To my doubtful readers, I’m happy to see that you have returned, perhaps looking for more thoughts on how best to discover that God lives.  I too have been thinking about additional events and topics that might assist you on your journey.

Seeing is believing! Right?  We doubt someone’s claim, but once we have actually seen it with our own eyes, then we believe it to be true.  It only makes logical sense that we should be able to make such a statement when it comes to the knowledge of God’s existence.  Just show me a sign… then I’ll believe. (Hold on to this thought).

I have met many that proclaim that, “They know God lives… and that Jesus is our Savior”.  I would share that these are my feelings as well.  And, I too would choose the word “Know”… and not just “Believe”.  I do not know of any of my acquaintances that have seen God, me included.  So, how can we make such a bold statement regarding His deity?

Let’s start with ‘seeing is believing’.  I would like for you to assume a character in an actual event that happened thousands of years ago.  As I lay out the details, I would like for you to emotionally feel as your character must have felt, and see the experience through YOUR eyes, just as they did.

It was in the 16^th century BC, when the Hebrews received the answer to their prayers. They were set free.  Led by Moses out of the land of Egypt, they were off to a new beginning.  Only God could have made the circumstances come together in making this impossible task come true.

Now, if you were there, you would have seen the misery of the people there under a dictator.  You were a slave to him and his regime.  Your purpose was to serve him and build his kingdom at all expense.  His power was great, and… you and your family were helpless. You could see the impossibilities of ever being set free. Impossible… but it happened. (Be patient, I’m getting to my point).

Hundreds if not thousands of people fled Egypt.  They traveled to the edge of the Red Sea. By then the Pharaoh had changed his mind. He lead his army to destroy all of them (this includes you).  You and all of these people are trapped up against the sea… There is no place to escape.  This is the time that you will surely die, or at best, be taken back into slavery in Egypt.  Scared?  I would be. Hoping for another miracle?

Moses parted the Red Sea…. Let me say that again in case you are reading this fast… Moses Parted The Red Sea!  He created an escape path.  The ocean parted, and you are now running through a new path that was just created by the hand of God.  Well…. There’s your sign.. Right?  If you were there to see that… you would surely believe in God! But… hold on…

The people were all safe on the other side of the sea.  A miracle had just happened right in front of your eyes. But… what happened next will disprove the spiritual theory of seeing is believing.

Moses left for a few days.  He was a prophet of God, and he was seeking guidance for his people.  You know the story… He went up into the mountain and received the Ten Commandments.  When he returned to the group…. (Are you ready for the ending?)

You would think that these people would be in humble gratitude, giving praise to a God who had just saved them… But, that was not the case.  Just in a matter of days, after seeing the miracle from God, they all were worshiping a very different God made of gold, and committing all kinds of sins and abominations before God.  What? Seriously??  But they had just seen it for themselves. Now they are acting as if nothing happened?

“Just, show me a miracle…. Then I’ll believe.”  That was not the case for these hundreds or thousands of people there.  It only took a few days to discard the hand of God, and go right back to their pagan beliefs.

So, what is the difference?  If it’s not by seeing a sign from God, how do people make the fervent claim that they KNOW God is real?  The answer… It’s not your eyes that will enable you to know that spiritual matters are true.  Well then… what is it?

Spiritual matters, such as God’s existence, come from your own spirit’s conformation that these things are indeed true.  It’s not your brain’s logic, or physical touch, sight or smell.. But….your spirit acknowledging heavenly truths.  It makes perfect sense… Spirit communicating with spirit regarding spiritual matters.

Your answer that God is real will come to you in a learning conviction, different than any other knowledge you have acquired.

So, stop looking for your alphabet cereal to spell out “God is real” in your morning breakfast. Pray that He will help you know of His existence.  He will tell your spirit. Read and study. And then… listen with your spirit.  When it happens, you’ll know what I mean.  It won’t be long before you too will be saying… “I KNOW that God lives”.

 

Ok… my doubting friends. Your challenge has just been accepted. “So if God is real, show me!” … My pleasure.

This question that you have on your mind right now is a very healthy beginning to come to know something that will change your life. You don’t have to take anyone’s word or beliefs to answer your question. Now…you can get to know God for yourself. Ready? Let’s go there.

(Full disclosure… I’ve just said a prayer that the things you learn here will ring true with you. I invite you to pay attention to your feelings as you discover these truths). Did I just cheat? =) …No, it’s not me that will answer your question… It will be God Himself.

Let’s look at some prevailing evidence of God’s existence. The world that you live in is just normal to you… however, you are missing some of God’s greatest evidence of His existence. Consider these facts:

*The Earth…its size is perfect. The Earth’s size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter, Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.

