Faith???

[Hannah Katke]

I have been raised in a Christian home all my life. My dad is a pastor at a very successful nondenominational church. But I've had a hard time "making faith my own" all I want is to please God and pursue his will for my life but I'm struggling. I struggle with daily devotions. When I read the Bible I feel like it goes in one ear and out the other, but when I listen to worship I just melt. Is this normal? I really do want to dig into the word and understand and be able to disect it but I can't seem to feel God through the Bible. I'm a senior in high school and still very insecure. I keep telling myself once highschools over I won't have to deal with it anymore, but deep down I know that's not true. How do I ground my faith so I can be secure in God and get things out of it when I read the Bible.

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

I have been raised in a Christian home all my life. My dad is a pastor at a very successful nondenominational church. But I've had a hard time "making faith my own" all I want is to please God and pursue his will for my life but I'm struggling. I struggle with daily devotions. When I read the Bible I feel like it goes in one ear and out the other, but when I listen to worship I just melt. Is this normal? I really do want to dig into the word and understand and be able to disect it but I can't seem to feel God through the Bible. I'm a senior in high school and still very insecure. I keep telling myself once highschools over I won't have to deal with it anymore, but deep down I know that's not true. How do I ground my faith so I can be secure in God and get things out of it when I read the Bible.

We all struggle with daily devotions and with actually apprehending what the Bible is telling you. I myself have these problems sometimes. Do not worry! You will not lose salvation because of this!

Yes, it is normal for us to ‘melt’ when listening to a beautiful worship song like Oceans, but then easily get distracted whilst we are reading a boring part of the Bible like Leviticus. You are not alone. We all have that feeling. However, we must fight to pay attention to anything God wants us to know, be it via worship or via the Bible.

If you want to dig into the Word, here I lay a few suggestions:

1. To start with, choose an any passage to analyse — the long lists of laws in Leviticus or the complicated prophecies at the end of the Old Testament are not very good candidates. Start reading Genesis, or the Psalms, or Proverbs, or one of the gospels, or one of the letters.
2. Read it in a version you can understand. If you want to be impacted by the words you are reading, do not use the King James Version; that version is written in such old-fashioned English that 1) it does not sound so impacting as a version in modern English does and 2) you will not even understand parts of it. (Don't believe in me? Choose a random chapter from one of the New Testament letters, read it in the KJV, then in the NIV, and compare what you felt.) If you want to be impacted by the words you are reading, I highly recommend the New International Version. I have tried it myself and it really feels very touching.
3. Use a Bible that contains helpful footnotes with parallel passages.
4. Read the same passage in more than one Bible version. There are always tiny nuances you miss in one translation, but which are made more evident in another translation. I have tried it myself and found it to be a great blessing to compare two or three translations for the same passage.
5. Use a useful website, like GotQuestions.org, if you have any questions about what you have read. I have used this website, and I have personally found it to be very, very good and very, very helpful.
6. Before you start reading, pray that God will open your eyes to the tiniest details that he wants you to notice. God speaks to you through his Word, and he may use a certain instance when you are reading it to tell you something by causing you to notice something in his Word. Pray also that you may apprehend whatever he wants you to as you read.
7. Discuss a passage with fellow believers at your church. Someone may have noticed something you may have missed, and which would be a blessing for you.
8. And, last but not least, ask me anything if you should need any help: I shall be willing to help!

I hope these pieces of advice have been useful! God bless you!

 

[Hannah Katke]

Thank you. I will do my best to put these into practice.

 

[Saricharity]

HI Hannah,

Hello from another PK.

Oops my iPad is a little wonky tonight. I hope it cooperates because I wanted to share with you some of the ways I like to study scriptures. Stay tuned for some links.

Have you ever heard of bible journaling? Do you have Pinterest? If you do, search it and you will find a whole plethora of ideas.
Have you heard of Soaping scripture? It's another way that I like to study scripture.
Also I can show you a link to a Facebook group that is studying Exodus right now, as well they will be starting a Christmas one in November. It includes artwork, bible study and questions and answers. It's a very encouraging group with many Godly women.
There are teens there too.
If you want to know more about it, feel free to message me. Music speaks to me as well and it's all part of the worship experience.

 

[Tigger45]

I would think it might be normal feeling like your faith is not your's being a pastors kid and maybe vicariously living your spirituality through your dad. You might want to think of all the blessings God has bestowed uniquely upon you and those times God has carried you trough bad times. Maybe make a list and meditate on them.

 

[Saricharity]

http://biblestoriesfromtheheart.com/. This is the webpage to the bible study but it also has a Facebook group as well.

 

[Saricharity]

Soap. http://www.lovegodgreatly.com/lgg/how-to-soap/

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

HI Hannah,

Hello from another PK.

[...]

Er... Sorry for the (perhaps stupid) question, but what is a ‘PK’? I really do not know!

 

[Saricharity]

Er... Sorry for the (perhaps stupid) question, but what is a ‘PK’? I really do not know!

Aw that's okay.

It just means preachers kid or pastors kid...just an affectionate term that people often use.

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

Aw that's okay.

It just means preachers kid or pastors kid...just an affectionate term that people often use.

Ah! That makes sense. Thanks!

I am not a pastor's kid, but I believe it is a great blessing to be one. Enjoy that special blessing that God has bestowed upon you and not on almost everyone else at your church!