How do you know God exists?

[Botz]

How do you know God exists or does not exist? What has brought you to your conclusion? Life experience? Science? Philosophy? Environment? all of the above?

One day I was alone existing on my own.

The next G-d broke into my life and His presence took up residence.

I knew because I knew because I knew that it was the L-rd.

Then I started learning about Him and His ways.

Psa 139:7 Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence?

Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in She'ol, behold, you are there!

Psa 139:9 If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Psa 139:10 Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.

Psa 139:11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night;"

Psa 139:12 even the darkness doesn't hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.

Psa 139:13 For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb.

Psa 139:14 I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.

[other one]

Well, in my work I had a special project I got involved in which took me half way across the country for most of a year. I flew home every three weeks or so for a few days to keep things in tact at home.

One night, over a thousand miles from home, about one in the morning I was awaken from a deep sleep setting up in bed talking very loudly in a words that I have no idea what I was saying. I was sweating and totally terrified and didn't have any idea why.

This continued for about 4 or 5 minutes and then I was practically thrown face down on the floor and I started praying for my wife and kids..... I still didn't know why and I was still totally terrified of what was happening. This lasted about 15 or 20 minutes longer and then a total peace came over me that was almost a high.

To make a long story short about one in the morning there was a very loud banging and moving things around in our back yard. It woke my wife and kids up and for a few minutes my wife looked out the window and could not see what was making the noise. She, being a Chickasaw Indian and afraid of nothing to the point of not having good sense sometimes had decided to go out back and see what was going on. It took her about 4 or 5 minutes to look out the window and get dressed enough to go out the back door. As she started to unlock the back door she heard something tell her that what she was doing was not smart and her and the kids were in danger.

To make a long story longer, they moved around from window to window and never did see what was moving around making all the noise, but it lasted that same 20 minutes I was on my face on the floor.

We never did know what was out there, but God didn't want her and or the kids out of the house that night.

After I could finally get up, I had that easy feeling that all was ok. I whish I had called them to tell them at that time what had happened, but I didn't. School was in and they all had to go to school the next day so I didn't want to wake them. Little did I know they would not sleep much that night. It wasn't until the next morning that I knew what had happened.

I had never spoken in tongues before that night, and was raised not to believe in praying in tongues at all. Mostly CoC , Baptist and Nazarene in my church going. I had not been exposed to this kind of thing enough to know much of anything about it.

Since that night I have prayed off and on when required, sometimes not even knowing for whom or why. Just get the call, sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes at work or driving. Almost always when I am alone.

There is a thing that comes over a person when he/she is pushed into intercessory prayer that you know is not of your own being, thoughts or spirit. It is from God himself through the Spirit, and you just know....... that you know.....

Sam

[truseek]

Well, in my work I had a special project I got involved in which took me half way across the country for most of a year. I flew home every three weeks or so for a few days to keep things in tact at home.

One night, over a thousand miles from home, about one in the morning I was awaken from a deep sleep setting up in bed talking very loudly in a words that I have no idea what I was saying. I was sweating and totally terrified and didn't have any idea why.

This continued for about 4 or 5 minutes and then I was practically thrown face down on the floor and I started praying for my wife and kids..... I still didn't know why and I was still totally terrified of what was happening. This lasted about 15 or 20 minutes longer and then a total peace came over me that was almost a high.

To make a long story short about one in the morning there was a very loud banging and moving things around in our back yard. It woke my wife and kids up and for a few minutes my wife looked out the window and could not see what was making the noise. She, being a Chickasaw Indian and afraid of nothing to the point of not having good sense sometimes had decided to go out back and see what was going on. It took her about 4 or 5 minutes to look out the window and get dressed enough to go out the back door. As she started to unlock the back door she heard something tell her that what she was doing was not smart and her and the kids were in danger.

To make a long story longer, they moved around from window to window and never did see what was moving around making all the noise, but it lasted that same 20 minutes I was on my face on the floor.

We never did know what was out there, but God didn't want her and or the kids out of the house that night.

