Why do I believe in God?



Jaycie's Solar System Project
Can you find our tiny blue planet?
Come to find out, it's not insignificant at all.

http://youtu.be/qF9aY49oQTs  - Indescribable - Chris Tomlin


The better question is:

 "How can I not believe?"

I have the honor and blessing of being part of the Dallas Christian School Sophomore Girls Bible Study each week .  We meet at lunch, so it's just a short devo, but I have enjoyed it so much this year.  I've gotten to know these very special girls a little better, and can I just say? They are truly outstanding young women.  I'm so blessed to know each one.

At the first of the year, I asked them what topics they would like to
discuss.  One girl said that she wanted to know how to answer the question:

"Why do you believe in God?"

This young lady is definitely a believer, but like so many of us, she didn't know how to answer this question if someone asked.  I've thought about this question all year.
There's no quick, easy answer that works in all circumstances for all people.  For me, answering another believer is so much easier.  Believers understand faith -  sometimes we believe simply because God has put Eternity in our hearts.  We just know that He is God.  Faith, after all, is believing when we can't see.

But to answer someone who denies His very existence - that's a whole different story.  If I use the Bible at all, I first must prove that it is reliable.  I have to show
the unbeliever that this book has been tested and investigated for thousands of years.  Skeptics continue to peruse every word trying to find contradictions or untruths. And yet...

"Being written on material that perishes, having to be copied and recopied for hundreds of years before the invention of the printing press, did not diminish its style, correctness nor existence. The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined."

from http://www.angelfire.com/ - "Evidence that Demands a Verdict"

Time and time again, archaeological discoveries have verified the truths already found in the Bible.  Evolutionary scientists continually change their explanation of how evolution has worked over billions and billions of years due to the amazing discoveries that are constantly being made.  These new discoveries don't prove the theory of evolution at all - in fact, they do more to prove the overwhelming evidence that points to our Divine Creator.

Professor M. Montiero-Williams, former Boden professor of Sanskrit, spent 42 years studying Eastern books and said in comparing them with the Bible:

"Pile them, if you will, on the left side of your study table; but place your own Holy Bible on the right side - all by itself, all alone - and with a wide gap between them. For,...there is a gulf between it and the so-called sacred books of the East which severs the one from the other utterly, hopelessly, and forever...a veritable gulf which cannot be bridged over by any science of religious thought."

Over the years, many critics have tried to discredit the Word of God.  At one time, they claimed that there was no way that Moses could have authored the first five books of the Bible because at the time he lived on earth, man didn't have the alphabet - therefore Moses couldn't have written anything.

But then the "black stele" was discovered.. It had wedge-shaped characters on it and contained the detailed laws of Hammurabi. Was it post-Moses? No! It was pre-Mosaic, and it preceded Moses' writings by at least three centuries. Imagine that! The black stele was created long before the birth of Moses, who was supposed to be a primitive man without an alphabet!


This link will take you to a website that is full of information that documents the uniqueness of the Word of God.  I hope you have time to review it.  As I read the articles, I was reminded again of just how amazing God is.
http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/myredeemer/Evidencep3.html

This topic is too huge to cover in one conversation.  The answers for why I believe would fill volumes of books.  New "proof" is being discovered every day.  So how I can answer anyone when they ask, "Why do you believe in God?"

The best answer I have is that I have experienced His love and mercy.  I have been changed by His Holy Spirit living in me.  I have continually found that His instructions are always best - even when they are contrary to what seems right and good to my human mind.  When I live my life as He directs, I have a peace that surpasses all understanding.  When I face trials and sorrows, He gives me strength and comfort that I can't explain in human terms.  I've seen Him work in my life and in the lives of my friends. There is no other explanation.  God is. God is good.  God is love.  I witness these three truths every day.

God shows up just when I need Him.  Isaiah 30:21 is one of my favorite passages.

Your own ears will hear Him.
Right behind you a voice will say,


“This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left.

