They strengthened their faith in themselves. How to strengthen your faith in God? Faith is like a plant

Anya writes: “I recently became interested in God. I came across your site. I knew that I needed to repent before God, but first I wanted to find out if God even exists. I read all sorts of sites about creationism, historical facts, prophecies. I came to the conclusion that God still exists, but I never repented. I began to try to become good with my own efforts, but nothing worked out for me. I began to doubt God, for two days I prayed to God asking him to help me believe in Him, but it became even worse. I'm desperate!!! Help, please".

Hello, Anya!

Such a state as you have now happens to everyone. We all have to go through the desert of unbelief. Doubts will always be present in our lives, and we should not be disappointed and stop in our search for God, we should continue to search further. When doubts come to us, it means that the truth is somewhere very close.

You are doing well to pray to God and ask Him to strengthen your faith in Him. However, Scripture also says the following: “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (). In other words, Scripture tells us that it is reading God's Word that strengthens our faith. You can read various spiritual literature, but in no case should you leave deep Bible study with prayer.

Jesus also said that: “The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you” (). When temptations come and our faith weakens, then the Holy Spirit reminds us of the necessary passages of Scripture that give us answers to our questions and thereby strengthens our faith.

The Scripture also says: “Behold, an arrogant soul will not rest, but the righteous will live by his faith” (). This text essentially says that any attempt to gain salvation through one's good works is doomed to failure. Salvation is a gift from the Lord, and this gift must be accepted by faith every day for the process of our sanctification to take place. On the issue of accepting the gift of salvation by faith, I recommend that you definitely look at the following link:
http://www.site/answers/r/28/307846

A sinful person cannot fully fulfill the holy Law of God. Paul shares his inner torment, saying: “I find therefore a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For according to the inward man I delight in the law of God; but in my members I see another law, warring against the law of my mind, and making me captive to the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?” (). There is a constant struggle inside a sinful person; we either want to be obedient to God, or we want to resist Him, although with our minds we understand that the Lord is holy and wishes us all the best. God's law was given for our own good. And sin is like a disease that will torment us until the end of our lives, until the Second Coming of Christ, and we have to live with it now. We will receive complete healing only in eternity: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; there will be no more crying, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed away” ()

However, God offers us healing. With the help of the Word of God, we can walk our earthly path much easier; the same Apostle Paul writes to his young disciple: “Pay attention to yourself and to the teaching; do this constantly: for by doing this, you will save yourself and those who listen to you” (). The Lord said to Joshua: “Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; but study in it day and night, so that you do exactly everything that is written in it: then you will be successful in your ways and will act wisely” ().
Sanctification is a constant, daily process. And just as we need our daily bread every day, that is, the bread we ate yesterday is not enough for us today, so we ourselves need to eat the bread of life, the Word of God, every day.

Read also, for example, the Book of Ruth from the Old Testament, it gives a good example of Ruth’s manifestation of faith, trust in the invisible God, despite any external visible unfavorable circumstances.
And may the Holy Spirit strengthen your faith through the Word of God!

Sincerely,
Vitaly

Read more on the topic "Miscellaneous":

Notice in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus said that all things are possible to him who believes. “Believe” is a verb, and it requires action. If action were not necessary, Jesus would have said, “All things are possible to him who has faith.”

Here are a few steps on the path to unshakable faith:

1. Feed your faith.

Support your faith like your best friend, because it will support you in difficult times. Study the Bible, read it again and again until you discover truths that will lift you off your knees.

The book of Romans says, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” It also says here that you cannot only pray, ask and fast - it is important to listen and hear the Word.

1. Take your example from Christ

Mark the places in the Bible where it is said that Jesus believed in God unquestioningly. Motivate yourself, lead by example. Who is the most striking example of “reinforced concrete” unshakable faith? That's right, Jesus Christ. Review often the marked passages in the Bible where His faith is told, and try as much as possible to achieve the same in your own actions.

1. Be born again.

Yes, yes, that's right, again. Repent, find your new continuation in Christ. This way you will receive the power of faith and the spirit of God.
This means that when you are born again, you will have some portion of the nature of God, as the Scripture says. Get rid of the last vestiges of pride and bow the knee before your King. When you extol Him and realize His greatness, your faith becomes more of a confidence.

