In her post, “What I Believe: My Foundation for Living, Part One” Handfullmom shares about the many facets of her belief: belief in Jesus Christ, belief in prayer, belief in scriptures (the words of ancient prophets), belief in latter-day prophets and apostles, belief in priesthood, in apostasy and revelation, and in personal revelation. There is much in that post that simply explains Mormon doctrine, so we encourage you to read the whole post. Here, we’ll share a couple of highlights that relate particularly to our series on the existence of God and how one can come to know God is real.

I believe that God listens and hears my prayers of gratitude, of supplication, and even of desperation. He answers them, as a loving Father does the pleadings of his child. He does not take away all pain or anguish because He knows that we need hard times in order to grow. But He who notes the sparrow’s fall also knows of our every tear and hears each word of every prayer. He has given me strength in times of weakness and comfort in times of my deepest sorrows….

How has she come to know that God is real and aware of her? Through the power of the Holy Ghost bearing witness to her in her heart. She records the following:

After the apostles spent time walking with the resurrected Jesus and not understanding who he was, the scriptures record “And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:31-32)

In the same way those apostles received a witness of Jesus Christ, we believe that God can and will speak to any of His children who seek Him. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)

I truly believe that the heavens are open, that God speaks to us through prophets and apostles, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who teaches us of Jesus Christ and his marvelous gospel. How can I believe it? Because I have studied it and asked God for a witness and He has given it to me. I have felt of His love and His goodness in my life.

Read the full post by Handsfullmom.

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If you have ever wondered if there is a God, if He is aware of you, and how you can know for yourself that He is real, we invite you to also to “ask of God.” Read His words in the scriptures, seek His guidance, and ask Him to help you feel His love and presence in your life. We testify that God is real. Jesus Christ is His Son. They care about us, and will let us know through the Holy Ghost that They are there.

To read other posts from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about the existence of God and how they have come to know God is real, see our posts in the Mormons Believe in God series. 

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As a young child, this Mormon blogger came home from church meetings and declared, simply, “God loves me.” She reminds us that even children can gain a witness of God’s reality and love.

My father asked me how I knew that. The answer to my five-year-old mind was clear, “Because my teacher told me so.” My dad, always pushing his children to develop their faith further, even when we were so young, said something to the effect of “That’s good that you listened to your teacher, but how do you know?” He then told me I should pray to feel it myself. This I did and gained knowledge for myself that God is there and loves me, personally.

But she also acknowledges that this is sometimes an answer we need to get more than once in our lives. While serving as a missionary, she realized that she needed to rediscover God’s love for her.

I sat across from my mission president while he asked me the question: “Sister R, do you know that God loves you? Really know it?” Even now, a lump comes to my throat thinking of that moment. At the time, I had forgotten the lesson my father had me learn when I was five. I no longer knew that God loved me, though I still knew He was there. I was fighting my way through my mission, thinking I had something to prove, that somehow I had to earn His love and approbation. It was several days before I could bring myself again to kneel and ask Him to show me how He felt about me. He did. I have never been the same since.

Read more of her post here.

Find other Mormon blogger posts about the existence of God and their testimonies of Him.

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Songs sung:
My Heavenly Father Loves Me

I Know My Father Lives

How can we know God lives and loves us?

“I know my Father lives and loves me too.
The Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true,
And tells me it is true.”

The post “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” – “I Know My Father Lives” appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

It’s almost time for another LDS General Conference, and our featured Mormon blogger today, from Chocolate on My Cranium, shares some highlights from a past General Conference talk by President Henry B. Eyring, entitled Trust in God, Then Go and Do.

With this post, Cocoa explores some of the things that we can do, in addition to praying, to come to know that God is real, and that trusting Him brings peace and help in our lives. Coming to trust in God includes taking action. We believe faith is, indeed, a principle of action.

Cocoa uses President Eyring’s talk to address questions that people commonly have about the process (and it is a process!) of coming to know and trust God:

*How do we come to trust God?

Pres. Eyring says, “Trust comes from knowing God.”

*How do we come to know God?

By talking to Him through prayer, by studying His words in scripture, by learning all that He has revealed about Himself, by keeping His commandments.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)….

*How do we find out what God wants us to do?

We have to ask. We have to listen.

Cocoa then addresses an interesting issue that some may face — that of being afraid to ask, afraid to know what God might have us know or do. She reminds us that:

We are each on different levels, at various points on our journeys.

And then, again using the words of a modern-day prophet, testifies:

Isn’t it wonderful to know, “Your needs are great and varied. Each of you is a unique child of God. God knows you individually. He sends messages of encouragement, correction, and direction fitted to you and to your needs.” (Pres. Eyring)  It behooves each of us to put our trust in God, find out what God wants us to do and the do it.

*How do we show our trust in God?

Again from Pres. Eyring: “You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you.“

Read Cocoa’s full post on knowing and trusting God.

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Coming to know and trust God is a wonderful journey. We hope if you haven’t begun that journey, that you will. We testify that God is real, that He knows and loves you, and that He is always there for us, no matter where we are in our lives. If reading others’ feelings and experiences about coming to know God interest you, you might also be interested in the following links about coming to know God, evidences of the existence of God, and the nature of God.

The post Knowing and Trusting God: Mormon Bloggers Testify appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Find more posts where Mormon bloggers testify of the existence of God and how they have come to know Him.

Paul first addresses a basic question: “Does God Exist?

There are several ways to arrive to an affirmative answer to this question. One approach is a philosophical method.

Alma, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, wrote, “All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).

The stars, the moon, the rhythm of ocean tides, and much more evidence of “earthly balance and order did not happen by simple chance—truly “All things denote there is a God.”

…When we look at the earth and out into the universe we see creation, design, art, and order. It is not difficult to see that if all things temporal are associated to a creator, designer, artist, and order-er, that behind this incredibly complex universe that all things eternal would also have a marvelous Creator, Designer, Artist, and Order-er.

But then Paul takes it beyond just the philosophical, for ” just because we can deduce that God exists doesn’t mean He cares.” An artist could very well despise one of his creations. “Therefore,” Paul continues, “it is more important to not only know God exist, but to also know He loves and cares for us.”

You’ll need to read the whole post to see how Paul develops this next thread of thought, but he uses multiple scriptures to illustrate how

Having a knowledge of God requires us to know His promises and to prove the validity of them. The apostle Paul teaches in Hebrews 11:1 that, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The last part of this verse is particularly important “…the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is not just a philophical belief, but a principle of action.

It is not enough for us to know if there is a God. Simple logic can give us a shallow assurance that there is. However, to have a certainty of God’s existence we must know whether His promises can stand the scrutiny of our obedience. If we do this we will quickly learn that “…he will fulfill all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers” (Alma 37:17).

Read the full post by Paul here.

What actions have you taken to come to know there is a God?

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