How can you trust God when you can't trust yourself?

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DarkLight said:
I’m saying it’s not that I don’t trust myself because I am ignorant or uneducated - by the standards of most people I am quite highly educated in matters of faith and the reasons behind it. It’s just that for me, no matter how much education I have, it’s never enough to settle the lingering fear that I might, for all my study and desire to believe in God and in what is good and right, simply be in error.
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Thats a normal reaction. Even though i love my denomination i still get doubts as to if i am in the right one etc. Its having a gut feeling that i am in the right one that helps. A strong belief that the Catholic Church is and can only be the true church of Christ!
 
I just realized that in order to trust ourselves we must first trust God
there is no two ways about this
your question in light of what I just said is: how can you trust yourself when you can’t trust God?
the answer is you can’t

Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed are those who trust in the LORD;
the LORD will be their trust.
They are like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It does not fear heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still produces fruit.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
on your own intelligence do not rely;
In all your ways be mindful of him,
and he will make straight your paths.

I’ll be praying for you!

Chuck
 
I know someone who was an atheist. She became “open minded” to the possibility of a God after realising that there must be something out there that created everything. So she made a little pathetic (cute to me, actually) to a God which sounded like “um hi, I’m trying to pray to whoever that’s out there who created the universe. Please lead me to the right religion”. Nothing really happened for a long time until she came across a Bible or some christian book, I can’t remember. She began studying about Christianity and then she decided what church was right. The Catholic church seemed the most reasonable because it made sense that Jesus established a church that will lead Christians and provide infallible teachings and no matter what scandal the church has, the church will stand strong. Soon after she became catholic, and when she became catholic, her life changed and she was a nicer person overall

Of course this does not so amazing, I mean there are horrible catholics around, but every religion has its bad bunch. And I do feel that little prayer she did at the beginning of her journey helped a lot. So do that, it would not hurt. And also be open minded. Sometimes my prayers get answered and I’ll brush it off and think it’s a coincidence or that there’s a logical explanation. God doesn’t have to answer your prayers in the most fantastic way. He can do so through people. So be open minded to that.

Also read testimonies of atheists becoming a christian, there is one, i think Jennifer? I can’t remember but type atheist to catholic or something like that and you’ll probably see her speech. It’s honestly interesting! Also look into other religions, so you won’t feel biased. Honestly, i feel that if there is a personal God that has revealed something to us, the true religion has to be islam, Judaism or Christianity. So look into that, read apologetics’ work, pray (just pray to God, don’t focus on like a muslim god or anything, pray to the creator and he will lead you to the true religion).
 
And I know your difficulty is praying to the right God (like how do you know if you are praying to the right god)

Think about it this way. If there’s a person out there, like idk, a person who has never been exposed to a religion or whatever. He or she prays to whoever that is out there for help, don’t you think the real God is listening? The person didn’t think of Jesus or Allah or whatever. Maybe it’s just my opinion but i do strongly believe God answers to people of all religions, unless the religion is a pagan one/praying to statues, animals, idols etc
 
Part of the trouble is I’ve seen the nightmares that can come from being wrong about God. I’ve seen true abuse perpetrated and permitted in the name of God in all sincerity, and I’ve lived through the nightmares that come after that. And I know that at the time everything looked truly and sincerely like submitting to physical and sexual abuse was the command of God, and a true follower of God would not even dare to question that.

That is why this worried me so. The stakes are not as low as simply holding the wrong belief. Wrong belief can lead you far astray even in your desires to do good. It can lead to doing harm where you intend to do good.
 
I not sure I’m understanding your issue so probably shouldn’t write anything but I will anyway. If you’re Christian then there shouldn’t be an issue with praying to or following the “right god” as Christians believe in only one god. Correct? So no matter which Christian faith you adhere to whether catholic or otherwise you’ll be following the one true god.
Your concerns with which tradition and its teachers to follow are more of the main issue as I see it (I could be completely off base). I’m not Christian but if I were and had the same worries as you seem to be stating I would go with a more mainstream denomination or Catholicism, orthodox, etc… as it would fit my comfort level more than some of the denominations that let’s face it can be way out there (not trying to insult anyone, just thinking of Jim Jones, et al). So start where you are and see where it leads you. You’ve gotten some good advice so far from the other posters so maybe sit in silence, breathe, and listen to what the divinity in you offers.
In Buddhism there are five hindrances to enlightenment the last is DOUBT. I would imagine that many people of all faiths experience doubt at one point or another but by letting go of doubt they eventually reach salvation(in the case of Christians). So as I’ve read before “let go and let god”.
May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be well. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be happy.
 
Just pray and ask God for guidance. He will help you. Persevere.
 
DarkLight said:
Right but that’s the point. They look exactly the same as something from God. How do I know?
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Good question. This is where a spiritual director would be handy but obviously you need to find the right one. For me, it would need to be a Catholic one. Bias i know but i dont see any other.

If i were you i would seek out a Catholic priest and have a chat with him. Make an appointment and see what he has to say. Maybe God is trying to tell you to do that!

Blessings.
 
Teabag said:
Good question. This is where a spiritual director would be handy but obviously you need to find the right one. For me, it would need to be a Catholic one. Bias i know but i dont see any other.

If i were you i would seek out a Catholic priest and have a chat with him. Make an appointment and see what he has to say. Maybe God is trying to tell you to do that!

Blessings.
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What scares me is that I’ve seen that fail as well - I trusted men and women who I thought were faithful servants of God (and I think they believed themselves to be so), who led me astray. How can I trust someone else to know what God wants when they are just as flawed as I am?
 
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