*The Earth… is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth’s position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

*The Moon… our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.

How did this all come to be? Serious. So many “perfect coincidences” make it possible for us to live here. The earth, moon and universe were created… by someone or something. Now if you are thinking “Big Bang” theory… I invite you to do your own experiment. Take a firecracker and whatever other components that you choose. Ignite the firecracker and try to produce anything other than “Blown up stuff”. It did not randomly come together. These planets were created. Perfectly orchestrated by God to allow us to come here to experience our mortal life.

Ready for more?

Look at what is contained in this earth that God created. Our Natural Resources for our survival…. Water, Fossil Fuels, Natural Gas, Precious Metals, etc. These all are important for our survival. And oh…. what about this…. Food!

Take a seed… essentially a grain of nothing. When this seed is planted… it grows into food… not just one type of food…. Look in your pantry… yup, all grown on this earth for your survival, and many items from a seed. Seeds, producing food, and… more seed… producing food, and more seeds…. and so it goes.

I’m currently witnessing another of God’s miracles…. and proof of His existence. The development of 2 baby grandchildren. Starting with one cell, they divide into different cells, genetically programed to produce eyes where they should be, fingernails, a nose, ears, a functioning heart, and oh by the way, these babies live inside not breathing air like you and I. They are kept alive by the mothers circulating oxygenated blood supply, but at birth, they shift immediately into breathing air into their lungs. Remarkable? I sure think so. Let this evidence peak your curiosity of the existence of God.

Storm patterns, oh yeah…. more evidence of God’s existence as He has created the ultimate sprinkler system to care for His planet. Mountains hold frozen snow until the water is needed later in the year. And it all flows back into the ocean, to start the cycle all over again. Oh by the way, with this continued water leaving the ocean, won’t the ocean become too salty.. BOOM.. Icebergs melt and feed the ocean with new water… AMAZING.

A few more things to consider.

Look at the world…. and even look at your own life. It isn’t rocket science to make an observation that there are two forces on the earth today… Right? Good and evil. Where do those thoughts, desires, or feelings come from? Spend some time processing this thought. They are forces, which to me is the best way to describe them… Powers. I myself have felt STRONGLY! You and I have this power inside us to be good. To help others. To come together when disaster strikes. We are programed to love and feel loved. These are all powers, influences, and feelings that come from God.

Ok…. now the flip side. I have also felt carnal feelings to do bad things. To sin, to turn away from this light. During this period of time, I feel dark and a desire to turn away from good.

Try to explain these opposite powers without using God and Satan in your explanation…. Impossible.

Let me continue with this. All of us have been given, “The Light of Christ”. You can refer to this as your conscience. We all have a desire to accept the fact that there is a God… but here are some examples of where things take a turn.

All of us make bad choices… Yup… we sin. Sometimes those sins start out as being FUN. As we continue to chase fun, our light begins to dim… As this becomes our lifestyle, darkness prevails, and we doubt any feelings of God and His goodness. Satan takes over and whispers thoughts into our mind. “There is no God.”

Another very prominent event that happens in our life comes from this experience… If there really is a God, how could He allow______________ to happen? Many people base their entire belief or non-belief in God by trying to process this question.

When these events occur, Satan and his team are all over this thought process. It is his perfect chance to persuade many to give up on God, and join his depressing team of being a “Victim of the lack of a God who should be looking out for them”.

News Flash…. God exists. And… Get ready for this one… Only ONE God exists. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe, or if you believe in a Christian God, a Hebrew God, Muslim God, Buddha, etc. There is only one God. He is the Heavenly Father for ALL of his children on this earth. Believing or the lack of believing does not change reality. Facts are facts… and we will all see that when we are called back to live with HIM.

For those of you who have experienced traumatic events causing you to doubt God’s existence, let me join your team for a minute. I lost a son in a motorcycle accident. I’m a good person, trying to live a good life. Clearly an unfair event in my life. One that hurt deep, and continues to be a challenge for me and my family. But, I cannot blame God… for the accident or the lack of protection for my son when he crashed. These traumatic events are a part of our earthly experience… not evidence of a God who has turned his back on us.

Tonight, in your heart, offer a prayer. Ask that you will come to know Him. I can promise that He will continue to direct you to answers, just as He has directed you to this blog site. Your answer will come as a result of prayer, study and most importantly…. pondering your thoughts as you venture through this task.

