How to Believe in God Again

Photo credit: My lovely niece, age 6 at the time taken. You can see a blur of the edge of her little hand at the top left corner of this photo. I love it.

No one tells you that doubt is part of the spiritual journey. And if you're like me and think it's essential to be in good standing with God, then that doubt can be scary, discouraging, and even stagnating. 

It may have been a long time since you felt the presence of God. Maybe the last time was when you were a child, and you received an answered prayer or wish that came true. Or perhaps during a moment of gratitude, you took time to acknowledge a Higher Power for something that was out of your control. 

As life progresses, disappointments, frustrations, and unanswered prayers become normalized. Somewhere along the way, faith in that which cannot be seen gets lost. The darkness of this world proves to be right one too many times. 

I know the frustration of the cognitive dissonance that occurs when the outside world fails to match what I know in my heart to be true: that God is good and God is with us. 

Coming full circle in my walk with God, I can say that it is possible to believe in God again and have your faith strengthened in the areas where you had the most doubt. The biggest lesson I have learned so far is that God is sovereign and in complete control. The doubt I experienced positioned me to be found by God. That's what I mean when I say that God is with us. Even if it looks or feels like He's not, we can make a choice to step into our belief. 

So wherever you are on your spiritual walk, I hope you'll gain some tips on what mindset shifts will support you in relighting the fire of your belief system. If you're feeling distant from God, know that you are actually in the best position to be reintroduced to God. 

Here are my top three mindset shifting tips for how to believe in God again: 

Be willing to let go of preconceived notions about God.

A lot of us learn about God through word of mouth and how people treat us rather than directly from the word of God. Some of the beliefs we hold were passed down from generation to generation through stories told by family members who may never have come close to understanding Him at all.

Have you ever had someone tell you something about someone else before meeting them for the first time? "Chester is just like so and so" or "Watch out, Cindy is like this and that." 

Only to find out that Chester and Cindy are NOT at all like the person described! 

Believing in God again requires us to go directly to the source through direct conversation with God. This happens through prayer (speaking to God) and reading the Holy Bible (listening to God). 

The Holy Bible is more than a book written by people a long time ago. Each book, verse, and word was God-breathed and placed there to teach us how to live and produce good works in the world. If you're like me, you'll have to release misconceptions not only about God but also about the Holy Bible as well. As you do this, you'll begin to put more trust in God than in people, which leads to the next necessary mindset shift to make...

Recognize that God is not human.

The Holy Bible tells us that God is not a man who can lie or change His mind. Consider that if you held false beliefs about God, it's likely that the emotions you're feeling towards God might be misplaced.

For instance, you might be equating God the Father to your earthly father. The nature of parenthood is that mistakes will happen. They will let you down. The best parents are flawed and will make mistakes that can stay with a child for years. That's the nature of parenthood. There will be hurt and pain. In these relationships, we can practice the qualities that are embedded in the very nature of God: unconditional love, forgiveness, and compassion, just to name a few.

Become a humble student.

To believe in God, you have to be willing to say, "I don't know." Unfortunately, pride gets in the way of our ability to admit that and allow God to be God. It is our assumptions that keep us distant. Pride is one of the most significant barriers to being close to God because it makes us think that we know better than the sovereign Creator of all things. We have to be open to being teachable, which takes humility. Being humble allows God to meet us where we're at because, as I said, God is with us no matter how things look. God meets us where we're at and fills in the gaps of whatever it is we need. If you're able to admit that you don't know everything and are open to hearing from God. 

The Bible tells us that to believe in God again, we must become like a child again. Forget everything you thought you knew about God based on what you've heard from someone else's experience. Realize that God is not human and cannot relate to you as if He were one. You don't know more than God, so allow humble curiosity to lead your walk with Him. If you need help reconnecting with the Almighty, use this prayer as a jumping-off point: "Dear God, I used to believe in You, and I want to believe again. Help me overcome my unbelief.”

Then be patient. 

God may answer instantly, or it may take some time. Change rarely happens in one instant but instead happens gradually over time. As your mindset changes, so will your belief.