There have been so many times when I have experienced His Voice telling me "this is the way you should go."  God doesn't come down and personally talk to me in human terms. No. but He most definitely "speaks" to me. Sometimes it might be  a subtle reminder of a verse that speaks to my situation.  Or maybe a friend will speak God's truth or encouragement to me at just the right moment. The more I put His Word in my head and heart, the easier it is for me to hear His Voice when I need to know what to do next.  He is always with me, showing me whether to go right or to go left.
The reasons I believe might not make sense to a non-believer.  That makes me sad.  But instead of getting frustrated with them, instead of getting angry, God tells me to speak the truth in love, to show mercy, to let Him be the judge.  My job, my purpose is to be live in such a way that those unbelievers can see that I'm different.  Just maybe, they will want to know why, and my answer is God is real and He lives in me.
 
The more I study about science and the bible, the more convicted I become about our great God.  Just look at the heavens?  Consider the uniqueness of our planet?  Why out of all the particulars that exploded from the so called "big bang" did our one tiny little blue planet "evolve" into the perfect place for human existence? So many things have to be just right for our survival - as a planet and as humans. 
 
Our distance from the sun - perfect!  If we were any closer, earth would burn up.  If we were further away, we'd freeze.  Hmmm.....
 
And what about the moon?  Without our special moon orbiting around us at just the right place and speed, our planet wouldn't turn on it's axis. Thanks to the moon, we have seasons and night and day.  Without the moon, half of earth would be in the dark/cold all the time - the other half would suffer light/heat all the time.  Either way, we humans couldn't exit.
 
Our little insignificant planet was designed to be perfectly suited for human life.  Why?  Because we humans, out of all creation, are God's very special possession.
 
James 1:16-18
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.


http://youtu.be/YmHfl15G8eY - God of Wonders - Third Day


What about the incredible intricacies of DNA?  That each of has our own unique stamp that makes us who we are?  How can anyone believe that just evolved from a big bang?  And isn't it just a bit beyond all reason to think that not only did we evolve once into our human form at all, but that it happen at least twice at the same time but with a very major difference - one was male and one was female?

Really?  Mind baffling to say the least.  That most unbelievable thing about it is that Evolution with all it's faults and errors is still accepted by just about everyone to be Fact.  My scientific standards, it doesn't even meet the criteria to be a legitimate Theory!  The Enemy is all over this LIE.

So what are we to do?  We speak God's truth - using words when we must, and we pray for the lost.  We do everything we can to show others the Hope we have in Christ. We show God's love to everyone, even the unlovable. God will do the rest.
 
I can't help but fall to my knees in gratitude and thanksgiving that HE didn't give up on me when I was so lost.  He sought me out and drew me to Himself.  Satan's strongest hold on me was the lie that God couldn't forgive all the things I had done.  I had sinned willfully and felt I had no right to pray to God, to ask for help. You see, things didn't work out so well for me when I did things my way. But to come begging God to save me after I turned my back on Him?  I didn't deserve His mercy. I had lived for myself without one thought of what He wanted me to be.  How dare I ask for His help now? 
 
But God picked me up and dusted me off.  He made it clear to me that I was loved and that all I had to do was turn back to Him.  King David must have experienced the shame and regret of sinning against His God, just like I did.  But David understood that what God wants is a broken spirit - a heart that desires to turn from sin and try once again to live for Him. 
 
I was a sinner.  Still am.  I felt unworthy.  I was and still am.  But what I failed to consider is that Christ came to save sinners.  He suffered an unimaginable death for sinners, me included.  How could I think that His death, the death of the precious Son of God, was not enough to cover my sins?  It was more than enough to cover every sin that has been or will be committed.  That's how great His sacrifice was.  That's how much He loved us.
 
