By Arthur J Licursi

Some seekers for the answers to life may say such a thing as “I've tried to believe in Jesus but I just can't.”

One such person said; I've concluded that I don't have faith. I've tried to believe in Jesus for a few years but I can't. I fear I'm beyond saving. What can I do?

It is only after we have become disenchanted with this life as it is, full of frustration, self-seeking, and things and situations we cannot control…. that we look deeper for contentment. Usually it is our frustration with the circumstances and situation of life that motivates us to find answers to life’s questions. We may have discounted God all our adult life, but now we are willing to entertain the idea of faith in God as the answer for our frustration.

But then we find we can’t produce the necessary faith that saves us inwardly, in our soul.

The kind of faith that we're looking for is saving faith. Our coming to this faith is sometimes delayed in our experience in order to bring us to absolute desperation before we can see how simple it really is to be saved with assurance. Not everybody is given the privilege of realizing they can't of themselves produce their own faith. Some do have that privilege of coming to know they cannot make their self believe unto salvation.

Typically, those who til now have been intelligent, self-starting, go-getter ‘achievers’ in life, who often think they can arrive at faith through enough seeking, learning and study, just as they’ve done in the secular world. Then also some think their salvation will be accompanied with bells and whistles, but that is not very often the case.

Salvation for those who desire to be saved but just can’t believe don’t yet realize that we cannot produce the faith necessary and there likely will be no bells and whistles.

All this may sound strange. But if you are frustrated in not being able to believe, this indicates you likely already believe - why else would you seek possible salvation in God?  

You can right now simply take and receive God’s salvation as a FREE GIFT. You can never earn your salvation… it must be received as the “GIFT OF GOD.” Read these two verses;

" ⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

When we do have genuine saving faith, it will be only because we have simply received it as God’s GIFT to us.

We must come to the place of realizing we are absolutely, deeply, powerfully, dependent upon God to bring us to His saving faith…. and when He has, we must simply Receive His GIFT… with that all we can say ‘thank you.’

Likely, the statement that we're trying to believe means you think it really is your job ultimately and finally to believe. May I relieve you of that burden. The reason you can’t believe is that we are all ‘spiritually dead’ … before we first believe! It is salvation that regenerates us to become spiritually alive to God, and with that the “light of life” goes ‘on’ so that we can now begin to see the truth of God.

It's almost as if God would say to you;

“I have for the last few years allowed the frustrating circumstances of life to make clear to you that you are powerless, dead in your sins, and you can no more get up on your own than a dead corpse can get out of the coffin.

I now to invite you to rest, to stop trying and to just rest in Me.

I did it all for you! I went to the cross for you to pay for your sins so we could be reconciled. I will now give you the eternal ‘Spirit of new life in Christ Jesus.’

Rest in me. Trust me. This is a gift for you to take. You can receive this gift. It's not something you do. You can now receive this GIFT of My overcoming life.

You can then let me guide you in life’s choices. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 (KJV)

If you have now received His Gift of new life in Christ, He desires to live His life through you.  I expect that you will also begin to receive the light of God’s life in Christ and to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of His written word, which will be of far greater joy than any bells and whistles.