Why is it so hard for people to believe in God? Why is it even harder to believe in Jesus?

One can sit back and look at a clear night sky. One can drive across the country and see the various landscapes that make up our own country. One can think of things in their life, big and small, and understand that something outside of their own power was the real reason those things occurred. These things are because of God.

But how do you know? Where's the real proof?

Those questions are what seem to keep people from believing. People want proof. We think that this world, the happenings, and our lives should work just like one big mathematical problem where X+Y=XY.

It all boils down to faith. Faith in a being and happenings unknown to us and unseen. Humans seem to struggle with this. Is it out of arrogance that we think we deserve to know and have to know the meaning and an answer to everything that goes on?

Of course if you have trouble with the any of the above, you will definitely have trouble with your motives and approach to reading Scripture out of the Bible.

One false teachings we hear from such pastors as Joel Osteen is a message called the Prosperity Gospel. This is the teaching that if you do a good thing and give so much of your finances to the church then God will reward you with more material things and wealth. Sorry to burst your bubble but it doesn't work that way. You serve others out of love for them and out of reverence and love of Christ. You do not do it in hoping that you will be rewarded with more stuff and more money. This thought is basically the same as the whole concept of karma. God doesn't work that way.

Faith and our motive is the key. Is your motive in giving money to a homeless man selfish? Meaning, for example, are you giving to this person in need only because if you help them it makes you feel better about yourself, that you did a good deed and that your good deed will equal to an earthly reward in some way? If that is your thinking then your motive for doing it is wrong. We humble ourselves to help others to show them Christ's love. It isn't about us at all. It's about God and about others.

Jesus is God in human form. He humbled himself to be born to poor people in a setting that none of us would really want to endure. He did this so that we couldn't ever say, "Well, God doesn't know, He doesn't understand because He has never faced this situation." God does understand. God can relate because of Jesus. Jesus was physically beaten. He was gossiped about. His name was slandered. He was shunned and ignored. He was cussed at. He was made fun of. He was looked upon as an outcast. He struggled at times in regards to food supply. He was tempted. So if the Son of God lived in this manner, why do we think that by becoming a Christian everything is going to be "hunky dory" and everything is going to be perfect. Are we better than Jesus. No way! We are going to face trials. We are going to have to endure difficult times and situations in our lives. And the only way to get through this is by trusting God. Putting our trust and faith in Him. Believing that in whatever circumstances we face, in the end, it will all work out. And you know when we might see how things did work out for the good? It might not be until next week, next month, next year, or later. Heck, we might not see the result in such until we die and are in eternity. We are so selfish and impatient. We want what we want and overlook what we only need. We want things to happen right this second and if they don't we get all bent out of shape.

For example, I'm learning that when I get cut off or someone pulls out in front of me while i'm driving to not get all upset at that person but instead to thank the Lord above for protecting me and keeping me safe. Nothing happened to me.

My prayer for those who have no faith or weak faith is to first off realize that your life isn't about you. Things aren't always going to go your way. Bad things are going to happen. Yet also know that good things will too. Everything isn't always going to be perfect. Also, this world is too big to know everything. This solar system is too big to know everything. Our minds are too small to understand and know everything. Therefore, why are we so arrogant, selfish and prideful to think that we will and should know everything. That there has to be an explanation. That's dumb to think that. Understand that there are things you will not know, you will not understand and things that cannot be explained. And it is in this that you will begin to begin the process of wrapping your mind around what it means to have faith. And it is here you will begin to understand God. And it is here you will be able to hear the Gospel message, read the Bible in a different light.