James 1:6-8 and praying for Faith

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nobody

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I struggle with doubts, and pray for an increase in faith. The following passage troubles me, because it makes me feel I am stuck in a Catch-22.

James 1:6-8
“But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.”

If you are lacking in faith to begin with, and you pray for faith, you will not receive any because of your lack in faith???
 
Welcome and God Bless you because I have thought the same thing many times.

Here is the conclusion I finially came to.

St Paul says in his Epistles that we should come before God boldly and confidently. It surprised me to read this. We “work out our salvation in fear and trembling” but we should be bold and confident in our trust in God and in petitioning God, without doubting that he hears us and will do what is best for us. In practical terms I think this means throwing “doubt” overboard. It means not being “lukewarm”. It means abandoning all hesitation and wordly concerns.

Don’t doubt God for a second.

Chris
 
What usually helps me with doubts are reading the writings and biographies of the saints. I tend to be skeptical, like Thomas, and have periods of doubt. Reading the life of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and praying to him has helped a great deal. Try to get a good book on prayer (there are many). I highly recommend Fire Within by Fr. Thomas Dubay. Look for ones that teach about prayer and communion with God, prayer and penance (and mortification), Christian contemplation, and spiritual direction among other things.

Another thing that I recommend is to pray anyway. Mother Teresa said that the reason that people don’t believe or that they fall away from the faith is because they stop praying. Even if you don’t believe, pray to God about your unbelief. The purpose of prayer is communion with the living God. Tell Him, “I don’t really know what to believe or what to do. If you do exist, then please help my faith. Please make it clear to me that you exist. I need help.” Pray this often and continue your prayer along this line and take it from there. But don’t forget to get a good book on prayer!
 
I pray for a stronger and lasting faith every day. My biggest fear is that I turn out to be the seed that falls along the path or on the rocky ground. At first the seed blooms, but without strong roots the seed is picked off by birds, trampled on, or burned in the sun (you get the point).

“Dear Lord, please give me the grace to have a faith planted in fertile soil, so that it will return a hundred fold to you”.

God Bless,

NotWorthy
 
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