How to make my faith catch fire?

[YehoiakhinEx232]

I am beginning to realize that a lot of the problems in my life stem from me not truly believing. My faith is but fruitless flowers I only acknowledge it, I don’t truly believe it. Please give me advice on how I can ignite genuine belief in my soul so that my flowers of vanity may fade into fruit of the faith and I can overcome my sins and shortcomings.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

You can not make your faith catch fire.

First off, understand what faith is.

Faith, is a gift from God, it is His revelation to the individual, however that may happen.

So, if you desire faith, all you can do is be open to it, and go to the source of faith, Jesus Christ.

Prayer is your means to opening yourself to God, who will bless you with the gift of faith.

No one can give you faith, for what they have was given to them.

They can merely share the experience of faith.

Jim

 

[St_Francis]

Ask God for faith.

One’s faith being on fire is usually a sign that the person is receiving consolations. Consolations are nice feelings God sometimes sends people when they are first beginning something spiritual as an encouragement. Once the person has matured a bit in their spiritual life, the consolations are no longer needed and cease.

Some mistake these pleasant feeling for holiness, and when they disappear, the people think God has abandoned them or something inaccurate like that. It is important to have a good idea of what the spiritual life is all about so as to avoid mistakenly discouraging oneself.

Various saints have recommended that one’s faith should be like a smoldering log, with a steady, long-lasting heat going on. Or we can think about Christ’s parable of the seeds landing on three types of ground and the results.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Prayer indeed, puts you in direct communication with the Lord. Better to say you don’t know rather than you don’t believe. Go to Church, go to confession, and make amends. If sin is a major issue which usually is than go more often to confession.

I don’t know, belief was never an issue for me, submission to the Lords will was. Pride is one of the seven deadly sins. And they don’t call them deadly for no reason.

Listen, you already made a step in the right direction. Hang in there and pray for the strength to endure.

My prayers are with you. The Bible is clear, as you believe so it will be.

 

[SquallLeonheart]

Praying for you.

Not to pry, but what do you NOT believe in? God? Yourself? Prayer?

The first step is to believe in yourself, be confident and love your neighbor as yourself.

 

[blueshells]

I am beginning to realize that a lot of the problems in my life stem from me not truly believing. My faith is but fruitless flowers I only acknowledge it, I don’t truly believe it. Please give me advice on how I can ignite genuine belief in my soul so that my flowers of vanity may fade into fruit of the faith and I can overcome my sins and shortcomings.

Sometimes when I go through a spiritual drought, it’s because God is calling me to put my faith into action in a new way. Is there some kind of service you can get involved in, or even just reorient yourself to look for ways to serve God in your day-to-day life?

 

[franklinhall]

I am beginning to realize that a lot of the problems in my life stem from me not truly believing.

Welll luck 4 you – you can change all of that-- and learn how to walk in the power of the spirit–

yes prayer and fasting STILL works

i like the book “the fasting prayer” – as it has many examples and testimonies

ATOMIC POWER WITH GOD THROUGH FASTING AND PRAYER
by Franklin Hall

Prayer and fastingIn 1946-1947 a great movement of fasting and prayer was spawned, first in America and then the rest of the world. Franklin Hall’s book ‘Atomic Power With God Through Fasting and Prayer’ was the spark that ignited the hearts of thousands to go on extended fasts, to seek God for revival and the restoration of spiritual gifts to the church. Many went on 40-day fasts.

In 1947-1952 the great healing revival broke out through the ministries of William Branham, Oral Roberts, T. L. Osborne and a host of others who began to experience gifts of the Holy Spirit. They began to see extraordinary miracles in their ministries and thousands were converted and healed. Most of these itinerant evangelists followed Hall’s practice of fasting.

In 1948 the “Latter Rain” outpouring visited North Battleford, Canada, and swept into the United States. The leaders all agreed that it was after reading ‘Atomic Power’ that they entered a season of the “grace of fasting” which, after three months, resulted in a powerful outpouring of the Spirit restoring spiritual gifts and ministries to the church. It also led them into employing the ‘laying on of hands’ for healing and for imparting the gift of the Holy Spirit. The truth of fasting with prayer was a major catalyst in this revival.

We have included 4 of the 11 chapters.

revival-library.org/catalogues/miscellanies/prayer/hallfranklin.html

 

[soma]

Sit in silence so you can hear God.

 

[fred_conty]

I am beginning to realize that a lot of the problems in my life stem from me not truly believing. My faith is but fruitless flowers I only acknowledge it, I don’t truly believe it. Please give me advice on how I can ignite genuine belief in my soul so that my flowers of vanity may fade into fruit of the faith and I can overcome my sins and shortcomings.

What we are missing today as Catholics we once had is “sacredness”. That is an awareness that we are a part of Christ. That Christ is God and we are sacred because of him. That the Eucharist is sacred because it is the sacred body of Jesus which we receive.

That the pope is our final guide because he is sacred, appointed by Christ, and that we must listen to him.

That we regard all our priests and bishops as sacred who are our leaders given a special vocation to lead us to Christ. That there is something very special and different about them because of God’s special blessing upon them.

