to believe that there's a red ball inside it. I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

It can be infuriating. I want to have faith (sometimes, anyway), I pray for faith, I try ordering myself to believe, but something's missing. I haven't been able to force faith, and it's not coming on its own, and sometimes it's painfully frustrating– it's like I'm dying of thirst in a desert and faith is an oasis of water lying just out of reach of my lips. Is there anything I can do other than wait?

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Directory,

You can not force yourself to have faith. Faith comes only by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit can & will convince you of the truth about believing or faith. The fact that you are concerned about how to have faith in Christ shows that the Holy Spirit is drawing you to Him. The following scriptures tell us how we can have "saving" faith.


John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

You might read my testimony about how God brought me through several years of misery where I was trying to have faith or trying to "believe" in Jesus, but could not find a peace of knowing for sure that I had really done that. It might help you to see how the Holy Spirit convinced me of the truth about faith & believing and showed me how to really "believe." I have had peace now for 30+ years.

http://www.christianforums.com/threads/what-it-means-to-beleive-in-jesus.7927993

http://www.christianforums.com/threads/my-testimony.7775300/

Don

If you want to believe, follow these steps:

1. I will pray this prayer with you. Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins on the cross and shedding your blood for me. Because of your shed blood when you lived a perfect like, you overcame sin. Since you overcame sin, now you Justify me in Your Name and cleanse me of all my sin. You have made me a lamb that is white as snow now, where previously I was covered in the blood of all my own sin. I believe that you are God Himself and I come to you in faith. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.

2. Try to pray once a day, even if it is only for 5 minutes. It can be anywhere and just talk to God. Tell Him how your day is going, what makes you upset or if you have any prayers for neighbors, friends , family or yourself. This prayer DOES NOT have to be formal, but just talking to God like a friend.

3. Try to read the Bible for 10 minutes a day. That really goes by quick, that 10 minutes. Start with Matthew, Mark, Luke, John then into Acts and so on.

4. Ask God for more faith during prayer. He gives to those who seek and ask. It may not happen right away because God doesn't always answer prayer right away, but it will come.

5. Think about finding a church to attend.

directory said:

I can make myself follow Christ's teachings about how to live. I can make myself pray. I can make myself go to church. And I experience little "flashes" that are almost faith here and there. But none of that means anything without actual, full-on faith, right?

So where do I get faith? Christianity involves not just practices but a set of factual beliefs– I have to believe that God exists, that Christ was the son of God, that his death redeemed our sins, etc etc etc. Sometimes, I think it's like being presented with a box and told that, without opening it, I have to believe that there's a red ball inside it. I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

It can be infuriating. I want to have faith (sometimes, anyway), I pray for faith, I try ordering myself to believe, but something's missing. I haven't been able to force faith, and it's not coming on its own, and sometimes it's painfully frustrating– it's like I'm dying of thirst in a desert and faith is an oasis of water lying just out of reach of my lips. Is there anything I can do other than wait?

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"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." We need to read the Bible as much as we can, pray for the Holy Spirit of God to help you understand the written word of God. Then we need to trust God and He will not disappoint us. We trust God to do what He says He will do in the Bible. If we do not read the Bible then we do not know the promises of God. Faith is a work of God in us. There is human faith, sometimes called positive thinking but God's faith goes beyond what we can accomplish with human faith. Faith is both a gift of the Spirit of God working in us and a Fruit of the Spirit.

directory said:

Sometimes, I think it's like being presented with a box and told that, without opening it, I have to believe that there's a red ball inside it. I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

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I can see it as that way too. In your example, if someone you didn't know walked up to you and told you that you had to believe there was a red ball inside this box in order for you to open it, I imagine you wouldn't believe them. Let's say it is someone you trusted, a parent or close friend or a role model or someone, that told you instead. If it were a matter of importance, you may find that you would believe it based on your trust of that person.

In order to "make" yourself believe, I would find out all you can about God and start, if you haven't already, by reading his word. Pray before you read that his Spirit will guide you in understanding and to see Christ in what you read. Believing to my understanding is trusting that what God says is true. I don't see any reason to trust someone if you really don't know anything about them. I also wouldn't go by if you feel you believe or if it is rational for you to believe; our hearts are deceptive and unfortunately for some people God doesn't validate our belief in him based on if we feel it is rational or not. If you trust that what God says is true and lean not on your own understanding--that's when you believe.

