Hi May.

When you buy a car they all contain an instruction manual.

Some people never read the manual, because they have already driven other cars and they apply that experience towards the new car.

But most people read the owner's manual and familiarize themselves about the operation maintenance etc.

Because the owner's manual has knowledge that protects you from getting into trouble.

Now you can read that manual every day and try to know more and more about driving that car.

You can try to become the best car driver by really understanding every sentence and word in the owner's manual.

You will however, find that your understanding is not a product of reading the owner's manual, but rather the acquired experience of driving the car.

By driving the car every day you will find that there is more out there that the owner's manual never mentioned.

But then once you become good at driving the car and no longer need the owner's manual you can still occupy your consciousness with the un-ending curiosity about other people's cars.

You can begin to compare your car and your ability to drive your car with other people's cars and other people's ability to drive their cars.

You can question others to see how well they have read their own owner's manuals.

You can wonder "Am I driving my car as well as other's are driving their cars?"

You can spend the rest of your life comparing your driving abilities with other's and forever question your own abilities.

As long as you keep searching with these questions there will be a million more opinions given to you for you to quench that never ending thirst for driving confidence.

You also have another choice.

You can observe your driving and look at why you are doing it.

The answer is not in the owner's manual or in the experience of the other drivers.

It is in your realization that you drive to get yourself from point A to point B.

In that realization you will know that a Rolls Royce or a Lada will both get you from Point A to Point B.

When you realize that you will not worry how good your driving is.

A car is just a Vehicle of transportation.

The salesman won't tell you that and the other car owners won't tell you that and the owner's manual won't tell you that.

It is up to you to realize that.

And when you do, you will no longer be bothered by the type of cars the other's drive, or for that matter, how well they drive their cars.

You only need the confidence in knowing that your car exists to transport you to your destination.

Your ability to drive your car is what gets your car to your desired destination, not the model of the car that you drive.

If someone asked you "How do you know that your car is capable of getting you to that destination?" Realize that they don't know that it is the driver that gets the car to the destination and not the model of the car.

But just be polite and don't point it out to them.

When we all gather at the destination, they will figure this out for themselves.

There is no perfection in driving.

You will most likely have accidents and even get lost a few times along the way, and that has nothing to do with the car you drive or how well you drive it (Ok maybe, if you drive well you can avoid them too but it's rare)

People don't readily admit the times they get lost or the number of accidents they have.

Everyone gets lost some time and find their way.

That's what makes one realize that it is the driving and not the car.

The first thing you must do is stop believing religious dogma. Religious dogma is like the skin around the orange sections. It keeps everybody in their own segmented areas and others out. It divides us and makes us seem different. If you take the skin off the orange segments, the flesh inside is all the same.

When we put God in a box and try to define Him more than what is already given in scripture, we create our own god and idol. So getting rid of the preconceived ideas about who God is, is the first step in trusting Him. I know it's hard to trust the god that the churches of the world have created.

I personally do not believe in religions as I find them a way to control man, so I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "true faith" and I can't answer the question from a religious perspective. I personally believe the "god" resides within each and every one of us, that we are one with each other.

Having said that, true faith for me comes from truly knowing yourself. Getting past all the baggage or beliefs that we have that do not serve our highest purpose. Once you know yourself, then you can accept yourself with love and compassion and live true to who you are. For me then, believing more in god is believing more in myself and others, to see the good in each and every one of us.

Wishing you light and love :)

May, blessings and joy :)

"seek first the kingdom of heaven" "the kingdom of heaven is within you" ~The one now called 'Jesus'

To pray is to open and receive. God is constantly whispering in every way. Meditate/pray regularly.

"knowledge" is an experience of attunement to the energy that is constantly flowing from the source, one that can be practiced and revisited

May first of all welcome to IQ. I hope you enjoy it.

I am a Christian, I do faith healing, and casting out devils and demons (clearing and cleaning out negative or evil) from people or places. I have to say for me my faith started with watching old Christian movies like The Ten Commandments, Sampson and Delila, Joseph, Jesus, and many others that have been on television time and again.

I watched these movies with more than an entertainment mindset but one of amazement! I thought to myself "This isn't made up fiction! I am actually watching a recreation representation of real miracles that God did bring!"

