The past two days have been really bad I have been trying to force myself into believing that either there is a God or no God. It has been exhausting. My pastor tells me if I want to believe in God I can and if I choose not to I will go to hell. What if you want to but just don't. I know people like that. If you do not believe, have faith or trust God is there how can you make yourself and why do u deserve hell when if God exists he did not give you these things ding ding ding he predestined people. Then my pastor said I have to trust God to save me if I do believe but doubt because he promised he would save me. Uuum then why all the you have to believe in God with all your heart to be saved etc.
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What if no matter how hard you try you can't believe in God
- Thread starter raven1
- Start date
SharonL
Senior Veteran
Just start looking around at nature, how it survives every year, look at the birds and how they know to do what they do, start off with the simple things, then look at your own body - how do you explain it came into existance if you do not believe there is a God.
Read the Scriptures. God knows your heart and you are not saying there is no God - maybe you are relying on feelings too much - just open your heart and ask Jesus to be Lord of your life and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. The Bible tells us that Jesus is your friend, you can talk to Him like a friend and just express yourself to Him honestly. The enemy will always put doubt into your mind to keep you from believing. It is called faith - just keep leaning into the arms of Jesus and your faith will grow.
Blessings
Read the Scriptures. God knows your heart and you are not saying there is no God - maybe you are relying on feelings too much - just open your heart and ask Jesus to be Lord of your life and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. The Bible tells us that Jesus is your friend, you can talk to Him like a friend and just express yourself to Him honestly. The enemy will always put doubt into your mind to keep you from believing. It is called faith - just keep leaning into the arms of Jesus and your faith will grow.
Blessings
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- May 10, 2011
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I think it starts with the question...IS it possible? Is it a possibility? If it is a possibility then I can give it a try and see how it feels. Do the lessons in the Bible make sense to me? Can I put these principles and practices in my life and will it make it better? Things like love my neighbor as myself. Ok, I can give that a try. Don't tell any lies ever. That's a tough one but maybe I'll feel like a better person if I do. If these things do make you feel like a better person. If you feel some results from taking the actions suggested by the people that have been doing this for a while maybe it is a good fit.
If you are stuck on there is no possible way any of this is true, I don't know how to fight that other than fake it till you make it. That somehow by going through the practice waiting for a result, God will somehow let you know he's real. You'll just feel it in your bones. Only if you try with truly an open heart not like "ok Go, here's your chance, you got 5 minutes to make me believe annnd go" I don't know if it would work like that but it might.
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I just know it says ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened unto you. I don't think it happens in a way we expect every time but a subtle building over time. I hope that helps. I know one thing, when I needed him he was there in a way I can't fully explain but it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I knew I wasn't alone. It could have many explinations but I took it as God's presence with me. I can't lie, I don't feel it every minute of every day. It's an ongoing thing I must persue in order to keep that spiritual satisfaction so I come to places like this, do Bible study and other things that keep me close to that feeling I had when I discovered that presence.
EDIT: It's like I wish I could just take that experience and put it in a box and send it to you, I think you would like it
If you are stuck on there is no possible way any of this is true, I don't know how to fight that other than fake it till you make it. That somehow by going through the practice waiting for a result, God will somehow let you know he's real. You'll just feel it in your bones. Only if you try with truly an open heart not like "ok Go, here's your chance, you got 5 minutes to make me believe annnd go" I don't know if it would work like that but it might.
.
I just know it says ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened unto you. I don't think it happens in a way we expect every time but a subtle building over time. I hope that helps. I know one thing, when I needed him he was there in a way I can't fully explain but it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I knew I wasn't alone. It could have many explinations but I took it as God's presence with me. I can't lie, I don't feel it every minute of every day. It's an ongoing thing I must persue in order to keep that spiritual satisfaction so I come to places like this, do Bible study and other things that keep me close to that feeling I had when I discovered that presence.
EDIT: It's like I wish I could just take that experience and put it in a box and send it to you, I think you would like it
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Tolerant Skeptic
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If you feel in your heart that there is no God, then why fight it? Christianity, is the world's largest religion, but most of the world's population is composed of non-Christians, so you have a lot of others that don't believe behind you. I'd suggest reading up on your natural sciences to better understand how the life, the world, and the universe could have arrises purely by natural causes. If you are still bothered by it, then there are books to help those that have a hard time finding meaning in their life without religion. Personally, I wouldn't know why an all-powerful deity would be so concerned with whether or not people believed in him, or how such a being could punish them for such actions and still be considered benevolent, but that's just me. I suppose you could research other religions too if you don't believe in the Abrahamic God but still think something is out there.
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gracealone
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Raven,
You cannot muster up feelings of faith, no not even by staring at your mustard seed bracelet. You have OCD so nothing that any of these well intentioned replies offered to you will make you feel better about this. All these logical counterstatements, proof, evidences, arguments just keep you "on topic" with the OCD and that is counterproductive to your healing. The more you do this the worse you'll feel. Treat the OCD with the proven tactics of ignoring the obsessions and doing ERP and using meds.. That's the way to get better. You should know by now that your war efforts haven't been working and won't work.
