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God FAQ - Frequently Asked
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We don’t assume to have all the
answers or to know the mind of God – who can? Yet,
we believe that God does work miraculously in people’s
lives. Many people have questions about God. Here we share
some of those frequently asked questions of God and our
insight.
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How
do I know that God really exists without referring to
the Bible for evidence?
The question is an excellent one. In
attempting to provide an adequate answer a return question
is in order. Have you ever wondered whether there is a
God, a creator who is responsible for life, our world,
the universe, etc?
If you can answer yes, then look at what prompts that
question. Can you find evidence outside of the Bible for
intelligent design? Also, have you seen evidence or experienced
anything that can not be explained with all our learning
or understanding? Basically, a miracle – something
happening that is "super"-natural.
In the article on our site titled Where
to Find God I state a belief that the knowledge of
God is inside each of us. I believe we are made in the
image and likeness of God; therefore it is natural to
look within for the revelation of God.
We can also look at other people. Usually we see evidence
of negative things. The evil, hurt, destruction, anger,
and selfishness are what capture the headlines. Unfortunately,
it reinforces to many people the absence of God. Yet,
there are people who are unbelievably kind, considerate,
compassionate and helpful. They are servants of others
and they do it with a love and joy we may find hard to
understand. Where does their motivation and drive come
from? If they claim it is God is that evidence of the
divine independent of the Bible?
Many people claim to see God’s presence in creation,
in nature, in unexplainable events or in love expressed
by others who believe in God. What I think the Bible demonstrates
is a confirmation of the one, true God who created us
to have a relationship with Him and is constantly seeking
us and desiring that relationship. This is most demonstrated
through sending the Messiah – God as man – to
bring us back to a right relationship by removing the
sin (that which separates us from God) – Christ dying
on the cross and resurrected to life – and making
it possible for us to have communion with God.
I realize the limitations in addressing this question.
Who can explain or prove the existence of God? I do believe
that if you are seeking then God will reveal His presence.
It's a spiritual matter which cannot adequately be expressed
in words or writing (although we make attempts to do so).
Even if you don’t accept the Bible as evidence of
God I encourage you to read it and contemplate the message
there. Perhaps you will discover that the Good News of
the Gospel is written in your heart!
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How
Do I Know if God is Listening to Me?
Many people believe in God and pray
to Him and still wonder if God is listening. If we really
believe that God desires a personal and intimate relationship
with us it follows that He indeed does listen.
Often the question is not so much is God listening, but
am I being ignored? Again, it seems impossible that an
all-loving God would ignore us.
This brings us to confront what may be the toughest thing
to come to grips with. Maybe, just maybe, God has listened
and replied, but in our spiritual blindness we are not
hearing the answer. This blindness can be caused by resentment,
fear, selfishness, too infrequent or inconsistent prayer
or simply a failure to be aware of our surroundings. God
moves through all of His creation and His signs are everywhere.
Our discernment is faulty if limited to our human capacity.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, however, allows us
to “hear” in ways that are spiritual. The
Holy Spirit is the giver of Truth. The Spirit’s
message can be communicated through others, in your heart
and always in the Word (Bible).
If you feel like God isn’t listening and is failing
to answer your prayers you might need to take a hard look
at what you are praying about. Is what you are asking
self-motivated, or are you praying for God to act in your
best interest? Sometimes God does not grant our request
because it is not the best thing for us (despite our opinion
at the time).
The next time that you wonder if God is listening you
might turn your attention to someone in need. Be a comfort
and a helper. See Christ in those less fortunate. I’m
convinced that many blessings flow when we do this. You
can be an instrument of God’s grace to others and
they will surely know that God is listening. And, so will
you!
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How
do I talk to God?
You may have already learned that at
the very foundation of your spiritual journey you are
developing a personal relationship with God. Since that’s
the case it makes sense that you want some communication.
Often we wonder if God is really listening (see question
about “How Do I Know if God is Listening to Me?).
I assure you, He is. Still, it helps if we learn more
how to talk to God.
Be assured that you can talk to God. It is as easy as
talking to a friend. This internal dialog is done through
prayer. Go some place quiet, without distractions, and
begin simply.
Tell God that you want to know Him. Ask Him to reveal
Himself to you. Don’t worry about having all the
right words. He already knows you better than you know
yourself (). He knows your heart and your desires
() and the Holy Spirit is our way of communicating
in the most intimate way possible ().
You will find many expressions of heartfelt prayer to
God in the Bible, especially in the Psalms and Gospels.
And, of course, Jesus gave us the terrific way to pray
with the Lord’s Prayer ().
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How
does God talk to me?
There are people who claim that they
can hear God talk to them, real words they hear in their
head. This may never happen for you, but that doesn’t
mean it doesn’t happen for others. The Bible does
mention times when people heard God speak. Sometimes it
was personal (to Moses throughout the book of Exodus,
or to Samuel in ) and other times it was heard out loud
by a number of people (the baptism of Jesus in ; ; , the Transfiguration in and , or in the Gospel of ).
More than likely such supernatural speaking of God won’t
happen for you. Still, God does speak to us all. He speaks
to us with his Word in Holy Scripture. He speaks to us
through His glorious creation, including the beauty and
power of nature, the other planets, stars and galaxies
and the miracle of life. He speaks to us through other
people. The Bible has also recorded instances of God speaking
to someone through a messenger, like the angel Gabriel
in the Annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:26-35).
God speaks to us, too, in the inner solitude of our souls.
Sometimes the “speaking” is not something
you “hear” at all. Try sitting quietly in
the presence of God. Let go of your concerns and thoughts.
As Psalm 46 tells us, “Be still and know that I
am God”.
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What
Does God Want of Me?
The answer to this is personal on an
individual level and is part of your life-long journey
with God. Seeking His will is the beginning of knowing
().
