Faith in God is a feeling that cannot be materially estimated. People who attend churches, read holy scriptures, perform religious rites, call themselves believers. However, real faith is not outside, but inside, in the heart. How to believe in God for real? First of all, one must know about Him and seek Him.
Seek god
A person is born in a certain national culture in which his religious traditions are present. The resident of an Arab country is automatically equated with Muslims, a Slavic country with Christians, an Asian with Buddhists, etc. Traditional religion is not always satisfying. He begins to search for something new, and these searches are viewed by the environment negatively. And man just sincerely wants to believe in God for real. It cannot be regarded as a betrayal .
Different religious traditions carry a certain mood. Mood is a unique type of relationship with the Almighty. God as a father, friend, master. Each soul has its own individual relationship with Him. Understanding these relationships is one of the tasks in the search for God. A person begins to study different religious traditions.
Scriptures about God
All holy books give their idea of God. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ speaks of God as a loving heavenly Father. In the Qur'an, the Almighty appears as the all-merciful lord who is worshiped in a mood of reverence and reverence. The Mahabharata Vedic treatise describes the Supreme Lord Krishna as a playful boy and attractive young man.
The Lord has an infinite number of images and manifestations. He is the Absolute Truth to which everything is subject. To which Divine Image to devote himself, everyone will decide for himself. The main thing here is to listen to the heart: where the soul stretches, where it feels good, what it responds to. God is love, and love is bliss. All these are correct words, but how to believe in God if you do not believe? Saints who have not only deep faith but also transcendental experience can help here.
The Saints
Saints are considered people living in this world, but not internally belonging to it. All their thoughts and hopes are connected with God and the spiritual world. Their main distinguishing feature is a taste for spiritual practice, the absence of fear of life and death, and the presence of Divine love in the heart. The scriptures say that they are infected by faith, as a disease, from those who have it. It is a great success to meet such a person on a life journey. Even more lucky if you get the opportunity to live next to him, study and serve him.
Communication determines consciousness. Contact with a holy person cleanses the mind of material desires, and gives a taste for spirituality. Divine energy flowing through the hearts of these people helps to believe in God.
The problem is that there are very few of them, and they prefer to lead a secluded lifestyle. It is unlikely that he will be lucky enough to meet him. How to believe in God if there are no saints in the area? The soul in search of God turns to religion.
Religion and religiosity
Religion is an attempt to understand the spiritual world and the Almighty through matter. People composed the scriptures and devised rituals of worship. Archpriest Alexander Men said that religion is a human, earthly phenomenon. The sacred treatises of all religious denominations describe how to believe in God. With the help of religion, a person acquires a worldview that leads him along the spiritual path.
Just as it is impossible to become a doctor by reading medical textbooks, it is impossible to gain faith only by reading the scriptures. Here a special mood of the soul and a desire to know the Absolute Truth are needed. Without this approach, religiosity becomes fanaticism.
Fanaticism and faith
Inability to feel spiritual vibrations is replaced by external worship. This in itself is not bad, but often there is a roll in strict adherence to rules and regulations to the detriment of internal fullness. Instead of changing for the better, a person cultivates pride in himself. He considers himself better than others, because he worships God, which means that he is the chosen one. There is arrogance and neglect of people.
Zealots are present in all religions. They believe that only their religious organization, their writings, their rites, etc. are the most correct. And only they know how to believe in God. The rest are infidels, fallen because they chose the wrong path. Meeting a fanatical person can kill a weak sprout of faith.
But any beginner can become a fanatic. By imposing his religion on others, he first of all proves to himself that he made the right choice. This is the initial stage of spiritual life through which almost everyone goes. The main thing is not to get stuck on it, not to allow pride to prevail. It must be remembered that destroying the faith of others, it is impossible to develop yourself.
What is faith?
How to make believe in God? The answer is no way. Faith is not an object that can be transmitted at will. You can only be a conductor of this divine energy acting through man. Faith is not just a product of reflection, logical juxtaposition, and evidence. It comes from spiritual reality, contrary to our reasoning. Only having it in your own heart can you pass it on to others.
“Faith is the power of the heart”
The Thinker Blaise Pascal
But if the heart is silent, how to believe in God? Orthodoxy defines faith as a person’s trust in Divine truth, not on the basis of reason and evidence, but on the basis of the testimonies of the scriptures. Faith is not just recognition of God, it is unconditional devotion to Him.
Doubt
Initial faith is very fragile. Doubts can break it. Archpriest Alexander Lebedev identified four types of doubt.
- Doubt of the mind arises from superficial knowledge. It passes over time as you gain deeper knowledge.