Let Him into your life. There is peace there. He loves you just the way you are, but too much to leave you there. He will allow challenging events in our life for the purpose of our growth…. One of the main reasons that we are on this earth. Don’t expect Him to shield you from every challenge that comes your way…. You wouldn’t do this to your own children. Grab His hand and let Him walk you through your life. It’s what you have been looking for.

*https://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html 

One of my life’s simple pleasures is collecting and learning about…. “Rocks,” of all things. =) The creation of such different materials, shapes, and colors are just the covers of the books for information which they contain.

But the most interesting item to me, and what I’ve just put into my “rock” collection information, has been the 1973 discovery of Brimstone in the ancient towns of Sodom and Gomorrah, located on the shores of the Dead Sea. We’ve all heard the story, but what is brimstone?

Brimstone is a white, almost 100% pure ball of Sulphur. These Sulphur balls have been discovered in various sizes throughout the lands that were once Sodom and Gomorrah.

Surrounded by destroyed material, they have left “pock marks” that dot the ground. After striking the earth, they have been capsuled and preserved to give credibility to the biblical tale. And, thousands of years after impacting the earth, they can still be ignited with a match to burn once again.

It is estimated that these balls of fire burned close to 400 to 700 degrees F. Their fiery assault upon the town resulted in total devastation. Everything and everyone there were essentially eliminated.

God has always worked through natural means. So as you consider this story, can you just imagine all of these burning brimstone balls striking the cities? Thousands raining down from the sky with the intent to annihilate everything. Fire from the sky… really? YES.. Really, and now you know how that was accomplished.

I’m fascinated with this. To be able to take a “story,” and back it up with this evidence, is another testimony that God lives.

So why were these people destroyed?

We all have our own interpretation of the characteristics of God. To me, He is loving, patient, understanding, just, and is involved in nurturing me to become my very best. I rarely associate Him with the emotion of being vengeful.

In again researching, why would God would take such dramatic measures towards people? I think that it’s fair to say that similar evil exists on the earth today…. And, no current reporting of brimstone strikes.

Abraham was told that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were to be destroyed. He pleads with God not to destroy them. His Nephew Lot, and his family lived there. God’s response was that if Abraham could find 10 righteous people living there, He would spare the cities. However, those cities were full of people committing “Grave Sins”. Angles were sent to the city disguised as men. Their findings were that the only righteous people living there were Lot and his family. That family was instructed to leave, and the city was destroyed.

So, back to the question of evil cities today not being destroyed, as Sodom and Gomorrah were. Here is my interpretation.

It’s clear to me that God is interested in protecting the righteous. The city would have been spared if only 10 righteous people could be found. That was not the case. Everyone with the exception of Lot and his family had chosen a life of sin and darkness. They were not good people who occasionally made mistakes. They were living a life of perverse sin and evil. Their lights had gone out for some time. No kindness, no love, no compassion..Just perverse pleasure was their core desire. This is who they had become.

We look at evil today. There is no doubt in my mind that similar perverse people exist on the earth. For those who have chosen that lifestyle, it should be clear what God thinks of your choice.

But even now in cities such as “sin city,” there are righteous people living there, preventing God’s destruction of that city. And, it is my opinion that these righteous people living there represent HOPE for those who are wicked living among them. God is holding out hope that the righteous will be able to save their evil brothers and sisters. There is still light in the city. Still, a force of 10, which might be able to make a difference with the others.

To remove all of the light, hope dwindles, and evil prevails. Perhaps God’s act of destroying all of the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah was an act of compassion, saving them from further perverse evil, despair, and the devastating consequences of sin. They had been given their time on earth to prove to themselves what they would do with their agency, and they had demonstrated their answer.

It is not God’s intent for us to fear Him.  He is loving and kind… He forgives, over and over, and over, and over, and over.  We all make mistakes.  That’s why he has provided a Savior and repentance. But let’s keep our face toward the sunshine. That is our task.  Let’s keep trying. Let’s be loving, compassionate, and forgiving. Let’s pick each other up.  Stay on the course of rightousness.

It is also my belief that this story speaks to the righteous today.  Are you listening? Our world will become as evil as Sodom and Gomorrah were… This we know through scriptures fortelling our day.  But just like Lot and his family, God provided a safe warning and a place to go to be protected.

Our earth will experience fire and destruction ushering in the Second Coming. Have faith that He will care for you.  Listen for that prompting as He will lead us to safety.  His fight is with evil, not with you and me.  We need not be perfect.  Just stay on track and keep trying….He has plans for extracting the righteous from such an evil world…The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is His proof to us of this protection.

May peace be in your heart knowing that we have such a loving Father in Heaven. Keep trying… He knows who and where you are. He will watch over us…. This I know to be true.