TheJust said:

Understanding.

The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. -Proverbs 17:27

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Well that doesn't make sense either. So I'm letting it go for the sake of the OP.

directory said:

I can make myself follow Christ's teachings about how to live. I can make myself pray. I can make myself go to church. And I experience little "flashes" that are almost faith here and there. But none of that means anything without actual, full-on faith, right?

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Of course all those things matter, except from the POV of conservative Reformed/Evangelicals.
If you pray and go to church and do good things, God can help you further on your lifepath.

So where do I get faith? Christianity involves not just practices but a set of factual beliefs– I have to believe that God exists,

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It's almost universal that some God exists. So this becomes like asking how to believe in some real fact, even if not knowable, like whether there is magma in the earth or if Einstein's theories are right, or if other universes exist. You can study the question and read lots of literature, and in the end you can think it is probably true. That way you get your "fact" belief. People often do not "know" the main beliefs of religion, they just look and come to a belief/trust/thought/estimate about it.

that Christ was the son of God, that his death redeemed our sins, etc etc etc.

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This is tougher. If you go to my website rakovskii.livejournal.com , I can prove to you that the Tanakh predicted that the Messiah would get killed and rise - one of the main teachings in Christianity.
But past that, things are tougher.
It is really not clear to me based on reasoning that Jesus rose bodily, even though William Lane Craig and others believe that they can "prove" it.

In fact, in my personal opinion, if you look at the facts in a purely secular way that does not care about Traditions of Christians or miracles, it looks more likely that it didn't happen. If we are talking about raw facts, then also this Resurrection of Jesus in 20-40 AD is something that we don't have the capability to prove, IMO 100% either, but IMO it's even harder to show than to show that God exists.

For example, W.L. Craig might look to the apostles and say that they could not be confused about what they saw - Jesus resurrected. But in truth there are lots of cases where Charismatics and even nonChristian religions claim to have extreme visions, and it's hard to know what to make of those claims for sure. So people get in big arguments, very long ones, about whether you an prove Jesus rose. They will say "No way, people might be confused about other visions, but not about Jesus, because He was right there in the middle of them." But in truth, people in other religions and in Christian sects have said that kind of thing too about some other visions.

So I think it's one of those fascinating mysteries in history. And IMO if we look at it in a secular way, it looks like the apostles could be confused or make it up like people could sometimes do in religions over the last 4000 years.

Ultimately we have to think and look as best we can, but after that there is nothing more to do unless we get a Time Machine or Remote Viewing ability.

directory said:

I can make myself follow Christ's teachings about how to live. I can make myself pray. I can make myself go to church. And I experience little "flashes" that are almost faith here and there. But none of that means anything without actual, full-on faith, right?

So where do I get faith? Christianity involves not just practices but a set of factual beliefs– I have to believe that God exists, that Christ was the son of God, that his death redeemed our sins, etc etc etc. Sometimes, I think it's like being presented with a box and told that, without opening it, I have to believe that there's a red ball inside it. I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

It can be infuriating. I want to have faith (sometimes, anyway), I pray for faith, I try ordering myself to believe, but something's missing. I haven't been able to force faith, and it's not coming on its own, and sometimes it's painfully frustrating– it's like I'm dying of thirst in a desert and faith is an oasis of water lying just out of reach of my lips. Is there anything I can do other than wait?

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Why do you feel that you have to definitely believe that there's a red ball inside the box? Sounds like your putting your faith in "how much" you feel, instead of in God. Faith is not a feeling, and more times than not, we will not feel anything when the need arises to trust God. Faith is a choice, not a feeling. Anyone can choose to act on something, even if they "don't" have any faith. For example, if someone has a leaking roof, and their ladder is cracking, falling apart, and looks too unstable to hold them, they can "still decide" to put their faith in the ladder anyway. They may have intense fear while they're climbing, but fear is not lack of faith. If someone can act on something, even though they're full of fear, or have no feelings at all, that is true full-on faith as you put it. So what I'm trying to say is, faith is not a feeling, faith is not knowing, faith is not proof, faith is a decision to "act" on what God said is true, no matter what you feel. If we wait on a "feeling", we will be waiting a very long time. God is faithful, he is the ladder that won't give way, no matter what things look like, or how you feel. So step out on what God's word says and start climbing and you'll begin to see God work things in your life that you never thought was possible. But if you don't read God's word, you won't know what to act on. If you can get an Amplified Bible and start reading some of the smaller books in the New Testament like Galatians, Colossians, and Ephesians it will most likely peek your interest more than starting in the Old Testament, or one of the bigger books of the New Testament. The Amplified makes the Bible come to life, and really helps you make a modern day, personal connection with God's word.

