What Does It Mean To Have Faith In God?
We humans have an internal drive to believe in something greater than ourselves. And there is a reason for this. Each of us possesses a spark of our Creator in the form of a soul.
But what does it mean to have faith in God? Is it blind belief in a higher power, or is it something more? To have faith in God is to trust in His plan for our lives, to believe that He is in control even when things seem out of our hands.
It means surrendering our will to His and finding peace in the knowledge that we are not alone in this world. In this post, I will explore what it means to have faith in God and the effects of believing versus not believing.
What Does It Mean To Have Faith In God?
Most people think having faith is a form of “wishful thinking.” Or a blind, irrational feeling you decide to adopt about an unseen “higher power.”
But faith in God connotes something more than a strong belief in a deity.
Faith in God speaks to the certainty you feel that God IS real. Or a sense of truth you perceive about the existence of God that seems self-evident to you.
Therefore, faith in God is a proactive action that leads you to adopt a way of living according to His standards.
Why Is It Important To Have Faith In God?
Meaning & Purpose
God is the ultimate figure that everything in this universe revolves around. And as a result, your degree of life satisfaction will be determined by your level of alignment with God. The reason is that your soul is a spark from God. And your soul will always look to be in contact with its source. This is why no matter how much you try to get fulfillment only from worldly indulgences, they will all seem fleeting like something is perpetually missing. And what this fact reveals is that God is your ultimate source of meaning and purpose in this world.
Moral Compass
You’re either your own moral judge or God is. There are serious negative consequences when you live according to your will, not God’s. Just look at what man’s track record is without God in matters of “fair judgment.” It has devolved into an arbitrary, biased-based justice system in some parts of the country. Or perhaps notice what man’s moral judgment has made of the abortion debate. Godly principles are eternal and unchanging. And they provide you with the moral direction to live a life guided by divine principles(truth, integrity, love, compassion, and justice) – that lead to consistent flourishing in your life.
How Does Having Faith In God Impact Your Daily Life?
Feel Motivated
To acknowledge and engage your Father in heaven is much the same as your relationship with your “earthly” parents. Meaning it is very motivating when you sense your parents’ approval. And it inspires you to want to do the right thing and not disappoint them.
So having faith in God motivates you daily to retain that bond with your Creator by pushing you to be mindful and make good decisions. This has definitely been my experience. To the point that I sometimes find myself immediately asking for forgiveness when I sense I’ve slightly veered off course. Like wasting too much time being idle and unproductive. Or, as Proverbs 10:4 would put it:
“Negligent hands cause poverty, But diligent hands enrich”
That’s all the motivation I need to stop a slide down a rabbit hole of inutility on some days.
Feel Encouraged
I find God’s presence very encouraging in my daily life. Especially when daily living becomes menial and ho-hum.
That’s when I feel encouraged, knowing all God expects of me daily is to play my role. Take the principles God blesses me to understand and utilize them to conduct my daily affairs to the best of my ability.
Doing all the menial things necessary to keep my family, home, and life running smoothly is honorable in the eyes of your Creator. And so is taking on a little burden by displaying kindness when allowing someone to take the last parking spot I patiently waited for.
The point is I rarely feel frustrated when I’m slightly inconvenienced or bored in my daily routine. Partly because I know I’m adding to the improvement of God’s kingdom by exhibiting His attributes of goodness. I find encouragement in God and Him knowing how much I try to honor His teachings. And this fact definitely keeps me from feeling that my “perceived” daily heartaches are in vain.
How To Live For God Daily
Morning Prayer
Start with acknowledging your Creator as soon as your eyes open for the day ahead. Sometimes I talk to God before I even get out of bed. I thank God for the privilege of having another day on this earth, and then I proceed to ask God for wisdom in managing that day’s affairs. But the point here is to establish an immediate connection with God as soon as you awaken.
Constant Gratitude
Living for God daily means being in constant gratitude for everything you experience daily. After all, God is the grand designer of every little aspect of the world we enjoy. If you think about it, on average, many more things go right in your day than wrong. Appreciate that. Whether it is your car starting in the morning consistently or your spouse arriving home safely at the end of the day. Practice verbalizing gratitude to God constantly, not only for the good things in your life but also for the challenges and opportunities for growth they bring.
Acts Of Kindness
Actively schedule an act of kindness at least once a day. Try something you normally wouldn’t do or say. Or it could be a recurring event. Either way, performing regular acts of goodness is an excellent way to cultivate a deeper connection with God and others daily.
Ponder God’s Creation
Embrace the beauty and wonder of the natural world as a reflection of God’s goodness and brilliance. I catch myself doing this when I regularly look at my cat and wonder, “What is he thinking”? Or when I marvel at how this non-verbal, less intelligent creature can convey messages to me through his meows and movements. Pondering these little subtleties of life make me in awe of God’s creation and causes me to feel appreciative of its Creator every time.
Study
Read or listen to Godly messaging daily. Seek out opportunities for learning and growth in your faith. I subscribe to several faith-based newsletters that I routinely absorb nuggets of wisdom from. Proactively look to balance your daily intake of godly wisdom against society’s secular drivel. Your mental health will thank you.
