Is There A Proper Way To Exercise Faith?

Note: This article is not just for Christians. It is addressed to anyone who wants to understand how to exercise faith.

If you are a Christian (esp) and you understand how to read and interpret Scripture, your answer to this question may very well be – “YES”!

And I would have been inclined to agree with you.

I have been thinking a lot lately about faith.

What is it – really?

Is there a proper way to exercise it?

And, if there is a proper way to exercise it, then how do you do it?

How do you exercise it?

A definition of faith

My starting point for this article is going to be that classic verse on faith:

…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1, The Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Now, I am going to hold myself back from preaching a sermon, except to say this:

In order to understand substance as it is used in this text, at least one of the following MUST be involved when you are interacting with it:

• sight
• hearing
• taste
• smell
• touch

The origin of the word evidence, from around the 13th Century, means “appearance from which inferences may be drawn”. The adjective evident means “plainly seen or perceived, manifest, obvious”.

Both of these meanings would suggest that that the key sense that you would employ here is that of sight.

You must be able to see/visualize/perceive what it is that you desire in order for it to be manifested.

In order to do this, you would use both your five physical senses (at least one of them) and your metaphysical senses (which would include your intuition and imagination).

The process you are using in this case is visualization.

Here are some tips for different ways in which you can do visualization.

Exercising faith through affirmations

The word “affirmation” is often combined with the word “positive”, and in the past it was known as “autosuggestion”, a term attributed (I think) to Edwin Coué, a French doctor who was known to have achieved a high success rate with his patients.

Included in their treatment was this simple phrase: “every day in every way, I am getting better and better“.

Recently, I finished reading Coué’s book on self mastery and the proper use of autosuggestion, something that is also discussed at great length in

• Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, as well as
• Richard G. Nixon’s The Lazy Man’s Way To Riches, and
• Mind Power by John Kehoe

Not to mention José Silva’s Mind Control which implements Coué’s technique, though it is applied in a very different way.

By the way, affirmations or autosuggestions can also be negative. If you are engaged in negative self talk, you are programming your brain with negative suggestions and thoughts.

Also, have you noticed that the key sense you are using is hearing?

It is a way of seeing.

Are we there yet?

When I lived in Jamaica, I attended a Oneness Pentecostal Church in Savanna-la-Mar, the capital of the parish of Westmoreland in Western Jamaica. I was also a member of both the youth and adult choirs. One of the songs we used to sing was Walter Hawkins’ When The Battle is Over. I love this song.

I do have an issue with it, however.

You see, your learning style might include a combination of theoretical and being word-smart. You are, probably, somewhat obsessed with the meaning of words and HOW they are used.

I might be willing to bet that you also believe that words have power.

As an aside, how did we come by that word: “spelling”?

One of those words is faith.

Putting aside the whole thing of taking the Bible literally, something I used to do until I hit some “trouble spots”, I have always accepted what the Book had to say about faith.

Particularly Hebrews 11:1, among others sprinkled throughout the New Testament.

It is one of those teachings that has stuck with me.

There doesn’t appear to be any reference whatsoever in the Bible that describes or defines faith in a present participle sense (it is getting better and better, or it is going to get better).

It is always in the past tense…

…for example, believe that you receive it…,

…and faith is…substance…evidence.

I had a real issue, therefore, with the Hawkins song.

Or perhaps I missed something?

The song, in essence, says we should shout for victory now because in the end we know we are going to win (not HAVE already won).

Until, that is, I finished reading the book on self mastery. And having noted, in particular, those references to people using the technique and experiencing almost instantaneous results for physical, mental and emotional ailments.

The technique I am referring to is the general autosuggestion “every day in every way I am getting better and better“, also referred to as “Induced Suggestion” in the text.

It is not just the statement; it is Coué’s instructions on how NOT to say it.

The autosuggestion must be made without effort, without will power.

You already have the victory

I do like the song by the Clark Sisters.

It is right on the money.

At least where my own belief system is concerned. The song is supported by Scripture as well as by the authors mentioned in this post. It is also consistent all the way through.

Could it be that there are some of you for whom making affirmations in the present participle works for you?

Because you cannot see yourself as having your desires already fulfilled.

So stick with that until you get a result which you can then use to build your faith.

Your brain works better when you focus on one thing.

The approach to programming the subconscious mind, as advocated by Coué and Nixon, has been shown to work. This approach may be of benefit to those of you with an auditory learning style.

You say your affirmations first thing upon waking and last thing before you go to bed.

Time for a thought experiment

So, I want you to do a thought experiment. I want you to try exercising faith in a different way.

Silva, Nixon, Kehoe and Hill appear to be in agreement that our thought processes for living the life we want to live must include three things:

• desire,
• belief, and
• expectancy.

So here is what I suggest that you try doing.

Rather than applying each technique (affirmations and visualizations) separately, combine them under at least one Silva Method technique, the Mental Screen.

Why not separately?

Is it James who said something like “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways”?

This was my issue with the Hawkins song, although it seemed to work itself out in the end…that is: “Why should I wait/Praise Him right now…”

But then it goes back to the mixed-up approach.

To coin a phrase from a movie title…

Are we there yet?

It seems in this case that you attempt to apply sheer will power to make things work, something Coué was dead set against.

His reasoning was, the more you fight to get rid of something, the bigger or worse things get.

Another way to say it is: whatever you think about expands.

Lovely song.

Sounds good.

I would change some of the words if I could.

You have already won the battle

Could it be that there is a particular way to do affirmations/autosuggestions, and a particular way to do visualizations?

Affirmations seem to work best when you are in the alpha state.

Kehoe even suggests that you don’t have to believe them.

Say what?

The placebo effect

He might be on to something. For some people, exercising faith or belief involves the use of will power.

How does the placebo effect work in these situations?

The best source I can find that explains this is from John Lamb Lash, and I am going to paraphrase it:

“your faith gives you power because you give it (will) power” (parenthesis is mine).

He goes on further to say that the return on your investment in terms of time and effort (or exercising will power) is so little…

A classic way to exercise faith

About a week or so ago, I completed the Silva Life System course. The last exercise is an advanced version of the Mirror of the Mind Technique. We are instructed to visualize and imagine what we desire as having being already fulfilled in a PAST TENSE sense.

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about.

So, is there a proper way to exercise faith?

Rather than think of this in terms of right or wrong, proper or improper, think of it in this way…

…there is a positive approach to exercising faith, as well as a negative approach to exercising faith.

Find the way that works for you with respect to the way you learn and be consistent.

To a better, wiser, stronger – YOU.

RELAX…

Sources:

Lash, J. L. (2019). Not In His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief. 15th Anniversary Edition. US: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay