Beyond blind faith Part 7

Beyond blind faith Part 7 Postscript
Evidence for the Existence of God

Is it possible for God to be known?
Is there any chance He is known?

The question is justified.
In the context of the increasing politicisation of science and especially of a secular education system with atheistic reflexes, it’s not surprising that someone who doesn’t want is not interested, or does not even have existential questions. The vast majority of people limit themselves to basic needs, losing interest in knowing God, in understanding their Creator. They wander through this world, losing the meaning and purpose of their lives, including losing interest in saving their souls.
Psalm 14 reveals to us a sad state of affairs, difficult to recognise and accept in our world, yesterday and today:
Psalms 14:1-2” The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, and there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”
Acts 17:26-27 “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”

So, is it possible for God to be known?
Is there any chance He is known?
Even if someone doesn’t believe in the existence of God, but desires to try to understand the truth, he can ask himself: “If I do not think that God exists, can something or someone change this notion of mine?
Yes, there is this possibility of God being known. He left the door wide open. He longs to be accepted more than mankind desires the notion.
If one actively seeks God, He allows himself to be found.
He says it openly:
”Jeremiah 29:11:14 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD”
So, God’s solution to man’s existential problem was and is His knowledge!
But, the way to know Him is not by sight as people would naturally expect, but by faith.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

Why does it have to be by faith?
*So, Jesus is the image under which God revealed Himself to us.
*Nowadays God reveals Himself more than anywhere else in His written Word – the Bible.

But why did God affirm Himself through Jesus, His Son, the Word incarnate made flesh?
Why did He recognise Jesus as His Son, and to whom He gave the name Immanuel which translated means “God is with us.”

1. Because: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” John 1:18

2. Jesus: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” Colossians 1:15

3. Because Jesus:” Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:6-7
And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11

4. “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16

5. Because Jesus: “He is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:17

6. Jesus is:” Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:18b

7. And He is the head of the body, the church:” Colossians 1:18a

8. Because all of creation, all of humanity:” …and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:2-3

9. “For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled. In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight:” Colossians 1:19-22

10. Because: “And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” Matthew 11:27

11. Because through Jesus “God Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14

12. And also because: “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other names under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Only Jesus, the Word made flesh, can change evil to good, and can switch the fallen nature of man and the corrupt nature of the world respectively. Only He changes the human heart and life.

Jesus Himself testifies about Himself that He is:
John 8:12 “Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
The main meaning of the word “light” He refers to, is about teaching and information.
He is presented to humanity as the “embodied Word” or the embodiment of information of God’s science and wisdom.
We have all heard about the power of the word. A word can kill the soul, or it can lift, and fortify the soul. If a man’s word has power, why would we think that a God’s word or Logos would not have credence? On the contrary!

The apostle Paul speaks encouragingly to us:
Romans 1:16-17” For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.”
Jesus Christ encourages those who believe in Him, and follow in His footsteps:
John 14:1” Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
Hebrews 4:12-13” For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him.”
John 8:31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, if ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
He urges us to do one thing that leads to that miraculous change in our minds, hearts and lives:
Matthew 11:28-30
” Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

Only faith in God can change evil into good, especially in souls marked by the knowledge of evil, and in lives devastated by experiencing this vileness.
This truth, the total transformation of a man’s heart and life, is perhaps one of the greatest proofs of the existence of an omnipotent God.
Faith in God has changed millions of lives so far and continues to do so generation after generation.

Countless people can fully testify that only faith in God saved them, bringing them out of addiction, drugs, alcohol, and debauched lives; thus helping them rebuild their families and broken marriages.
As a result of this change, God gave them purpose and meaning in everyday life. We recall again the verse from the writings of the book of Jeremiah, where God urged his people lost through the meandering of evil to seek Him. This is so to emphasise the main ideas:
Jeremiah 29:11-14
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD, and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

How can God be found through faith, and what should be considered noteworthy in the search process?
God doesn’t ask mankind for a specific method to come to Him.
It is enough to:

a.First of all, it is important to want. That is, to want to seek Him and to do it with all your heart.
This “wholeheartedly” makes all the difference. That is sincere desire and perseverance.
God allows Himself to be found by those who decide with all their heart to seek Him and believe in Him. Otherwise, it is not possible. Just being busy is not a solution.

b.You may be asking yourself, “But how can I seek Him with all my heart?”
The simple answer is this: through prayer!
Call Him with all your heart into your life, through prayer, because He said so:
Psalms 145:18” The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.”
God is spirit, but He is also a relatable being. He created humankind with this very thought of having a deep relationship based on knowledge, and this knowledge leads to the pleasures of sitting in His presence, of speaking to Him as you converse with a friend, and of spending quality time with Him. A relationship is full of the light and colours of love. God is agape love, first of all, and finally.
The main form of communication with Him is dialogue, or in biblical terms prayer. Prayer is communication with God. We do this by praising Him, confessing our sins before Him, thanking Him and asking Him for our needs and desires. Prayer is communion with our Creator. When we pray, we engage in loving fellowship with the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Make stillness in your heart, in your mind, and in time you will hear the gentle but authoritative voice of His Spirit giving you promptings even at nighttime.
All genuine born-again Christians have experienced this.
Be sure that He hears you, that He will listen to you. This “be sure,” that is, “believe,” is a first step by faith. Believe that what He says, He knows what He says. He speaks the truth, for the Word of God is the Truth
John 17:17” Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

c.Call upon Him in prayer and pray with all your heart. Talk to Him, and tell God that you desire with all your heart to know Him and be known by Him. Our conscience senses the separation, that distance from God because of our sin. The Bible tells us that “All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his way.” Deep down, our attitude may be one of active rebellion or passive indifference toward God and his ways, but it’s all evidence of what the scriptures call sin. The result of sin in our lives is spiritual death or separation from God. Although we may try to get close to God through our efforts, we inevitably fail.

If it’s your desire for knowledge, what’s vitally important to do?
It’s imperative that a sincere and deep recognition of the state of sin is recognised by all concerned. Sin is a condition and a door to reconciliation, via repentance for forgiveness.
We find express guidance written down from ancient times, that remains valid to this very day.
Joel 2:12-13 “Now, therefore, says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,…”

Deliberately staying away from God, believing lies that He does not exist, or non-conformity, is seen by Him as rebellion, disobedience and sinful. Honest and deep recognition of this condition is decisive. It’s like a door to reconciliation, and forgiveness:
1 John 1:8-10” If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

How to ask for forgiveness from God?
An attitude of regret is necessary because you’ve trusted in everything else apart from God. He wants us to be sincere, to have genuine, “wholehearted” regret. Then His promise awaits us.

Let’s emphasise that key verse again:
1 John 1:9” If we confess our sins, He is faithful and to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
A verse in the book of Romans reminds us that:
Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto spiritual death.”

The Creator of the universe has revealed His will and its law. When it is not done, there is real guilt, real condemnation and real punishment. So, the existence of law in the universe has revealed the will of an omnipotent God. This creates the foundation for law-breaking and guilt, and law-keeping and righteousness, and court and judge, and justification and condemnation. All of these things rest on the foundations of law and He is the lawgiver. We are lawbreakers and have to confess our sins to God. Bow your knees reverently and trustingly before Him, and speak to Him as to a Father from whom you have strayed, but now desire to return to your rightful home. He will take the guilt of indifference, unbelief, iniquities, and sins from your shoulders. He will set you free as He has done with every single person, including those who wrote this article and video.

