Sep
Living In Faith
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It’s easy to say that you are living in faith when things are going well. Your faith muscle gets exercised when things aren’t going so hot.
What is faith anyway?
In positive thinking circles, faith may be described as the “knowing” that things will work out as they are intended. In personal development circles, you might call it courage. If you are spiritual, but not religious, you might say that you have turned it over to your Higher Power. According to the bible, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Whatever words you use to describe faith, you know that it involves believing that something is True even when there is evidence to the contrary.
How do you live in faith?
You can live in faith through your actions. Using this method is especially effective in pursuit of goals with a well outlined plan. You may have started out with a big audacious goal that your broke down into bite size pieces. As you work through each step you may encounter severe obstacles, but you know that your goal is in sight. You continue to work on the individual steps and they all add up to the achievement of your overall goal. You exercise faith because even though the your goal does not materially exist yOU know that if you follow your plan step by step it will materialize.
Through your mind and intellect, you can also live in faith. The most popular method is visualization. Having a clear picture of your optimal situation despite the appearances is a very effective way to live in faith. To see it right, not set it right, according to Eric Butterworth. Exercising the faculty of imagination to see your life as you would have it be. Scientists have found that there is no difference to the brain between actual experiences and experiences imagined. Now, we can use this to our benefit or detriment. By worrying and projecting worse case scenarios your brain is imprinted with this picture. On the other hand, you could just as easily use your mind to picture the life that you desire.
Abiding in Spirit with absolutely no worry or concern is also a form of living in faith. Completely centered in a place where you know that God is all there is. That God is absolute good. That there is nothing to fear because there is only God. That all of your needs and desires are met before you know of them. You don’t have to become a recluse and live on a mountain top to practice this method of living in faith. You can do so by developing the practice of meditation.
When life appears to be going completely wrong, be it a tight financial situation, marital stress, health issues, or things just going haywire, take a pause. You can begin to employ one of the above methods to move from worry, despair, or outright fear to a sense of calm, clarity, and faith.
September 25th, 2006 at 7:28 am
I was listening to a speaker last night who made a distinction between belief and faith. He said that in the beginning, you start with a belief, based on nothing more than someone else’s (a friend, relative, or even a stranger) recommendation. It becomes faith when you follow that recommendation, and things work out as planned. I personally really liked this, this I’ve never been much of a “blind faith” person. I’ve always needed some kind of evidence to back things up. But sometimes, the best evidence is our own experience.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:54 am
This is true. Anything that we can conceive of we already believe it to some degree. Either because someone else experienced it, we experienced it ourselves, or we believe it can be experienced if we follow through on an existing experience.
Take for example, flying in an airplane. The Wright brothers thought it was possible through an extrapolation of nature. They worked with the laws they new to make it happen. Today I take flight for granted and I’ve been flying in planes from the age of 4. On the other hand, I know someone who is petrified of flying. She refuses to do so. No matter what I say about my wonderful experiences. She believes it to be a perilous vendor. Only a different belief formed in her consciousness will do away with her current perspective.