directory, post: I can make myself follow Christ's teachings about how to live. I can make myself pray. I can make myself go to church. And I experience little "flashes" that are almost faith here and there. But none of that means anything without actual, full-on faith, right?
So where do I get faith? Christianity involves not just practices but a set of factual beliefs– I have to believe that God exists, that Christ was the son of God, that his death redeemed our sins, etc etc etc. Sometimes, I think it's like being presented with a box and told that, without opening it, I have to believe that there's a red ball inside it. I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

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I think you have faith already, or you wouldn't care.

It can be infuriating. I want to have faith (sometimes, anyway), I pray for faith, I try ordering myself to believe, but something's missing. I haven't been able to force faith, and it's not coming on its own, and sometimes it's painfully frustrating– it's like I'm dying of thirst in a desert and faith is an oasis of water lying just out of reach of my lips. Is there anything I can do other than wait?

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Are you familiar with the two greatest commandments?

directory said:

I can make myself follow Christ's teachings about how to live. I can make myself pray. I can make myself go to church. And I experience little "flashes" that are almost faith here and there. But none of that means anything without actual, full-on faith, right?

So where do I get faith? Christianity involves not just practices but a set of factual beliefs– I have to believe that God exists, that Christ was the son of God, that his death redeemed our sins, etc etc etc. Sometimes, I think it's like being presented with a box and told that, without opening it, I have to believe that there's a red ball inside it. I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

It can be infuriating. I want to have faith (sometimes, anyway), I pray for faith, I try ordering myself to believe, but something's missing. I haven't been able to force faith, and it's not coming on its own, and sometimes it's painfully frustrating– it's like I'm dying of thirst in a desert and faith is an oasis of water lying just out of reach of my lips. Is there anything I can do other than wait?

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Faith is a gift from God. It is not something we create in and of ourselves. If you generated faith on your own, that would be a work, and thus not grace.

JoeP222w said:

Faith is a gift from God. It is not something we create in and of ourselves. If you generated faith on your own, that would be a work, and thus not grace.

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The Calvinist strikes again. Why you would take his faith and use it as a negative is beyond me, your words go against God.

Matthew 18:5-6
5"And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

More faith is definately something we can pray for. If you come to God with an ounce of faith, He will work with that.

You are on your way brother. Do not look upon what you lack, but that you are dealing with the God of the universe that can make all things happen.

directory said:

I can make myself follow Christ's teachings about how to live. I can make myself pray. I can make myself go to church. And I experience little "flashes" that are almost faith here and there. But none of that means anything without actual, full-on faith, right?

So where do I get faith? Christianity involves not just practices but a set of factual beliefs– I have to believe that God exists, that Christ was the son of God, that his death redeemed our sins, etc etc etc. Sometimes, I think it's like being presented with a box and told that, without opening it, I have to believe that there's a red ball inside it. I can acknowledge that there might be a red ball in there, but how can I make myself believe that there definitely, definitely is?

It can be infuriating. I want to have faith (sometimes, anyway), I pray for faith, I try ordering myself to believe, but something's missing. I haven't been able to force faith, and it's not coming on its own, and sometimes it's painfully frustrating– it's like I'm dying of thirst in a desert and faith is an oasis of water lying just out of reach of my lips. Is there anything I can do other than wait?

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Below we can see from Scripture itself what others in your circumstance have done and in the case of the Apostles, for certain, they overcame:

Hebrews 11:6:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

pray for faith:

Mark 9:24:
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” [boy's father is speaking to Jesus...I equate this to prayer]

here's a similar circumstance...

Luke 17:5:
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

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Good idea to read the Scripture because as Romans 10:17 proclaims:

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Also see Matthew 22:14...many are called, but few are chosen. ...so be earnest and seek Him while He may be found.