1. Love your brother.

How can you love God, whom you have never seen in the flesh, if you do not love and in many ways condemn your acquaintance with whom you regularly meet?!
Don't forget, God sees your heart. He will forgive you for unnecessary weakness, even regular ones, but such things kill your faith. Galatians says that faith works through love. Try to eradicate dislike for any person, help everyone you can. Then your faith will be strengthened and your spirit will rejoice. " By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.", said Jesus.

6. Surround yourself with like-minded people.

Communication with God engenders agreement with those who believe in Him. “Where two or three agree with each other in My name to ask for anything, whatever they ask will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Surround yourself with believers - they will help you not to doubt your beliefs.

7. Ask God for faith.

Who else but He, in the secret room, will give you the answer on how to strengthen your faith? Who else but He will help you believe in Him by showing a miracle in your life? God is a loving father with whom you can talk about any topic. Don't neglect your fellowship with Him. He waits for you every time. Pray, open the Word, ask questions and get answers.

1. Be honest.

Build your faith by thinking and saying the same thing, acting honestly both before yourself, and before God, and before people. God's word is already happening, but not necessarily for you, even if you really believe it. What you think about is what you believe:

“Be careful what you think about.
What you think determines what you do.
Be careful what you do with your capabilities.
Actions define your faith, personality and character.
Be careful about your personality traits. They define who you are.
The content of your being determines who you are.
It's true: "We become what we think about." (Proverbs.)

In extremely difficult times, when God seems adamant and your faith is broken, God actually makes it stronger. Overcome the temptation to doubt Him, and you will learn a new facet of both yourself and God.

Faith - iman - is an amazing and most beautiful mercy from Allah Almighty. Outwardly we are all the same, but only faith determines a true Muslim. The stronger the faith, the closer a Muslim is to Allah Almighty.

As we know, faith is subject to change, it is sometimes weakened due to sins committed, and sometimes strengthened through worship.

The level of iman does not always remain the same, it changes from time to time. It increases or decreases depending on the deeds and actions that we perform.

One of the sayings of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says:

جددوا إيمانكم فإن الإيمان يبلى كما يبلى الثوب. فقالوا: ما نقول يا رسول الله؟ قال: قولوا لا إله إلا الله

“Faith ages just as clothing ages, so renew it.” The companions said: “What should we say, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet replied: “Say “La ilaha illallah” - there is no god worthy of worship except Allah.”

Here are some tips to help you strengthen and savor the taste of iman:

- always ask for help from Allah Almighty, so that He strengthens our iman, be pious, and fear His punishment. " Allah is severe in punishment " Know His Majesty by studying His Names and Attributes.

- remembrance of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

قال رسول الله : مثل الذي يذكر الله والذي لا يذكره كمثل الحي والميت

« The example of one who remembers his Lord and one who does not is similar to the example of the living and the dead».

– reading and meditating on the Holy Quran. He talks about how the Creator deals with His close servants, about what He does with His enemies. This is one of the most important sections that helps strengthen faith.

– friendship with good people, because a friend has a significant influence in a person’s life, and distance from bad friends who are immersed in worldly passions. Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) calls for this:

المرء على دين خليله فلينظر أحدكم من يخالل

« A man professes the religion of his friend, and therefore let each of you turn your attention to whom he is friends with».

– listen to good, God-fearing people. Reading biographies of such people, acquiring useful knowledge.

- remember that he is a weak creature who needs the mercy of Allah Almighty in everything.

– timely performance of obligatory prayers, especially morning prayer, as it is difficult for hypocrites and their followers. Also regularly perform the desired prayers, even in small quantities, for the hadith says:

أحب الأعمال الله ادومها وان قل

« The most beloved deeds for Allah are those that are done constantly, even if there are few of them.».

- showing love for the Messenger of Allah by studying his life path and paying attention to him. As stated in one of his sayings:

لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى أكون احب إليه من ماله وولده والناس أجمعين

« Not one of you will believe until I become more beloved than your property, child and all other people.»

- reflect on the creatures of Allah, on His Greatness.

- spend free time doing godly deeds, praising Allah Almighty, asking Him for forgiveness.

– visiting graves, because it reminds us of the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

يقول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : إنّ هذه القلوب تصدأ كما يصدأ الحديد إذا أصابه الماء، قيل: يا رسول الله وما جلاؤها؟ قال: كثرة ذكر الموت وتلاوة القرآن

« Hearts rust like iron when water touches it.” Then he was asked: “What is the means of purification?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: “Frequent mention of death and recitation of the Quran».