When I finally realized that His blood continually cleanses me of all my sins, that even though I'm not worthy of such a gift, He still graciously gives it to me.  He forgives me as many times as I need it.  Not only was it okay for to pray and ask for forgiveness and help, but God longed for me to come back, to reach out for His Hand. 
 
Psalm 51:17 NASB
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.



http://youtu.be/JEqfMFAIyGI  - Let Your Mercy Rain - Chris Tomlin
 
He reached down and lifted us up.  He came running looking for us.
Now there is nothing and no one beyond His love.
 
That's why I believe.

Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil

James 1:26-27
"If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."

Ouch!!!  An unbridled tongue covers a lot of stuff.  Gossip, slander, coarse language, sexual innuendo, criticism, lies, put downs, harsh words...  You get the picture, right?  James says what we say matters. Jesus died for us so that we could be holy as He is Holy.  That means being set apart, and it's not always popular or easy to do.  It means not following the crowd when the crowd is doing wrong. It means avoiding situations that might cause us to say or do things we shouldn't.  Being holy means making godly choices even when your friends think you're being a prude.  http://youtu.be/9Y8zP34AhuU - Refiner's Fire -

James 3:3-10
3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.


But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
God tells us through James, the brother of Jesus, that it's very hard to control what we say.  It's almost like our tongue has a mind of it's own.  Sometimes, before we even realize it, we've spoken some harsh word to someone we love - a word we can never take back or undo.  And have you ever slipped and said a four-letter word that would have gotten your mouth washed out with soap if your mom had heard it?

It's hard to keep our words encouraging and positive.  Let's face it.  Sometimes we bang a thumb or stump a toe or nearly have an accident of some kind, and before we can stop ourselves, that word just comes flying out!

Several years, my two older sons and I, were driving down the road, minding our own business when another car just pulled out right in front of us.  I let out a word that I never, ever say (anymore) and I especially didn't ever use that "word" in front of my sons. It just happened so quickly!  We were able to avoid a wreck and after I calmed down, I realized what I had done. I had said the "f" word in front of my boys! The "f" word! Oh no!!! Not that one!!! But there it was.  It just hung in the air forever!  I hoped and prayed that the boys hadn't heard my expletive, but when mom yells out a bad word, especially that bad word, trust me, they are all ears. 

True enough, most people would understand my reaction, after all, my sons were in the car!  That crazy driver almost hit us!  The boys could have been seriously hurt!  Any mom could surely understand... right?

But the question I had to ask myself was why did THAT word come spilling out of my mouth? 

Jesus said that the words I speak come from my heart. 

Matthew 15:18-20
18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”

Now how in the world did the "F" word get into my heart?
I can tell you exactly how.  I heard that word so often in the office, with my friends, in movies, everywhere I went... My heart was being filled up with that stinkin' word and I didn't even realize it.  It didn't seem like a big deal, until that DAY!

Do the words I say matter?  Oh, yes, most definitely.  My sons are almost 34 and 35 and guess what little part of their childhood they remember just like it was yesterday?
You guessed it.  Mom saying the "f" word!   What a great legacy I'm leaving.

I think it's pretty clear where God stands on the tongue. He tells us that the tongue is powerful, in fact it can bring death or give life.

Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life;


James warned us of the dangers of an unbridled tongue.
 
James 3:6 NLT
And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

Are you still unsure how God feels about our words?  Just take a stroll through Proverbs and see how often Solomon talked about the pitfalls of careless words. For an example, have you ever noticed that a person who is not necessarily very smart,  can look very wise, IF he keeps his mouth shut.  But the minute a fool opens his mouth, every one knows he's a fool.  I didn't say that.  Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said it.  And just how classy does a woman look when she's spouting out foul language? Or a man either, for that matter.  It's not cool and it's not smart.  Solomon said so.
 
The book of Proverbs is packed with instructions on how to avoid the dangers of speaking without thinking.  Summary:
 
Garbage in... garbage out.
 
