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How can I stregthen my faith in god

Harlee

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When I pray to god and ask him for things, I tell myself over and over and over...that he will do it. But then there is a little voice in my head that right out says, no he wont, and usually I end up not putting much effort into believing it can happen.

And also I feel like my life is "not bad enough" for my prayers to be answered. I ask for things, but really only the poor or really sick people have it happen to them.
 

heron

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All of us go through this, off and on. The "not bad enough" actually shows some refreshing humility.

We get trained in controlled humility from social situations -- not wanting to look pushy or arrogant. If you keep reading how God approaches the asking process, you will see that He has some terms that differ from the way we ask people.

We are His children. He already owns everything, and wants us to live healthy and productive lives. Wealth is not always the answer to happiness, but generosity among each other makes sure that no one suffers too badly.

And what do we really want out of life -- feeling productive, feeling needed, feeling useful and appreciated. Exploring, seeing variety and beauty, learning new things, feeling loved.

To live for the Kingdom of God, we can set our minds to bring good things into others' lives. When we pray for things with this in mind, God sees that we are not just obsessed with our own problems.

Jesus healed out of compassion. He taught faith, but Jesus also taught to bring things into others' lives with love.

The apostle Paul taught this too.

I Corinthians 13:2
And if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
 
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Jeffwhosoever

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The Lord never promised an easy life - examine closely what happened to the majority of the original Apostles. The lense of the Lord is focused on eternity, and your spiritual welfare, not necessarily your current physical or income state. Most of my spirtitual growth has occurred through the trials of life, and they haven't been easy. He does tell us he will always be with us, through whatever our trials may be, and we must trust Him that whatever comes our way, will be at the will of the Lord Jesus Christ for all those who put their faith in Him.
 
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Jeffwhosoever

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I agree with Johnnz.

My point - some people think that because they pray and God does not answer - it means they are not saved. That is false teaching. If I were to pray tonight to win a lottery (assuming I actually bought a ticket - which I don't) for $10B, and tomorrow I wake up not winning, it was not a matter of God not answering my prayer, but a matter of the $10B not being God's will for me. The Lord Jesus I'm sure would know that such an answer to my prayer could destroy me, making me useless as a future witness to the Gospel message. Prayers are answered when we go in Faith to the Lord, and when in concert with the will of the Lord for our lives or the lives for which we may pray.
 
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bluegreysky

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When I pray to god and ask him for things, I tell myself over and over and over...that he will do it. But then there is a little voice in my head that right out says, no he wont, and usually I end up not putting much effort into believing it can happen.

And also I feel like my life is "not bad enough" for my prayers to be answered. I ask for things, but really only the poor or really sick people have it happen to them.

Your life doesn't have to be bad... everyone has needs!
count this as a blessing. You get to conduct a faith experiment, but without the sort of desperation that alot of others have.
Some people search God for answers because they are on the threshhold between life as they know it and what they think is their doom.. no job, no place to live, or losing someone they love, for example.
I've kind of been this way about jobs.
Sometimes, a person needs one of those situations to learn how to have faith.
But sometimes, they don't.
Since you aren't feeling desperate, here's something you can do.
Over the next few days, search your heart for something you wish you had or didnt have but in your case, reality is the opposite.
It has to be something you legitimately want, not something you just made up. Then, you can pray and ask God to provide it for you.
God will answer either "yes" "no" or "wait".
He'll find a way that you understand to show you this answer.
One method I believe in is if 3 or more unrelated people say the same thing,
and its not just a generality like "you're going to be okay"... it has to be something like "I think you are about to find a job" (yes), "I wouldn't wait for him to come back around" (no) or "you have alot of growing to do first" (wait)
If its something that you need, like a new job, then you can take the steps towards it that are in your power, but only God will open the doors for you.
You'll watch possible employers pass you by but then one will offer you something and you will feel good about it (no red flag) and you will know that was the job you were meant to get.

There's another method you can go about it too...
pray for something to test you. ask for "Gods will for you to be done".
It's scary, and don't do it until you're prepared for life to turn up-side down.
But it might be in a good way.
A girl from my church prayed this, and now she's moving to Japan next month.
my boyfriend prayed it, and the next day his car broke down, trapping him at home for awhile and forcing him to face his inner demons and turn them over to God. (it helped our relationship)
Something could be given to you- like great responsibility. Something could be taken away. Something could be forever alterred.
But it will force you to trust God that it will turn out alright in the end, whether or not you can see that at first.

blessings ^_^
 
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Sketcher

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For the first situation, just remind yourself that God can do it; let's see if he does it. It's not a silver bullet solution, but it's a faith exercise. We need to exercise our faith like we need to exercise our bodies.

For the second situation, I struggle with that sometimes as well, and I have recently. I shared this with a sister in Christ whose life certainly was "bad enough" to get God's attention. And she reminded me that God is willing and ready to heal, whether it's a paper cut, or a severed limb.
 
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childofGod31

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When I pray to god and ask him for things, I tell myself over and over and over...that he will do it. But then there is a little voice in my head that right out says, no he wont, and usually I end up not putting much effort into believing it can happen.

And also I feel like my life is "not bad enough" for my prayers to be answered. I ask for things, but really only the poor or really sick people have it happen to them.


You can strengthen your faith by drawing closer to God. Focus on developing your relationship. Not just requests, but an actual daily relationship. Treat Him as your best friend or a best Father.

If you had a girlfriend, you don't just only come to her when you need something, but you need to be there for her throughout all the other times. You need to GIVE, in order to receive.

You can receive blessings from God, and get more faith by drawing closer to God and walking daily with Him.

You can do that by first realizing that He is there with you, in your heart, by you, listening and waiting for you to talk to Him. He is not a Santa Claus for christmas seasons kind of person. He is your "daily best friend" kind of person.

Talk to Him daily. Consult Him on everything. Give your time and your attention to him. Search for Him. Put Him first in your life.

Do read the Bible. But don't try to understand with your mind. Pray for Him to reveal the meaning. But the Bible is not the only way to connect with God. What I mean is - you can do something IN ADDITION to trying to connect with God through the Bible. The Bible is our foundation. We all need to build on foundation in order to withstand any storm. But there are other ways in addition to that to help you on your way.

I would recommend connecting with Him through something that you like, something that reminds you of Him. Is there such a thing in your life? For some people it's nature. They go into nature and they feel God there. For others it's math. They see math and they immediately think of God. For others it's love. They see songs about love, they think of God.
Whatever works for you, use that to connect with God. Do that and try to focus your thoughts on Him and stay in His presence. Feel that He is present with you by believing (and knowing) that He is right there.

God bless you in your journey. I hope you take it. Then you will see your faith grow.
 
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