What Happens When You Have Faith In God?
- Faith in God causes you to think deeply about your place and purpose in this world.
- You seriously assess your lifestyle, which usually leads you to adopt substantive improvements in your life.
- You steadily come closer to God by gradually aligning more and more with His point of view.
- This leads you to greater wisdom and better decision-making capabilities.
- You start to think more about what’s good for society rather than simply what’s good for me or my group.
- You realize that achieving material/worldly goals does not match the fulfillment of a life of service to your Creator.
- You experience the diminishing of burdens in your life due to God’s influence on your perspective.
- You realize that “the buck does not stop with you.” You’re humbled by how little control you have regarding events in your life. This realization brings great relief to your conscience.
- And thus, you become more resilient to unforeseen challenges in your life. Part of having faith in God is understanding that even things that seem bad at first can become blessings if you put your trust on the Most High.
- Lastly, when you have faith in God, you realize that getting closer to your Creator is a life-long journey. Like any relationship, there will be times when you’ll feel disconnected and on the “outs” with your Heavenly Father. But prayer, reason, and study will ultimately strengthen your faith in God, time after time.
What Happens When You Don’t Have Faith In God?
- You live for your own will, not God’s will, which adds to your stress level when things don’t go your way.
- Without faith in God, it is more difficult to cope with the hardships of life. A secular perspective will cause you to overstate the severity of your challenges.
- Generally speaking, the smartest non-believers are not as wise as believers of average intelligence. I’ve seen this firsthand. A lack of godly wisdom makes it tougher to navigate life.
- A set objective moral code does not guide you. This can lead to a sense of moral relativism, where there is no absolute standard of right and wrong. This is a recipe for bad ideas and hard times.
- When you don’t have faith in God, at some point, you’ll feel a sense of having a “hole in your soul.” These are bouts of emptiness, unfulfillment, and even despair. Any attempts to satisfy your soul through worldly endeavors are fleeting and short-lived.
- Not having faith in God gives you a significantly different worldview than a believer. A godless/worldly perspective does not promote the flourishing of humanity as a whole. Instead, it prioritizes self-actualization and self-fulfillment. This is not the ideal perspective for fostering stability in society. And it’s precisely what’s ailing communities all over the world at this time.
How Does Having Faith In God Affect A Person’s Perspective On Life And Death?
More than anything, having faith in God provides you with a sense of relief and hope regarding the issue of life and death.
If you have faith, then you know part of that equation is the idea of an afterlife. Specifically, there will come a time of judgment and adjudication. And this means that we live in a world where there are good and bad choices to be made.
A world imbued with purpose and meaning.
And although we may be in the dark about why some bad things happen in our world, faith in God conveys a sense that God’s goodness(love, justice, kindness. etc.) will prevail in the end.
And that brings a great deal of relief, hope, comfort, and even uplift when you ponder life and death from the perspective of a believer in the God of the Bible.
What Are Some Common Misconceptions About Having Faith In God?
Faith In God Is Irrational Or Anti-intellectual
I find that people who use this argument are not deep thinkers. This universe is a marvel. If you don’t see it, you take your existence in this world for granted. Another obvious thing is the symbiosis and complementary nature of many things around you. This is proof that there is a rational, purposeful design. And therefore, it behooves any living person to at least TRY to develop an understanding of the creative force behind this grand creation. What’s irrational is pretending it all came from nothing.
Faith In God Is Anti-science
Let’s start with the fact that many scientists are on either side of this equation. So science as a whole does not altogether dismiss the existence of a Creator.
There are a number of scientific arguments that actually promote the existence of God. One is called the “fine-tuning” theory, which specifically focuses on the idea that the universe appears finely tuned to support life.
This means that the different metrics necessary to sustain life on our planet are so perfectly and precisely defined — that the probability of the universe being able to support life by chance alone is virtually zilch. Zero. Nada. And this truth undoubtedly suggests the involvement of a higher power of some type in our creation.
Faith In God Is Intolerant Or Exclusive
Many people feel “excluded or alienated” because of specific judgments passed in the text of God’s word. What they suffer from is a perspective issue.
If the Creator and All-Knowing Force of the universe say certain things are bad for us — why are we arguing? From a believer’s perspective, God’s commandments show love and care for His creations. Not eternal condemnation.
This begs the question — if you are a non-believer, why do you care what a “non-existent” deity says about a particular lifestyle? If I were a non-believer, I wouldn’t.
The bottom line is that God’s love and guidance in His directives to humanity exemplify what He truly is — LOVING & GOOD.
Faith In God Is A Source Of Division And Conflict
Ironically, this misconception actually speaks to why we humans need a Higher Power to offer guidance.
We are flawed beings. There’s division and conflict because some humans do not know how to implement God’s messages.
That’s a WE problem. Not a God problem. It’s the same faulty logic as those that say they don’t believe in marriage because of the high percentage of divorce. When the real issue is that their perspective on what a good relationship should be is not up to God’s standards.
Godly principles such as love, compassion, justice, kindness, etc. — only lead humanity to advancement and flourishing when optimally applied. Hence, there’s division and conflict in the world because God’s ways have not been “optimally applied” since the beginning of time.