We can address this question as it generally applies to
all of us. God wants us to be happy and whole. He wants
us to discover the joy in life which comes from real purpose
and meaning fulfilled through our relationship with God.
This relationship finds its greatest fulfillment in Jesus
Christ (). He and God are one and Jesus wants to share
this divine union with us (). This requires letting go of selfish and
self-centered wants/desires so that we can be open to
God’s message of love. This message goes out from
God and returns to God in an endless cycle between God
and believers. Furthermore, God wants from us the willingness
to love others and the follow through that puts that into
action ().
We are always choosing. We choose what thoughts to focus
on, what work we will or won’t do, what we say,
read, write and so forth. What does God want of you? Simply,
to turn to Him in all things, to be part of His team and
a true team player ().
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Why
is there evil and suffering?
Many people wonder why there is so
much evil and suffering in the world. If God is love and
all good and God created the world it seems this evil/suffering
is a contradiction. This can be one of the greatest stumbling
blocks for people who want to believe in God or have a
relationship with Him.
The answer to this question basically comes down to two
words: free will. God created us with the ability to choose.
If God made us so that we automatically loved Him and
always did good (in other words, forced love) it would
not be a choice and it would not be truly meaningful.
Unfortunately, the selfish nature we have promotes getting
our own way. It’s easy to see how even when motives
are good selfish desires can run into conflict with others.
Instead of doing for the benefit of others and loving
unconditionally people strive to find comfort, acceptance
and happiness on their own terms. Putting our self first
means someone else is second fiddle. When we make God
second to our self will we elevate our self to the position
of God. This is the great sin of pride. Lucifer (Satan/the
devil) is guilty of this and became so consumed with pride
that he opposes God at every turn, even in violent and
evil ways. He strives to get others to join with him as
part of this rebellion. It is all out war – war
on a spiritual and earthly plane.
There certainly is a great amount of evil, pain and suffering
in the world. People wonder why God doesn’t stop
it. Maybe those people are failing to see where the divine
does intervene. Good happens too. Miracles are documented
occurrences. And God’s own son, Jesus Christ, came
to us with a message of unconditional love, forgiveness,
mercy and redemption and then suffered unspeakable anguish
in an atoning death on the cross. God sees the evil and
suffering and asks us to persevere, to love despite it
and discover the redeeming power of His love in the face
of it.
There are always going to be things that happen that we
can’t understand. It is often more than our hearts
can bear to see some of the unspeakable suffering in the
world. It takes real faith and courage to stand up to
the evil in the world. There will be times when we are
faced with personal powerlessness. When this happens we
must turn to God and totally believe in the ultimate conquest
of goodness. This is the promise of Christianity. The
light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never
put it out. (John 1:5 CEV)
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What
is God’s will for me?
This has to be one of the most debated
questions and maybe the most confusing for people.
If we believe in God and want to love, obey and do His
work then we certainly want to know what His will is for
us. In one regard this is an individual thing. There have
certainly been instances where God had specific designs
for an individual. If you read about many of the Old Testament
people you’ll discover that some had assignments
from God, others lived for Him and were willing (most
of the time) to do what He wanted (e.g. Noah, Joseph,
Moses, Samuel, David and Elijah). There are plenty of
examples in the New Testament, too, most especially with
the Apostle Paul. God gave him very clear directions.
For most of us, though, the understanding of God’s
will for us is a gradual and constant revelation. At various
times in your life you may sense that God is calling you
to a specific purpose. Because we are all part of One
Body of Christ it is wise to find spiritually discerning
believers that can help you.
I believe it is vital to always pray that God’s
will be done in our lives, even when we are not sure of
the specifics. God is good and loving so His will for
us is always good, even when we don’t think so.
If you take to heart the message that Jesus Christ brought
to us then you will be doing God’s will. You can
take a cue from some scripture verses, notably , ;
and . Perhaps it is most beautifully expressed
in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, 4:4-7: “Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let
your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests
to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Ultimately God’s will for each of us have a commonality.
It is listening to the teachings of Jesus, and acting
on them (see ).
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What
is a Godly Relationship?
At first glance this question seems to be dealing with
your relationship with God. That is certainly part of
it; indeed it is the beginning and the foundation. However,
you can and should take it further. A true Godly relationship
will govern your interaction with everyone.
Jesus was once asked which of all the commandments is
the greatest (). He answered, “Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind and with all your strength.' The second
is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no
commandment greater than these." (). There it is: a true, Godly relationship
is all about love. But, you may think this is too simplistic.
Or, perhaps, you want to know more specifically what this
means.
I think the Bible gives many examples and teachings on
this. is often quoted for the wonderfully
inspired words that Paul gave us on the subject of love.
But, if I was to offer a story that best illustrates loving,
Godly relationships, it would be the story of the Prodigal
Son found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15. It is not
just the wayward son and his repentance that tells us
how to be. As important as it is to recognize when we
are wrong and become humble enough to return home, offer
amends and seek forgiveness, it is even more marvelous
to see how the father is portrayed. He never gave up on
his son. Each day he stood at the roadside eagerly looking
for his return. When he did spot him he rushed to him,
embraced him, rejoiced and threw a party. Immediate and
complete forgiveness.
And what of the faithful, and resentful, son? Do we see
how poisonous it is to relationships to be so full of
self-righteousness and condemning of those who don’t
live up to our “good” standards? We should
be always grateful that we are given life and ever ready
to rejoice when one who is lost becomes found.
Truly loving relationships are nurturing, full of kindness,
patience, forgiveness, and service. Without God at the
center of all our relationships we are left to our own
limited ability to fully love.
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Scripture
taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright
© 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All
rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission
of International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered
trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either
trademark for the offering of goods or services requires
the prior written consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy
Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used
by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
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