Ask...

i believe myself to be fairly intelligent.

so i take up some wonderful philosophical texts and claim to be "studying" them and pretend to be seeking God

now, this may sound like the braying of a person lacking self esteem but not so...

see, i have one severe limitation - i can only function within the  confines of what my mind can comprehend.. while i may be intelligent, i cannot go past the total capacity of myself.... my mind itself will be the interpreter of what i read - i will come to a point when the sum of what i understand does not equal to what i want to KNOW ..

the flippant answers of the self proclaimed prophets will ring false - for they, too, do not Know.
where is God ?  he is within - great ! where within, i don't see him ... do you ?
he is everywhere -  really, but everywhere else is without and you said he is within - and who is this me that god is supposed to be within ?
and why do i even want to know god ?  what will i do once i know him ?
the unqualified answers only further expand the waves of our confusion to a point where most will just give up and say these "men of god" are all fools !

all this noise primarily stems from a basic impurity of the mind - for such impurities will make it impossible for non-temporal and spatial experiences or to put it simply, god cannot be a "by-the-way" hobby !

humble yourself - be ready to sit at the feet of a Master who Knows, that Divine principle manifesting Itself as the Guru or Master/Teacher ( call him what you want )  -  allow yourself to be guided and forged - only one who Knows can truly bring you into the folds of what you so desperately seek.

so prepare yourself, that is the sole purpose of study, reflection and meditation - to purge our pre-conditioning : likes / dislikes, sense of egoism; need for recognition, etc.

ask questions, seek clarifications, ponder, then ask again - ask ask ask till some clarity emerges and you inch slowly past your own massive ego so that you are available to the Master.

THEN the Master will come and He will push you past that seemingly impenetrable barrier  and the peace "that passeth all understanding" becomes your own complete experience.

the knower, knowing and known are now merged into a state of Being;  Godhood

live well.