- contentment with predestination, the decision of Allah, for it is the power of faith in action.

P.S. Only the degree and strength of iman decreases or increases. It cannot be said that the very conviction of a believer in the truth of Islam (belief in the six pillars of iman - faith in Allah, His angels, His Scriptures, His prophets, the Day of Judgment and predestination of fate) can change.

May Allah Almighty accept our prayers and good deeds, may He strengthen our faith. Amen!

ANATHEMA OF THE CHURCH AND THE MOST POPULAR MODERN MISCONCEPTION On the Week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the Church pronounces anathemas to those who adhere to all kinds of false teachings. In the light of the proclaimed anathemas, one can look at the most popular modern false teaching widespread among Christians - the false teaching that salvation is possible outside the Church of Christ. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), addressing one person who was convinced of the salvation of “good” heretics and Muslims, answered this: “The whole reason for your last bewilderment, as well as for everyone else, is a deep ignorance of Christianity!” ABOUT “GOOD PEOPLE” One of the points of this misconception is the idea that outside of Orthodoxy there are many “good people” whom “God cannot send to fiery hell.” The whole essence of this error is hidden in two things: 1) the denial that the Redemptive Sacrifice is assimilated only through the Church of Christ, 2) in equating the good deeds of human nature with the work of Redemption. So, it turns out that those who affirm the idea of ​​salvation outside the Church of “good people” believe that they will be justified by their “good deeds”, thereby blaspheming the only means of our justification - the Redemptive Sacrifice of Christ. Those who have this understanding fall under one of the proclaimed anathemas: “To those who do not accept the grace of redemption preached by the Gospel, as our only means of justification before God: anathema.” This is what freethinking leads to, contrary to what the holy fathers of the Church taught. 1. The Church of God is the only organism through which it is possible to assimilate the fruits of the Redemptive Sacrifice of Christ. The Blood of Christ was shed for everyone, but one can only be involved in It in the Body of Christ (the Church). Without life within the Church, this involvement cannot exist, no matter how “good” a person is. Christ said directly: “This is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins, and drink of it, all of you: this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26–28 ). Since the Eucharist does not exist outside the Church, there is no very saving union with the Body and Blood of Christ. St. wrote about this. Macarius (Nevsky): “Despite the fact that the atoning sacrifice was made by Christ the Savior for all people, its fruits can only be enjoyed by those who believe in Christ and belong to the Body created by Him - the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church who entered into communion with Christ through the communion of His body and Blood. This means that those who do not believe in Christ and do not belong to the Holy Orthodox Church cannot enjoy the fruits of the redemption accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ." Therefore, the lie about salvation without the Church is blasphemy against the suffering of Christ on the Cross and devaluation of the Blood shed by the Lord. 2. To believe that one can be saved by good deeds means to devalue the Sacrifice of Christ. Since, in this case, the Suffering of Christ on the Cross is equated with natural deeds for people. Here is what St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes about this: “The Church has always recognized that there is one means of salvation: the Redeemer! She recognized that the greatest virtues of fallen nature descend to hell... ...good deeds of fallen nature, from feelings, from blood, from impulses and tender sensations of the heart - are forbidden, rejected! And it is these good deeds that you like in pagans and Mohammedans! For them, even if it was with the rejection of Christ, you want to give them salvation..." ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HEARD OF CHRIST Another anathema from the Rite of the Triumph of Orthodoxy: “To those who deny the existence of God and affirm that this world is original and everything in it happens without the Providence of God and by chance: anathema.” It includes those who claim that those who could not hear about Christ can be saved because they “did not have the opportunity” (geographically, or in some other way). Thus, God's Providence for every person is rejected, because the Lord wants to save everyone and knocks on everyone (to someone through conscience, to someone through a miracle, to someone through the Word, to someone through preachers). In addition, God knows that one or another will not accept Him, therefore, for him, it will be less of a condemnation to be born in a country where there is no Orthodoxy, since the one who knew and accepted will be beaten more than the one who did not know. And this is also a manifestation of God’s love and care. And to say that “they will be saved because they could not hear about Christ” means: - to reject the Lord’s care for everyone; - deny that God is Omnipotent; - to reject what God provides for people (assuming that someone is born where you cannot hear about God...) - to reject that God acts and saves a person here, in earthly life. Here is another point why false teaching about salvation outside the Church inherently falls under the anathema of the Church. ""WE CANNOT APPROACH..." Another anathema: "To those who reject the councils of the saints the Father and their traditions, in agreement with the Divine Revelation, and piously preserved by the Orthodox Catholic Church: anathema." A Christian believes as the Church teaches in the person of the councils and saints fathers. Not a single (!) holy father taught that salvation is possible outside the Church. The saints taught exactly the opposite (we will give some quotes below). Therefore, to say “we don’t know whether it is possible to be saved without Orthodoxy...” - and this is either ignorance or direct disregard for the words of the holy fathers of the Church, who unanimously affirmed that without the Church of Christ salvation is impossible. By the way, it’s worth adding: some try to take the words of the saints out of context, reinterpreting them and adjusting them to justify false teaching. For example, the words of St. Feofan, sounding (if they sounded like that at all) something like this: “I don’t know whether Catholics will be saved, but I won’t be saved without Orthodoxy.” This quote is not his teaching, since it was said in certain circumstances (and in general, it was only retold from someone else’s words). For example, who will hear me condemn someone and then say that I teach judgment. But, if you look at what I write, it will be obvious that I call condemnation - sin. Saint Theophan himself, in his works, quite clearly expresses how he believes: “For WHAT SALVATION SHOULD BE FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT CONTAIN THE TRUE TEACHINGS OF THE FAITH AND THE CHURCH AND THINK WRONGLY either about God, the world and man, or about our present corrupted state, or about the method of our restoration, which is one... But there are people who say: believe as you want, just live well and fear nothing, as if you can live well without having sound concepts about the objects communicated by true faith. brethren! True life includes not only behavior, but also a sound way of thinking" ("Five Teachings on the Path to Salvation") - here the saint directly says that there is no salvation without the content of the teachings of the Church. And St. believed. Theophan of the Catholic Church? Here is his answer: “There is no truth outside the Orthodox Church. She is the only faithful custodian of everything commanded by the Lord through the Holy Apostles, and therefore is the real Apostolic Church. Others lost the Apostolic Church, and... decided to build such a church themselves and built it, and gave it such a name "(Thoughts for every day of the year. M., 1997. P. 7). “Here is Christ, in our Orthodox Church, but in any other Church He is not. And if you don’t look, you will not find” (Thoughts for every day of the year. P. 25) - these are the specific words of the saint, expressing his teaching. All of the above shows that , to the extent that they contradict the Gospel teaching, contents of the Church, speculations that please the devil.Because the false teaching about salvation outside the Church DEVALUES the Redemptive Sacrifice of Christ, DISVALUES His Most Pure Blood, DISVALUES His Body (Church), DISVALUES His care, DEVALUES His Providence for every person And for those who accept this false teaching, the Church ceases to be the only Ark of salvation... As the Hieromartyr Onuphry (Gagalyuk) said: “What should we, the guardians of the house of Israel, do to keep the sheep of Christ in the saving fence of the Orthodox Church? It is necessary to explain that outside the Church there is no salvation. Only those who were in Noah’s Ark were preserved from the flood..." FOR SUPPORTERS OF OSIPOV AND KOCHETKOV Another anathema is a reason to think carefully for those who believe not in the patristic teaching, but in some modern preachers: "Those who take away the immortality of the soul, the end of the century, the future judgment and ETERNAL reward for virtues in heaven, and for sins condemnation: anathema." Priest Georgy Kochetkov says that the Church supposedly does not have a clear opinion on the question “is the soul immortal?”, and the Church says that anathema to those who believe that souls are not immortal. With supporters of St. George Kochetkov, I have to discuss this issue more than once, since I, as an Orthodox Christian, cannot agree with the heresy that the souls of sinners disappear into oblivion, avoiding torture... By the way, the disciples of St. G. Kochetkova are supporters of the false teaching about salvation outside the Church, claiming that heretics are also “Christians”... If I were the members of the Transfiguration Brotherhood, I would think carefully about the previous anathema to which those who reject the patristic teaching fall... I would think about it, being a supporter of the most popular false teacher of our time - Professor Osipov. Three anathemas from this Chin are against the false teachings of the professor. For example, the