That the family is sacred, another home where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, are emulated. That the family is participating in the sacrament of matrimony and sharing with each other that goodness and sacredness of the holy family.

Our faith is not just a thought about dogma or a commandment, but an awareness that our sacred God is one with us and an effort to carry this sacred image into our life in a quiet and useful way.

May God our Father give you grace and peace.

 

[detoutcoeur]

I am beginning to realize that a lot of the problems in my life stem from me not truly believing. My faith is but fruitless flowers I only acknowledge it, I don’t truly believe it. Please give me advice on how I can ignite genuine belief in my soul so that my flowers of vanity may fade into fruit of the faith and I can overcome my sins and shortcomings.

“The divine spark of the Holy Spirit–the flint and flame of godly enthusiasm–triggers the awakening. Without it, we would be rubbing two sticks together in the pouring rain.” (p.10)****

Catching Fire, Becoming All Flame*** by** Fr. Alfred Haase, OFM

***You can read the first pages of the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1612612970/ref=rdr_ext_tmb#reader_1612612970

*albertofm.org/books/catching-fire/

*Fr. Haase also has several videos about the spiritual life on youtube:

youtube.com/results?search_query=father+albert+haase

 

[Forkfoot]

You don’t need to believe anything about anything to get swept up in the joy of worship. Just throw your whole being into worship for its own sake, without even caring if it’ll be rewarded in any way. Once you’ve brought the entirety of your personal will into alignment with this, you can’t help but catch fire with the love of God.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

It’s wrong to get into the life of prayer for the love of prayer itself.

The entire purpose of prayer and worship if for love of God because He is God and desires our love.

People can easily be swept into the love of asceticism and ritual, to the point that it becomes more important the one whom they’re suppose to be worshiping in the first place.

St John of the Cross warns of this error and says we must always keep our focus on God.

Be Centered in Christ

Jim

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

People can easily be swept into the love of asceticism and ritual, to the point that it becomes more important the one whom they’re suppose to be worshiping in the first place.

St John of the Cross warns of this error and says we must always keep our focus on God.

Be Centered in Christ

Jim

 

[YehoiakhinEx232]

Thank you for all advice, the Fr. Albert Haase videos were particularly helpful. I hope I can grow in faith from all these tips.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

You don’t need to believe anything about anything to get swept up in the joy of worship. Just throw your whole being into worship for its own sake, without even caring if it’ll be rewarded in any way. Once you’ve brought the entirety of your personal will into alignment with this, you can’t help but catch fire with the love of God.

Beautiful idea! :bowdown:

 

[the_phoenix]

Holy Mary, Mother of God
spread the effect of grace of thy Flame of Love over all humanity,
now and at the hour of our death
Amen

 

[OraLabora]

I am beginning to realize that a lot of the problems in my life stem from me not truly believing. My faith is but fruitless flowers I only acknowledge it, I don’t truly believe it. Please give me advice on how I can ignite genuine belief in my soul so that my flowers of vanity may fade into fruit of the faith and I can overcome my sins and shortcomings.

Perseverance in prayer.

It won’t make your faith catch fire. Instead it’s like water slowly dripping over a rock. Eventually the drips eat away at the stone surrounding our hearts and allow God to enter.

There’s no magic formula. Beware of anything that seems to make it “catch fire” as it can fizzle just as quickly. Opening your heart to God is the only sure way, and it’s a lifelong conversion process. Monks, and saints, will tell you that this conversion process takes a lifetime.

Be prepared also, for many dark periods where God seems to have abandoned you. Mother Theresa fought those dark periods all of her long life. He hasn’t abandoned you of course, in those periods. It’s our own blindness and hardness of heart that prevents us from seeing Him.

For me, it has been daily perseverance at praying the Liturgy of the Hours, even when I least feel like it. Maintaining true faith takes effort.

 

[ready]

I am beginning to realize that a lot of the problems in my life stem from me not truly believing. My faith is but fruitless flowers I only acknowledge it, I don’t truly believe it. Please give me advice on how I can ignite genuine belief in my soul so that my flowers of vanity may fade into fruit of the faith and I can overcome my sins and shortcomings.

Go to the Tridentine Mass at a traditional chapel with a traditional priest. Read the Baltimore Catechism and make sure you understand it. Pray your rosary daily, faithfully. Pray morning and night prayers and ejaculations throughout the day. Do good spiritual reading daily. Love our Lord more than everything and everyone else, and seek to give Him greater honor and glory with everything you think, say and do. God bless you.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

Go to the Tridentine Mass at a traditional chapel with a traditional priest. Read the Baltimore Catechism and make sure you understand it. Pray your rosary daily, faithfully. Pray morning and night prayers and ejaculations throughout the day. Do good spiritual reading daily. Love our Lord more than everything and everyone else, and seek to give Him greater honor and glory with everything you think, say and do. God bless you.

You just reminded me of something. For many years I’ve wanted to go to a Latin Mass and I just realized that within the past couple months, the situation has changed so that I may now have a chance to go. For years they had it scheduled for a weekly time when I had a consistent commitment to another Mass at our home parish.