We are instructed to guard our minds because when we fill them with garbage, i.e. bad language, T.V. and movies with sexual innuendo tossed about like it's nothing, crude jokes, racial slurs, words that hurt and tear down, that's what will eventually spill out at exactly the wrong time.  We should avoid those things and keep them out of our homes.  If we don't continually flood our brains with the "f" word, it's not likely to come spewing out when we least expect it.

My friend, Michelle, sent this article to me.  The author was brave enough to say what I've been thinking for a long time.  Why do we keep allowing ourselves to be conditioned into thinking all the bad language and sexual innuendo is okay for us to watch and hear? Can we honestly believe that we won't be affected by it?  Worse yet, how come it's okay with us that our kids are watching this *#x%$#!  Think about it!  If a 13 year old came home from school and said that her teacher said the "f" word, wouldn't her parents have a fit?  Yet they let that same child watch sitcoms on t.v. or listen to music that have bad words, use God's name in vain and filled with sexual content totally inappropriate for adults - never mind a 13 year old.  In fact, they bring that garbage right into their very home for their daughter to enjoy. 

I know what you're thinking.  A few bad words here and there, no big deal. It's part of life.  We hear those words all the time. Honestly, we can't come out of the world, even Jesus acknowledged that when He was praying for us. 

No, we can't come out of the world.  But our purpose while in this world is to bring glory to God.  Jesus said that we are in the world but we are not to be of this world.  We are to be holy, set apart.  Just as He is holy.


That means we don't act like everyone else.  We don't listen to the same music if it's filled with bad language and sexual content; we don't use words that lessen our Christian influence. And trust me, the "f" word takes away from your Christian influence.  = (

John 17:13-19 NLT
13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.





Thank you, Mr. Groeschel!  I hope your message touches lots of hearts and makes us a little more aware that words do hurt - they can change who we are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What’s the Big &%#*! Deal about Profanity?


Craig Groeschel

Recently, when I asked a friend for recommendations of a good movie to rent, he responded enthusiastically, “Have you seen The Hangover? It may be the funniest movie I’ve ever seen!” Excited about a potentially great comedy, I asked a couple of my staff members about the movie. They too had seen it and said it was a riot and must see.

Since I wasn’t sure what The Hangover was rated, my last check point involved doing a little research to see if this was a movie for the whole family or one just for me and my wife to watch together. What I discovered floored me.

According to www.screenit.com, this comedy has more than its fair share of non-family-friendly scenes, intense language, and sexual situations. The rough spots include 91 different variations of the f-bomb (apparently it can function as noun, verb, adjective—maybe even a conjunction for all I know), 41 excretory words, 14 references to a person’s behind, 13 “hells,” and nine slang terms for male anatomy. To top it all off, this hilarious movie has 31 different versions of taking God’s name in vain.

When I told my friends and staff members that the movie had 91 f-bombs, which averages out to approximately one version of the “f” word per minute, they were all shocked. “Really? I didn’t even notice” was the most common response.

Really… you didn’t notice one “f” word each minute?

Please understand that I’ve seen my share of The Hangover-ish movies. As a child of the ’80’s, I grew up on a diet of movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Risky Business, and Porky’s. It’s not that I’m particularly proud of this cultural education, but I’m no tee-totaling separatist who only watches Veggie Tales.

You might be like a lot of people who say, “Profanity, violence, and sex in the movies don’t really bother me. If it doesn’t bother me, it must not be that big of a deal.” Remember—I used to think this way, too. If you’re a Christian, though, wouldn’t you agree that there has to be a boundary somewhere? A way to discern what pleases God and moves us closer to him instead of farther away? And can we trust our own sensibilities to know what’s truly best for us? Can you really endure an onslaught of “f-bombs” in a movie and not get wounded?

Consider, for example, if I dropped 91 “f- bombs” in my sermon this Sunday, do you think that no one in my church would care? Chances are good that I’d stir up a bit of controversy to say the least. So if you agree that 91 is too many f-words for a Sunday sermon, then how about 50? Or 23?

