Learn how to be in the light of God (meditate). If that does not sound Christian to you, pick up a concordance and see what Jesus said about "Light" and what he said about "Sacrifice." All good on the first and all negative on the second. The Original gospel of light has been buried under Pauline theology of blood for sin. So my recommendation is to get back to the Kingdom Gospel about how to increase the light of God. This will explalin it: http://gospelenigma.com Getting back to the light will give you that direct connection to God you are looking for. Thanks for this important and heart felt question.

I don't question my faith but I do often forget about it. The best thing I've found is to read the Word, I just flip open to a random page and always find something relevant to whatever might be burdening me.

There are two good answers to your questions, now take a deep breath and THINK!!!

Yes and I understand. What follows is rooted in my biases (healthy ones I think) as a Christian. So feel free to embrace or ignore. I don't always feel God or expect to. I don't always feel my wife's presence, even when she is in the house. The advice for feeling a closer connection is different than that for actually having a closer connection, but there are overlaps. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you might try these suggestions which are very specifically rooted in my faith as a Christian. I do not presume to be qualified to speak for any other faith. Some of these may cross-over into other faith traditions, but I would not know about that. 1) Make sure there is a faith connection, that you have decided to establish a relationship with God and have trusted in Him. C.S. Lewis wrote about the basics in "Mere Christianity." http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=OF-YSMKCVwMC&dq=mere+christianity&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=ychL3df5x-&sig=n5MNMLfN8o8HD1wOHRwDrCiPNpg&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result 2) Hang out with like-minded people. Some people call this "going to church," but let it be more. Find a small group of believers through that church who can support, encourage, and challenge you. 3) Pray honestly, openly, and sincerely in your own words and thoughts assuming that God hears you and will help you find direction. 4) Read the Bible and especially take note of the faith struggles of many very human people whose lives are recorded there. 5) Serve other people in Christ's name. Immerse yourself in that service and find the joy and challenge of living beyond yourself. 6) Keep a journal of your thoughts, prayers, meditations, impressions, life events, doubts, struggles, victories, and insights. 7) Talk with trusted and trusting friends about your feelings. 8) Do what is necessary to stay mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy. Get rest and proper spiritual and physical nutrition. Some peoples' "spiritual problems" may actually be deficiencies in necessary nutrients, sleep deprivation, or depression. 9) Learn to live by faith and not by site, to trust God during the times of silence, and to celebrate the moments when God's presence is very evident. 10) Read biographies of giants of faith - especially those who struggled and finished well. Keep me posted on how it is going. I have been there. - Tom

I think of the Lords Prayer and the things it contains. Go phase by phase and think about each one. I have done this and am doing it as I type this answer. It has meaning and if you go all the way though it you have prayed as Jesus taught the disciples and they wrote it down so we can say it also. It is one of the most important things in the Bible. Being Christian and beliving in Jesus and Jesus as the son of God is not complex at all. We are saved by Grace. He wants us to join him in his Kingdom. Have a good day and I hope you can feel God as needed. You are an awesome person. Good luck.

Every person of faith has occassional doubts. Some say that people with the most faith sometimes have the most doubts. Mother Teresa of Calcutta had many doubts. But Mother Teresa was not an Atheist. Atheists do not write honestly to their spiritual guides things like, "In my soul, I can't tell you how dark it is, how painful, how terrible -- I feel like refusing God." Mother Teresa was not perfect and did not have it easy. She was a real human being with real thoughts and feelings. Just like the rest of us, sometimes she felt close to God and, at times, felt abandoned by God. She wrote in one of her letters, "I am told God lives in me -- and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul." Her letters show a real human struggle with her own spirituality and shows her humanity. Even Jesus cried out on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" Sometimes it seems to be the people with the greatest souls have the greatest doubts. Struggle through and do not give up. God is with you even if you don't feel His presence at every moment. With love in Christ.

Not at all..I have never had that problem. I talk to Him daily. Nothing/no one gets in the way. I don't subscribe to anyone telling me anything about what God thinks, because that is a bunch of crap..no one "knows"..not the guy standing at the pulpit, not the evangelical..not the policital opportunist..no one. So I don't have to deal with a middleman/middlewoman/middlereligiousgroup..nothing. I talk directly..after all, why should I believe anything another imperfect/weak/tiny/inconsequential human has to say on a subject about which he/she is guessing? Exactly. I ignore them all! :)

Try loving your enemies, blessing those who curse you, and doing good to those who do you evil. Or just ask yourself when you come across someone you really don't care to be around, "What would I do *if* I loved this person?" Then do it. Immerse yourself in the Word, of course. (But remember, when David said, "He maketh me to lay down in green pastures", he was making a comparison to a sheep and a shepherd, all right, but not the one people think: it's not this sweet idyllic picture of a little lamb napping in a lush meadow; it's a comparison to hardnosed but smart shepherd making his stupid sheep stop gorging itself, and instead just ruminate over the little bit right in front of its mouth... and it usually took a good hard bang on its head from his staff, and sometimes sitting on the imbecilic beast.) For advanced work in Christ-likeness, look for socially unacceptable and even shameful ways to minister and do God's work, especially those ways shunned by the religious establishments -- and when they assail you for "failing to avoid the appearance of impropriety", "bad judgment" and "divisiveness", you'll know you're doing it right. But remember, even Christ went through Gethsemane, and cried out from the Cross "Oh God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

Think about him.even If you don't feel it.