professor teaches that the fathers supposedly have “two lines” regarding the understanding of the doctrine of eternal torment. It is clear that there were and are no “two lines” (this has all been discussed many times already - https://clck.ru/MPFtk), and the Church proclaims anathema to those who deny eternal damnation for sinners. And it is no longer so important how to express this denial: to say that there are “two lines” or to lament “how can God allow the eternal suffering of many people.” The most amazing thing is that Osipov’s supporters (I have dozens of polemical conversations with them) say that, “Osipov doesn’t teach like that, you misunderstood,” and then they even begin to defend “not two lines,” but that the literal understanding Christ's words about eternal torment are erroneous. The professor did not hesitate to declare that Judas will be in Paradise, that Muslims and not only them can be saved... So, the anathema about denying the grace of the Atonement as the only means of salvation also applies to Osipov and his followers. The Church has expressed everything very clearly. She solemnly proclaimed that for confessing such false teachings a person exposes himself to excommunication from the body of the One Ecumenical Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church, outside of which there is no salvation. As St. Nicholas of Japan wrote, “The Church shows her love to those who depart from it with bitterness into outer darkness. After them she proclaims anathema, hoping that they will come to their senses, fearing excommunication - not from the human community, but from the coming Kingdom of Glory...” SAINTS ABOUT THAT SALVATION IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE CHURCH (for comparison with what they say carriers of a popular delusion): - Hieromartyr Cyprian of Carthage: “Outside of it<Церкви>there is no life: there is only one house of God, and no one can be saved anywhere except in the Church"; - St. Augustine: "You can have honor, you can have a sacrament, you can answer "Amen", you can hold the Gospel and preach faith in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and preach it, but nowhere except the Orthodox Catholic Church can salvation be found." - St. John Chrysostom: "We know that salvation is the lot of only the One Church and that no one outside the Catholic Church and faith can have participation in Christ or be saved... We do not allow heresies to have hope of salvation, but we place them completely outside of this hope, since they do not have the slightest communion with Christ"; - St. Athanasius the Great: "Whoever wants to be saved, first of all it is fitting for him to hold the Catholic faith , but if someone does not observe it whole and blameless, except for any bewilderment, he will perish forever"; - St. Theodosius of Pechersk: "Whoever is in another faith, or in the Latin, or in the Armenian, will not see eternal life"; - St. Mitrophan of Voronezh : “...Since it is impossible to please God without right faith, it is also impossible for anyone to be saved without the Holy Eastern Church’s wisdom and its bright, God-devoted teaching”; - St. Paisius Velichkovsky: “I, with all my unworthiness, taking into account that you are looking for instruction from me, can answer you the following: The Merciful God accomplishes the salvation of Orthodox Christians through the Orthodox faith, good deeds and His grace. The Orthodox faith is that which is contained by the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and without this faith it is impossible for anyone to be saved””; - Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt: “The wicked will not see Your Glory, O Christ, i.e. non-believers, non-vaxxers, Catholics..., Lutherans... and reformists, Jews, Mohammedans, all Buddhists, all pagans" - St. Hilarion (Troitsky): “I confess that the Church is one, and Catholics for me are not the Church, and therefore not Christians, for there is no Christianity without the Church”; On topic: Pride under imaginary compassion -

Please tell me how to properly strengthen your faith in God (namely faith in God, not faith in God). To believe completely and unconditionally in His love. To believe with your heart, not just with your brain. There’s such a mess inside, I can’t figure out where I’m sincere and where I’m deceitful. If the light that is in you is darkness, then what is the darkness? I'm completely confused. I listen to my own prayer - am I thinking or lying to myself? Maybe it's just a crisis, or maybe something else? People are faced with similar things - how to solve this correctly? Elena.

Priest Philip Parfenov answers:

Hello, Elena!

I think that we need to be simpler before God and before ourselves! In this sense, remember your childhood and at the same time reflect on Jesus' recommendation to be like children. Children are far from sinless, by the way (they can be capricious, harmful and evil in their own way). But they are simple before people and God, and this is an important quality that Scripture reminds us of. Don’t rack your brains over your condition—children don’t do that. Free yourself, relax, give yourself to God, trust His love, and everything else will gradually follow and fall into place, believe me!

Sincerely, priest Philip Parfenov.

Read also