What’s the magic number? Most people in my church would say that even one f-bomb would be too many—much less taking God’s name in vain. Yet the majority of them paid good money to be entertained by some form of media containing the same language or much worse within the past thirty days.

So let’s wrestle with this subject. If it’s not okay for me or you to say certain words or make particular jokes or references in church, then why would it be right for Christians to pay their hard-earned money to be entertained by something similar?

I agree that context makes a difference. You attend church (I hope) to worship God, hear his Word preached, and fellowship with others—not to be entertained. Similarly, you go to the movies or download Netflix to escape and enjoy yourself, not to meet God and get spiritually nourished.

There’s only one problem with this line of reasoning. Our lives are not so neatly compartmentalized just because we’re in a different setting for a different purpose. We aren’t machines with software programs that can sort and file things away, separate from all the other parts of the system. It’s tempting to think that what we watch on TV, see at the movies, listen to on our iPod, play on our gaming systems, and read before bedtime doesn’t affect us.

But they do. Each image and message we ingest may be a germ that will make us gravely ill, especially when combined with the many other sensory germs we’re taking in. If we’re serious about our spiritual house cleaning, then there must be no exceptions. We must take the images, language, and stories we allow into our minds and hearts very seriously.

If you don’t think there’s a problem with all the cultural influences that invade your life daily, chances are that you’re interpreting right and wrong through a distorted lens. Our church shoots videos every week to use in different areas of ministry. Every time one of our team members videos me, we hold up a white piece of paper in front of the camera before starting. This shot is called a “white balance.”

We do this each time because the camera can’t interpret all the colors until it sees true white. Without a white balance, a blue shirt could look grey or a red flag could appear orange. Once the camera sees true white, then it knows how to discern all the other colors.

Our approach to movies, TV shows, and the culture around us should follow the same pattern. Once you see pure white—or truth—suddenly you can see clearly that so much of what we take in is hurtful to us and displeasing to God. Instead of blindly absorbing whatever media you encounter, allow God’s Word and the guidance of his Holy Spirit to reset your white balance, to re-adjust your standard of right and wrong, and to live in a manner that brings glory and honor to God.

Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of Lifechurch.tv, the second largest church in the United States and the creator of the YouVersion Bible App. He and his wife Amy reside in Oklahoma with their six children. A bestselling author, this essay is an adaptation from Craig’s new book, Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World launching May 7th.

 
from Christian.com
Publication date: May 6, 2012

The words we allow in our hearts may not seem like a big deal to you and me.  Of course, that's the beauty of Satan's scheme.  He is wise. He knows if we could see an immediate consequence for watching that movie filled with the "f" word, we probably wouldn't watch it.  But instead, he lets the damage move in slowly, so slowly we don't even notice until it's too late.  It's a slow fade - we get conditioned to hearing the bad words and inappropriate comments. It becomes common practice. Then slowly, before we know what's happening, we are using profanity ourselves or telling crude jokes, or making sexual comments with a co-worker. The crudity makes us laugh.  It's fun to tease and flirt, maybe shock people a little.   After all, it's no big deal, really, is it?

http://youtu.be/MaKDT_Cifec - Slow Fade - Casting Crowns


Prude is sometimes used to make a person feel stupid or uncool for not going along with the crowd.  But I like the word.  If someone calls me prudish, I just smile and say "thanks for noticing".  = ) I don't mind being "uncool" or "prudish" if that's what I have to do to honor God.  One time, I was even called a fanatic. And I say, yes sir! I am! I am a fanatic for Jesus!  And proud of it.  And if that guy knew Jesus like I know Jesus, he'd be a fanatic, too.

Here's a tip.  If your friends think you're being a party pooper because you don't want to watch a movie that has inappropriate language and/or sexual innuendo, stand firm. You are being holy - no matter what your "friend" calls it.  And God wants us to be holy.