I am looking for a way to believe in God?

[The Paul Network]

Hi. Many people, after reading what you said above, would surmise that you're looking for something religious, and preferably Christian, to fit into the rest of your life, which you seem to have quite sussed. I'm not saying that is what you ARE looking for, but it certainly seems so from the way you posed your question. My apologies if I came to the incorrect conclusion.

The thing about following Jesus, though, is that in order for you to develop fully, and get real live benefits in life from following Him, in order to really blow your life out of the water and grow to a whole new level, you will have to give up a lot of other beliefs, habits and ideas you have. A 'little bit" of Jesus does nothing more than a self-help book or motivational speaker would do. For Jesus to radically transform your life into something you might never even have dreamed about, you must follow completely.

Many Christians "join the club" and go to church, wear the crosses, and even pray and read the Bible from time to time but they never actually apply all the teachings of Jesus in their lives, so consequently, never really experience the transformation and radical growth that completely committed followers feel.

If you're going to give following Jesus a full go, you must prepare yourself for some extreme discomfort. Following Jesus is not easy. In fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever done, but to give you an example of the radical turn my life has made in the last 12 months- I went from down and out, addict, relationship in tatters, to dream job, awesome relationship healing, and have just been blessed with the news of becoming a father next year! my life is on a high like its never been!

So, the good news is that you don't have to believe ALL the Christian stuff, the Bible stuff, or even in God to START the process. You really only have to START by following the teachings of Jesus as they are told in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). To start with, think of it as following any motivational speaker, public figure or self-help book.

Challenge yourself, say, for 3 months. Go get a NIV, NLT, or NKJV Study Bible, and just start working through the Gospels. Don't commit to anything other than just FOLLOWING, and see what happens

I've prayed that you will really challenge yourself to give this thing a full go, and that you will grow to later believe in God, and believe that Jesus is the Son of God and all the other things we believe, and that your life will be radically changed, as the lives of all who follow Him is changed.

Mail me if you'd like to explore this further. I'd be glad to talk more about your journey or the challenge

Oh, and check out notafan.com