- Doubt of the heart. The mind understands and accepts everything, but the heart does not feel the presence of God and the spiritual world. Books will not help here. Information can satisfy the mind, and the heart is nourished by the senses. Sincere prayer to God helps to get rid of such doubts, because the Lord always answers the call of the heart.
- Doubt arises as a result of a conflict of mind and heart. It feels that the Lord is, and it is difficult for the mind to believe in God. Why does he allow people to suffer? Both prayers and books will help here.
- Doubts of life. Man accepts the existence of God, but modern life does not have the commandments. Archpriest Alexander Lebedev recommends taking a decisive step and forcing yourself to follow the divine laws. Over time, this will become a habit and will not cause difficulties.
The reason for doubt is a large number of unexcited material desires.
Reasons for material desires
The desire for selfish pleasures gives rise to an infinite number of material desires. It is impossible to satisfy them, since the spiritual emptiness cannot be filled with dead things. Throws a person from one extreme to another. At first he can enjoy to satiety, and then abruptly deny everything, like Aramis from The Three Musketeers ... by A. Dumas. He met with married ladies, then dressed in the clothes of a priest and lived in a monastery.
Such wanderings do not lead to anything good. A person should stop and think about himself and his nature, about God, and his relationship with Him. Find answers in the scriptures.
Refusing to communicate with materially inclined people who live under the slogan “Take everything from life!” Will help to muffle the itch of material desires. These tips help someone with at least some faith. But how to believe in God an atheist?
There are no atheists in the trenches
Dictionaries define atheism as unbelief and denial of the divine principle. The Soviet Union was considered an atheist state, and Soviet citizens - atheists. But things were different. Many times in life, a person unconsciously says phrases dedicated to God: “Glory to God”, “Well, God help you”, “God will forgive”, “God help”, etc.
There is no such person who in difficult times would not turn to higher powers. Despair makes one sometimes believe in the most impossible. It is known that during World War II, everyone prayed before the battle: both believers and party atheists.
History knows many cases about how difficult situations helped to believe in God. This confirms the story of one pilot. The plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft guns. I had to fall from a great height. All this time he prayed desperately: "Lord, if you are, save me, and I will dedicate my life to you." The agreement was fulfilled: the pilot was saved miraculously and became a believer. Dealing with God is the initial level of faith.
How faith develops
A person coming into this world is conditioned by his body, which makes him seek certain pleasures. There are people who easily refuse the pleasures associated with food, sex, etc. And for some it is the meaning of life. These categories of people have different interests in seeking the Truth. The former sincerely turn to God, and the latter remember the Lord either in difficult times, or out of a desire to gain more material wealth. The former are more successful in gaining faith, the latter are in constant doubt.
Faith develops from a self-serving relationship with God: “You are to me, I am to you,” to complete selfless service to Him and others.
Developing faith helps you truly believe in God. Orthodoxy, like other religious denominations, defines several levels of faith. Priest Valery Dukhanin talks about three types:
- Faith as confidence. Man accepts truths at the level of the mind. He is convinced of the existence of something: there is a planet Venus, the USSR won the war, God exists. Such faith does not change anything inside. Absolute Truth is on a par with matter.
- Faith as trust. At this level, man not only accepts the existence of God at the level of the mind, but she already lives in the heart. With such faith, a person turns to the Lord with prayers, in difficult times relies on Him, lives according to the commandments.
- Faith as faithfulness. Man not only recognizes God with his mind, trusts Him in his heart, but is also ready to follow His will. Such faith is distinguished by the purity of love based on fidelity. It involves sacrifice when life is built according to God's will. To achieve this level, you need internal work on yourself and your passions. It is such faith that is saving.
How to truly believe in God
The reason for any dissatisfaction is the lack of love and happiness. The reason for dissatisfaction with weak faith in the desire of the soul for Divine Love. At first, a person is satisfied with external attributes: religious rites, visiting temples and holy places. If all actions were mechanical, then a spiritual crisis ensues.
The path to God is the path to love, long and full of suffering. They arise through the fault of the person himself, because the level of consciousness is low. More often, instead of love, anger and envy, hatred and aggression, greed and indifference, etc. are manifested. If a person needs real, not formal faith, he must be honest with himself. It is necessary to remove all psychological masks and defenses, and see yourself for who it is - imperfect. Recognizing your negative qualities, you must accept them. This step reduces pride, arrogance and slander.
Sincere prayers help to overcome suffering and follow the path of Love. Vedic scriptures say that a person cannot do anything, even control his body. The only thing that is available to him is desire. The Lord fulfills all our true aspirations. A strong desire to reach God and have real faith will also be satisfied by the Almighty.