So this was my first step seeing and knowing these miracles over and over again. My next step was thinking about these people that God did these miracles for, the very many people God had chosen and the very many miracles. I started to ponder, "How are these the same?" Well, they were all Jewish and practiced Judaism. There must be more though, and as I searched I found they were all obedient to God. They all had full faith and trust in God. So I thought if they are obedient to God and I am, if they trust God and have faith in God and I do, then God would favor me as he did them!

That point there was a big moment of enlightenment for me!

Next, I started reading more from my Bible on each of these "Heroes of the Bible." But instead of just reading about them, I imagined myself as each of them. There is an empowering quality to putting yourself in the stories as the one you are reading about. You not only read of the miracles but experience the feeling of these miracles. You feel like they are really happening and then you experience the excitement and joy of each miracle!

Imagine yourself as Moses. You come to the Red Sea; your people are scared and tired. They see the sea and they see the Pharaoh's soldiers fast approaching in their chariots! It looks like all hope is lost!!! But you know what God had told you to do! The people are behind you screaming, "We are trapped- all hope is lost!" You turn and shout, "Have you so little faith?" You turn back toward the Red Sea. Your heart is beating fast for the quickly approaching doom and the followers without faith screaming at you! It is all up to you now: do you believe and trust what God had told you? You have no choice- either trust God and have faith, or perish along with all the others under Pharaoh's heavy foot! You say to your people, "God is here with us! We will not perish!" You raise your staff and command in the name of God that the Red Sea part! Right before your eyes, the sea splits open! It is another miracle; it is amazing and beautiful- you feel excitement! There is no time for sight-seeing, though. You say to your people, "Follow me, we can cross the Red Sea now!" Everyone is amazed and shouts praises to God as they cross happily, with you leading the way. As all are now almost fully across, Pharaoh's men approach, scared but boldly, and start to cross too. Again your people lose faith saying, "Pharaoh's men approach. We are doomed!" Again you say, "Where is your faith? The same God that saved us; that parted this Red Sea, is the same God that will shut it on Pharaoh's men!" Just as the last Hebrew crosses the sea, you command it shut in God's name and next it shuts back up, taking with it all of Pharaoh's men. Once again, the people rejoice! How great is our God! You can feel Moses' frustration, but as well, his love for his people. They are as babies in their faith. You know you have much to teach them and they have a willingness to follow, but you feel the heavy responsibility for what is yet to come.

Do this for the many stories of the Bible: put yourself in their place and feel what they must have felt.

Next read the Biblical teachings, especially for me, was Jesus teachings, "The things I do, you can also do and more.", "The kingdom of heaven is within you.", "Your body is the temple of God." These are important things that God himself came here as Jesus to teach us.

Meditate on these things, and also the apostles, and the miracles they did in Christ's name. Think of being Paul or James or John. Think of being at the Pentecost, and all of a sudden having the Holy Spirit descend on you, and now you are suddenly speaking in tongues, casting off devils, and healing the sick.

Make these your experiences!

Lastly, Google XP Media, and watch people like Patrica King, Sid Roth and Heidi Baker. When we watch others today that are experiencing God's miracles every day, this boosts our own faith.

Watch the movies "Finger Of God" and "Furious Love" as well.

Your faith will grow as much as you apply it.

Blessings, Wade

May, I like your question... and offer a few words for you to look at. I was (sunni) muslim before, christian, studied santaria and palo, hermetics, and most recently have expanded into "no religion".

Religions I have found, are usually a tightly woven set of rules/facts/regulations to live by ...as layed down by another person (who say they were inspired by an inner voice..."God" ?). Religions teach you that GOD is outside of you...separate from you, Over and Above you. What amused me the most about the major religions is that they all have a similar vein or story...supposedly that will lead you to God...yet shun each other! In my mind this makes very little sense. If God was the creator of all and everything, why would He "sell" this fractional story to different people around the world...to keep them isolated and fearful of 'Him" ?

