Faith in God, how to acquire faith and why you should do it.

Faith begins when we open ourselves to the unknown and choose to believe and explore a relationship with God. To have faith in God is to trust in him. However, a requirement for trust is to know a person well. How can we get to know God, have faith and trust in him, when we can’t see him? Many people find it challenging to follow God because they are not able to see him or know him. Others think that only certain people have access to him and that you must be a saint to approach him. God is the creator of life, he is a spirit, and his home is in the heavens(or goodness)that lies within every single one of us regardless of race, religion, gender, color or validation.

I often point to love as the perfect example of something wonderful that we feel, yet we cannot see to illustrate what it is to relate to God. True love is so amazing, is good, giving, and it is better experienced in relation to others. I love my children, and there is something exceptional within me, that happens when I hug them, kiss them, or help them in any way. it is love because of the way they make me feel; It is indescribable. I care and want the best for them and take great delight in being their mother and leading them to bigger things.

In my relationship with God, my feelings are similar to those I feel for my children . When I feel God near me, I experience something within me that is beautiful and difficult to explain. It is as if I don’t lack anything. I feel known, loved, helped, and accepted just the way I am. One may say, I don’t know God that well or I not sure I believe that he exists so, how can I trust him or have faith in him? And why should I?

Necessity and desire. So many people reach out to God in search of something that they want or need. For me, it was no difference.  Thought I had had a distant relationship with God since I was a child; it was when I almost died of sadness and worry because of my husband’s illness that I looked for God with all my heart. I was so desperate and needed help immediately. Dissatisfied with my life and thirty for God’s help, I prayed so many times and read the entire Bible in record time.

In response, God gave me his goodness but not in the precise way that I was asking. I wanted out of my situation immediately, and that did not happen. However, what kept me there, pressing and reaching out to God was a combination of faith and lack of real hope. To an extent, I believed in God, on the other end, what else was there for me to do.

Faith in God is essential to live a better life. At some point in our lives, we will face situations in which we will find ourselves loss and without direction. The one without faith or hope limit itself. However, the one that waits and hopes sees God’s goodness and become aware and participant of the big part of life that is unseen and mysterious.

Life is more about faith and trust than we realized. Every day, we trust so many people with our lives and the lives of those we love. We trust the safety of our children in school; the clean and healthy preparation of our food in restaurants; the strangers driving their cars who we expect to stop at the red light for us to safely cross the street.  Things often go wrong here on Earth, but we must continue trusting because there is simply no other healthy way around it. Therefore, if we can trust so much daily amid constant disappointment, we can make an effort and also trust God to reveal to us who he truly is.

The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes from hearing the good news about Christ.  The good news is that God’s help is readily available to humanity.  This new is so great and so overlooked.  A way to get this help, is by faith, meaning that those who believe this help exists, can expect the interception of God in their lives.  Below are my five suggestions to build confidence and faith in God and be part of his kingdom:

1. Imagine that God was a human being and that you have the chance to be close to Him, what would you do? How would you get to know him? What would you ask him about you and the World? If you had the certainty that God was listening to you, what would you ask? I can assure you that God is good and that he hears. Direct your questions and feelings to God until you get an answer. Trust me, you will.

2. Learn about God. The Bible has many stories that can give you an insight into God’s character and relationship with other people. You can also watch shows on tv about God. I learned so much from Joel Osteen, Joseph Prince, The Jewish Jesus, among others. Ask a question to someone that you know believes in God. Ask him or her what make him believe.

3. Acknowledge your doubts and feelings and direct them to God in your thoughts. I have had many instances where I struggled to accept something. Usually I talk to God in my mind and let him know how hard it is for me to understand and believe something. I think about the reasons and tell him, and I express my desire to come to an understanding or acceptance of whatever it is that is hard for me to believe. I do it every time the doubt begins in my mind. Just be honest and admit that there are things that you don’t know and have the desire to get to the truth.

4. Do not give up. Be patient and keep searching. Keep you quest to know God sincere and genuine. A passage in the book of Jeremiah (29:13) reminds us of God’s word about our pursuit “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” Put your heart into this quest, and you will find God. Question yourself about what does it means to seek something with all your heart. Search, and you will find.

5. Trust. Remain hopeful that you will deepen your knowledge and mindful that you don’t know what lies ahead.

These are some other benefits of having faith in God:

– A real sense of who you are and where you come from, and this will amaze you and change your opinion about yourself and others.

-Access to the gifts within you; Love, freedom, and trust. These will be your new found deep source of goodness that you will extend to yourself and others, and by doing so, you will also experience the mystery of giving.

– Guidance, comfort, love, and solutions when dealing with life’s challenges.

-Your soul will be uplifting, hopeful, persuasive, and kind. Your mind and understanding will expand to accept the wonders, paradoxes, and mysteries of life.

-God’s promises for hope and protection.

The joy that comes from knowing God is indescribable. It is to know, wonder, trust, and accept all at the same time.  I urge you to put your heart in pursuit of God.  Your life will change in unfathomable ways.