After I could finally get up, I had that easy feeling that all was ok. I whish I had called them to tell them at that time what had happened, but I didn't. School was in and they all had to go to school the next day so I didn't want to wake them. Little did I know they would not sleep much that night. It wasn't until the next morning that I knew what had happened.

I had never spoken in tongues before that night, and was raised not to believe in praying in tongues at all. Mostly CoC , Baptist and Nazarene in my church going. I had not been exposed to this kind of thing enough to know much of anything about it.

Since that night I have prayed off and on when required, sometimes not even knowing for whom or why. Just get the call, sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes at work or driving. Almost always when I am alone.

There is a thing that comes over a person when he/she is pushed into intercessory prayer that you know is not of your own being, thoughts or spirit. It is from God himself through the Spirit, and you just know....... that you know.....

Sam

Wow, is all I can say. Truly powerful. I have experienced very similar events in my own life. It is a very sobering experience to be confronted, face to face, with things not of our world. Sometimes terrifying, but we must always remember that God is in control, and that He will se us through. I don't know what was going on around your home that night, but I would say that there was most definitely some spiritual warfare goin on. When I came to Christ, I lived next door to a self-confessed "chaos mage." In other words, a devil worshipper. Let me tell you, once those devils saw that Christ was movin in on their street, they were quite unhappy.

In Christ

Truseek

[other one]

I can emagine.....

[Marilyn777]

Are there arguments for God's existence, apart from the Bible, that are rooted in God's creation?

Yes, though theologians disagree as to how convincing these arguments are to unbelievers. Here are the main arguments in a nutshell:

1} Cosmological Argument: This argument says that every effect must have an adequate cause. The universe is an "effect". Reason demands that whatever caused the universe must be greater than the universe. That cause is God (who Himself is the uncaused First Cause). As Hebrews 3:4 puts it, "Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything."

2} Teleological Argument: This argument says that there is an obvious purposeful and intricate design of the world. If we found a watch in the sand, the assumption would have to be that someone created the watch because, with its intricate design, it is obvious that all the parts of the watch couldn't have just jumped together to cause itself. Similarly, the perfect design of the universe argues for a Designer, and that Designer is God.

3} Ontological Argument: This argument says that most human beings have an innate idea of a most perfect being. Where did this idea come from? Not from man, for man is an imperfect being. Some perfect being (God) must have planted the idea there. God can't be conceived of as not existing, for then, one could conceive of an even greater being that did exist. Thus God must in fact exist.

4} Moral Argument: This argument says that every human being has an innate sense of oughtness or moral obligation. Where did this sense of oughtness come from? It must come from God. The existence of a moral law in our hearts demands the existence of a moral Lawgiver (see Romans 1:19-32).

5} Anthropological Argument: This argument says that man has a personality (mind, emotions, and will). Since the personal can't come from the impersonal, there must be a personal cause----and that personal cause is God (Genesis 1:26,27).

Perhaps Reformer John Calvin's view of these arguments was the best. He said that the unregenerate person sees these evidences for God in the universe with blurred vision. It is only when one puts on the "eyeglasses" of faith and belief in the Bible that these evidences for God's existence come into clear focus.

What a Mighty God We Serve!!

Marilyn

[Guest yod]

You want proof that God exists?

the jew

[Guest shadow2b]

-the call, sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes at work or driving. Almost always when I am alone.

There is a thing that comes over a person when he/she is pushed into intercessory prayer that you know is not of your own being, thoughts or spirit. It is from God himself through the Spirit, and you just know....... that you know.....

-WHOAAAAAAA--SAM---THAT IS AN AWESOME TESTIMONY--BRO.

-yuppp ya jes know--that ya know--that ya know--that ya know--that ya jes KNOW

[whatsitmean]

You want proof that God exists?

the jew

And the Word!

[truseek]

You want proof that God exists?

the jew

lol, funny you should say that Yod. That is exactly how one of Napoleon's aides responded when Napoleon asked him for proof that the Bible was indeed the divine word of God. Jest and interesting lil factoid.

In Christ

Truseek

[Guest Called]

You want proof that God exists?

the jew