One day, I heard something like "All religions lead to God". That statement hit me like a ton of bricks.... why can't I just deal with God directly ? What's with all the cloak and dagger stuff...I mean is it really necessary ? Nature loves simplicity. I love interacting with my 7yr old daughter directly, as I am sure God (our parent) loves to deal and interact with us directly (internally). Yes, perhaps there are "rules" for this interaction, but it certainly has nothing to do with what I eat, and other such mundane restrictive things. I am a firm believer in the axiom "As above, so below"....and vice versa.

At that point in my life (35-38yrs old), my mind shifted from tightly woven religions (which contain "good and "bad" beliefs and rules)...to a more loose thinking approach. I always looked and viewed God as an entity outside of myself. Now I began to tremendously expand my view of God. God was everything I could see and not see. I recognized that if God is everything, ...then I must also be part of this God too! Why would I need a translator (religion) to communicate with God (myself). Why would I need somebody to tell me how to talk to God (myself). Why would I need a book to tell me who God is...when I can examine it myself (from my own "God born" perspective). I slowly began a transition, where I recognized that God was all around me, in me, and in every particle of stuff I can see and not see. At that point, all religion seemed like a set of clothes that people are coerced to wear to suit another set of people. I like the idea of being a "religious nudist".

I believe that I can continue to expand my relationship with God internally and externally by just looking deeper into myself. As I release the limitations of my thinking, my relationship with God has gotten deeper. Religions have a way of limiting your expression and your thinking. Sometimes we are scared to follow the unique beat of God within us, fearful of what other people may say. So we follow the masses, and accept the teachings of the masses as the accepted normalcy. God is beyond limited thinking. When we limit our thinking and beliefs, we limit what we can receive. Regarding your question, I believe that one can achieve true faith by just "wanting it". That has been my life journey thus far.... wanting more...digging and searching, looking for the answers that satisfy that internal itch----> Who/What is God and my relationship to Him/Her/It ....and how can I touch it (and get closer) ?

well go see him. then you will know the truth. then you will have true faith because you will know. yes i know you are going to ask how to do it. well have enuff faith that it does not matter if you die and meditate until you reach him. yes it can take a fee month or for some a fee year. experience and enjoy.

Matthew 10:39: Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:25: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Mark 8:35: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. Luke 17:33: Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

In addition, Jesus specifically warned against the perils of riches (see Matt 19:23 and Mark 10:21).

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Dear May, Welcome to I.Q. To have more faith in God look at the life around you. Life is truly a miracle and when you see it from that perspective you get closer to God for God is within everything and everyone. Below is a poem I wrote but it is much too long to put all of it here so so this is a part of it to give you an idea of what I mean. Enjoy.

I SEE GOD.

In every adult and every child in every teenager running wild I see God

In all the animals big or small domesticated or on the prowel I see God

In every bird flying high including those that cannot fly I see God

In every flower and every tree in every blade of grass I see I see God

It may not be faith but truth that one ought pursue,
favoring that which is further away form selfishness
seeking vibrational patterns of a finer frequency,
understanding the knowledge of common opinions
as well as our sensual impulses,
a decision is consciously made.

Something from the Quran. God says: "I am closer than you to yourself; and closer than your life-vein to you." I guess we should stop seeking so much on the outside and seek more inside our hearts and hopefully we will find Him there. And here is some imagery from the Baha'i writings I like very much where God says:

Out of the whole world He hath chosen for Himself the hearts of men— (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh) and

Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation. (Bahá’u’lláh, The Arabic Hidden Words)

If we cleanse the mirror of our hearts with prayer and meditation and good and pure actions, we can perceive God's presence within us.

We all come into this world with a different set of instructions on our beliefs. How do we know who is telling the truth? The truth is when you discover that the world is a reflection of your inner world taught to you by your parents. And they learned from their parents, etc. It is up to you to find the connection, in your terms. There are millions of ways to get to the same conclusion. So it really does not matter how you get there, you will, as long as you don't give up and believe.

Dear may,

The way you see the problem is the problem.

If you pursuit true faith, you will never achieve it and the more you try to believe in God will never seem enough anyway.

For you are chasing something that already is assuming that it is not yet. Furthermore, there's no reason for all there is to actually BELIEVE in its own existence. It already realizes it through being of all there is.

Perhaps in words closer to your heart, you already believe enough and have true faith.