Love you,
Mitzi
You cannot muster up feelings of faith, no not even by staring at your mustard seed bracelet. You have OCD so nothing that any of these well intentioned replies offered to you will make you feel better about this. All these logical counterstatements, proof, evidences, arguments just keep you "on topic" with the OCD and that is counterproductive to your healing. The more you do this the worse you'll feel. Treat the OCD with the proven tactics of ignoring the obsessions and doing ERP and using meds.. That's the way to get better. You should know by now that your war efforts haven't been working and won't work.
Love you,
Mitzi
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You know, you can also get "real" with God too. Say "God, I want to know you, trust in you and start a relationship with you. I need for you to make this happen, because I can't do this by myself. Give me what it takes to believe in you because I want to trust you. I want to know your son and the life YOU have planned out for me, but I need CLEAR direction. Help me to walk in YOUR grace and faith". God will NOT reject you nor your prayers....
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And like a small tiny plant, that needs water, sun and nurturing, God will attend to you the same way. Don't expect growth overnight, although if He wants it that way, it could happen. He will allow you to grow according to His time frame, what He thinks is right. And you must trust Him. You can also say "God, even though I trust in you, I have this doubt in my mind and heart. Help me to conquer it, because only you can".
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I feel like I am going to be atheist very soon. Something is driving me there but also as the days go by I feel more and more like the notion of God is silly. Like evolution makes more sense then God creating everything out of nothing but I know I can not know for sure so I am scared it is possible I will go to hell. This shows me this is switching religions and not OCD.
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It seems like you are relying more on your feelings than what you see and believe. Your feelings can make you think things that are not even true. I for one believe you have a severe form of OCD. I think your biggest fear is unbelief and so your OCD thrives on that. I think you should see a psychologist and possible meds. I am only saying that because I have seen one and have been on meds and they helped tremendously!!! Praying for you!!!
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Before I just knew God was there. Now I don't see how he could be. How could he have made something from nothing. It makes more sense something always existed that wasn't God and him walking on water etc. This not ocd this is me losing my faith.
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Philippians 4 says that we need to immerse our minds in good material - not in junk.
If you do that you will have some degree of freedom to think clearly and to be influenced by the Holy Spirit. If you choose to inhale junk music and junk videos - you are virtually shutting out the Spirit of God.
in Christ,
Bob
If you do that you will have some degree of freedom to think clearly and to be influenced by the Holy Spirit. If you choose to inhale junk music and junk videos - you are virtually shutting out the Spirit of God.
in Christ,
Bob
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T
Theofane
Guest
This is good. It shows that your heart is not completely hardened against Him. But is it your destiny to be an atheist?
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I don't want to be athiest and go to hell if its there but how can I avoid it when Christianity makes less sense. It isn't my fault I think it makes less sense. Then there is a part that ways embrace athiesm.
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SharonL
Senior Veteran
The old saying of - what if you believe and nothing is there - you've lost nothing -
but what if you don't believe and it's there - you've lost everything.
Just get in the Scripture and be honest with God - talk to Him - tell Him you want to believe and help your unbelief. God knows your heart and the enemy will always put doubt in your mind - you have to overcome the enemy by speaking God's Word - the enemy won't stay around long with God's Word always in your heart.
but what if you don't believe and it's there - you've lost everything.
Just get in the Scripture and be honest with God - talk to Him - tell Him you want to believe and help your unbelief. God knows your heart and the enemy will always put doubt in your mind - you have to overcome the enemy by speaking God's Word - the enemy won't stay around long with God's Word always in your heart.
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I know that if God exists he knows my heart but I don't know my heart because I want to believe and also don't because I doubt he is there so much a athiest in me saying dont try to prove he is there u know he isnt. Then there is the part that says maybe he is. My heart is mainly athiestic.
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SharonL
Senior Veteran
Your heart is mainly athiest because you are letting the enemy control your thoughts. If you put those thoughts aside and spend that thought process of drawing closer to God, you will win this battle. The enemy will not let you alone as long as you accept the thoughts he is putting in your mind.
Remember the enemy has one goal - to draw you away from God. If you put him under your feet and refuse his thoughts, you will find Jesus waiting with open arms.
Remember the enemy has one goal - to draw you away from God. If you put him under your feet and refuse his thoughts, you will find Jesus waiting with open arms.
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Raven, Please go listen to this song. It reminds me so much of what your experiencing. Just Listen, I think it will help you tremendously!!
Kirk Franklin - Help Me Believe - YouTube
Kirk Franklin - Help Me Believe - YouTube
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Great so now the only pastor I have been able to get to help me is done with me. He said I was choosing to be athiest. How is it my fault athiesm makes more sense.
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