Pray to God, but do this in the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of mankind.
The Bible teaches:
Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

d. There is an appropriate time.
Hebrews 3:15 “Today if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
And again the prompt from Joel 2:12-13 says: “Now, therefore, says the LORD, “Turn to Me.”
2 Corinthians 5:20-21” Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

If you have lived in a more or less conscious state of distance, or rebellion, but you want to experience a relationship with God the Father, based on mutual knowledge, respect and love, stop procrastinating and take a step in faith towards God. He wants this and waits patiently. Call Him today with all your heart and confess Jesus Christ, His Son as Lord and personal Savior. Be convinced that He will come as He has promised this as a future event. In the book of Revelation, we find it written that He longs for this more than perhaps we desire it:
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

If you want to return to God as a son who has gone astray in this world, all you have to do is start with a sincere prayer.
He who wishes to pray truly must make peace in his soul, and make room for the God of peace in his heart. Silence is a condition, a test that must be passed. To find peace, we don’t need to isolate ourselves in the desert, but only to interrupt our activities for a few minutes and, according to the Bible: “enter your room, lock your door and pray to your Father, who is in hidden; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

All people of prayer insist on the fact that prayer must be done in silence. It must be simple, in our words, calm and concise, that is, without many words, and also direct as in a father-son relationship.
St. John of the Ladder tells us in his book: “The Ladder of the Divine Ascent”: “Don’t get smart in the words of your prayer! For the simple and uncrafted babble of the children moved their Father in Heaven. Don’t start talking too much lest your mind be scattered by searching for words. A word from the tax collector made God merciful and a word spoken in faith saved the robber. Much talk in prayer causes the mind to imagine and wonder. But one single word can gather your mind.” Sometimes a sigh is enough or simply to sit in a state of internal soul- crying, or in an attitude of praise. God can help you!

Some simple prayer ideas that can help.

The experience of a biblical character can help you: Luke 15:18-19” I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.” (Luke 15:18)

Prayer:
Dear God, many people talk about You, but I don’t know what else to say. I do not know You and it’s quite difficult for me to talk to You. However, if you exist, help me to understand you. I may have strayed too far from you to know the way back to you. I have the desire to know you. I am repentant, I understand that my attitude in all these years so far has dishonoured you if I am made in your image and likeness. I understand that I have broken Your commandments, and my sins have separated me from You. I am sincerely sorry so please forgive me. Help me to have an attitude of real, genuine and deep repentance. Help me to turn to You from my past sinful life. Help me believe in You with all my heart and that You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me. I have understood Your will for me, so please I knock at your door, come into my life as God. I ask Jesus Christ to be my Savior, Lord and Master of my life. Please also grant me Your Holy Spirit as the comforter and guide. Strengthen my weak, feeble faith. Lead me the rest of my life and save my soul. I ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen

There is the Holy Bible His revealed written Word, and the Holy Spirit of God, who helps us in our endeavours along the path of knowledge, trust, and faith. You talk to God through prayer. He speaks to you through His written Word the Bible first of all. The Bible, is the inspired Word of God, helping you to know Him. The written word the Bible gets relevance and life for you through the Spirit of God.

How is this accomplished?
Only a genuine Christian can recognise this even if he does not know how to explain it easily. We have explained the secret that makes the difference between a person who seeks God with all His heart, and another person who does not read the Bible with a sincere heart. Or between an individual who is inclined to know the truth and find God by faith and a person who skims the pages of the Bible superficially, thinking that it’s just a book from a bygone culture, cherry-picking or attacking the Bible.

In addition, daily reading of the scripture will help you to keep your desire to be faithful in the decision made, and to remain full of trust in the Lord. Through His Word, you will gather faith and grow in love for Him, with all the consequences that flow from the fact that He got you back and made you a Son of God. And, on top of that, you will receive the salvation of your soul and the promise of eternal life.

How can a former believer keep his faith in God?
A few verses from Psalm 119 are relevant in this regard:
Psalms 119:9 “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes.”

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If you have questions about how you want to know more about God, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be at your disposal with everything we know to help.

Amos 5:4” For thus saith the LORD …, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:”

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