This Thing Called Faith

I once read a hub from an Atheist writer who was convinced that the world would reach a form of Utopia if religion just up and disappeared! That somehow if people could be more rational and scientific, things would improve. The strange thing is that I use to believe the same thing! Once in my life, I saw most religions as a form of a parasite that wanted to control others. In fact, sometimes I wonder what it was that changed me, in such a powerful way.

After meditating on this for sometime, I finally came to the conclusion that one of the most significant things that brought about the transformation in me, was my mother's prayers and her faith. There were times that she had more faith in me, than I did in myself!

From conversations I have had with the Atheist and Agnostic minded, they seem to view faith as “unscientific” and not associated with the real world! Even so, more and more scientific studies are starting to show the benefits of prayer. There are studies that make it appear that prayer affects the brain and even can change it!

It also appears that different forms of prayer affects the brain in different ways. For example, some form of prayer and meditation activates the frontal lobe of the brain, while “spirit filled prayers” or what have been called speaking in tongues actually quiets the frontal lobe! This brings to mind what scriptures say about "be still and know that I am God." What if the very act of speaking in tongues puts us in communication with God and shuts down are normal thinking process? Farfetch, you say? Not according to the evidence that has been accumulated so far by the scientist who have researched the subject.

In fact, I supply a link to a very powerful video that delves into the results of one of those studies. This video by the way, was produced by news station and NOT a religious organization. As I have said before, in the finale analogise science will point towards God and yet, many will still refuse to believe this! With some people you can raise someone from the dead in the name of Jesus and they still will not believe!

I have personally experienced a gradual increase in my faith and answered prayers that was as simple as resolving computer problems to restoring the sight in my right eye after being blinded for two days by a freak accident! I also have had seen and felt the results of the Holy Spirit working in my life and others around me. My faith did not increase because of what others told me, but because of what I have witness first hand! Just like speaking in tongues (also known as Glossolalia), I did not understand the power and the reality of this, until I myself have experienced It!

Now that I have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I have a whole new insight and understanding of the Bible and the things within the scriptures that use to baffle and infuriate me. As I exercise my faith, and it grows day by day, many things that were an issue before do not have power over me as much as in the past. More and more I experience the "peace that passes understanding."

When it comes to the "baptism of the Holy spirit" different denominations have separate viewpoints on when you receive this baptism. Most seem to feel that this happen when one is baptised with water however, I was only nine years old when I became baptised and did not have the kind of experience that I have had just recently when I DID receive an out poring of the Holy Spirit. For me, it is something which takes time. Drawing on my own personal experiences, I found out that I first had to repent of my sins and then surrender to the will of God. This by the way, was a very difficult thing for me to do for I have a rebellious spirit and have been blinded by arrogance for arrogance sake alone! I have often thought I was better than someone else, when that was a complete foolishness!

I had to return to a child-like state and not over complicate things with my obsession with analysing everything to death! I had to let go of the things I did know and embrace the things that I did know. For that which I do know is that God loved me and died so I would have the opportunity to join Him in His kingdom!

There is so much more I can say on this subject and yet in this case I believe less is more, and I will end this with a personal invitation to those who may be in North Eastern Florida to "come see" what activated faith is all about and drop in to worship with a church that is dedicated to promoting the love of Jesus! (Our link below, The Connecting Point).