The power of simple belief

[Miss Hepburn]

As a project that could take weeks of leisure research and taking notes:
Notice and note ALL the times ''belief and believe'' is said in the New Testament.
Note what is promised if you only believe. ONLY believe.

There are secular books written with titles like The Power of Belief, Believe in the Power of Believing,
Biology of Belief, The Belief Principle, Belief is the New Black.
Then, all the books by Christian authors.

AND all the books on a doff twist - the power of - for example : "I'll never get that job." And you never do

Fun project.

[Maisy]

There's probably a spectrum of how one views belief. Like at one end or extreme is people who believe we can literally make anything happen through belief. Then at the other end of the spectrum people who believe our beliefs about things change nothing. Then along that line people who fall somewhere between those extremes.

But then it's really complex I think because it depends on exactly what we are talking about. Like can we fly if we believe enough? Probably not. Can we get better at something if we believe we can? Probably so. Can we lose 50 pounds in a day if we belief enough? Nope. Can we lose 50 pounds in three months? Yes.

Then if we believe we can't do something we will never try so basically we cause it to be true. Belief is closely related to trying in some ways so in that sense it works. But then I believe in fate so I think a lot of things will happen or not happen without us having any input in these things. In such things belief does nothing. Like if one is meant to meet someone it will happen regardless.

[sky]

I personally feel there is intellectual belief and heart belief, the heart belief is the connection to the Divine and is what Jesus/Bible is referring to in various teachings.

[Miss Hepburn]

I agree, sky...For me in order for belief to 'work', which is a whole topic in itself and could be in Law of Attraction,
one has to believe in their CORE 'something'.
As Jesus said believe you already have it.

And my favorite (for me life-changing in 2006, first verse I memorized, ha!)
Romans 8:32 Paul explaining with pure logic (!):
''He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not, also, along with him, give us all things.''

That influenced my belief deeply.

Then John! ''This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we
ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know we have what we have asked of Him."
1 John 5

I unwaveringly believe this so deeply that it is 100% true for me.
(The power of belief!) Btw, it is of the utmost importance to know what God's will is.

Originally Posted by sky

I personally feel there is intellectual belief and heart belief, the heart belief is the connection to the Divine and is what Jesus/Bible is referring to in various teachings.

Sky,

IMO the word for heart belief is faith. The secondary definition of faith is “belief in God based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof”….Oxford dictionary. An atheist does not believe in God because the proof is lacking and the atheist cannot claim to be spiritually informed…..to do so would be admission that God exists. In our own lives we have witnessed that beliefs are subjective to new knowledge…..faith is not subject to change….pure faith can only grow stronger. One can and does have reason to doubt beliefs but not so with faith. Unfortunately people commonly make faith synonymous with beliefs…….

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Sky,
IMO the word for heart belief is faith. The secondary definition of faith is “belief in God based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof”….Oxford dictionary. An atheist does not believe in God because the proof is lacking and the atheist cannot claim to be spiritually informed…..to do so would be admission that God exists.

Sounds nice......
but it seems that more and more people are being swayed by evolution. To them, the Evolution Theory has surpassed God(s)/god(s).

[Maisy]

I don't believe belief can change anything about what we are due karma wise. That idea to me is kind of like imagining us a human, can overpower God. Subject God to our will and stop God's will.

[Maisy]

I think the worse thing about a belief we can change pretty much everything is it blames people for their own illnesses. This includes children who are very ill. Some illness is self caused but not all and I would say most are not self caused. I would also say one's beliefs does not effect all illnesses. There is always somebody claiming if one is ill it's their own fault somehow. That seems extreme to me and not always true in my opinion. If belief was all powerful nobody would die. It kind of shows to me God's will supersedes our own. If we are meant to have various things happen to us I believe they will and feel nothing I do or believe can change that kind of divine fate.

[Maisy]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

but it seems that more and more people are being swayed by evolution. To them, the Evolution Theory has surpassed God(s)/god(s).

I tend to believe it's due to a very narrow definition of what God is. Typically they don't believe in a humanlike God. A man with a beard sitting on a cloud and so on. One could define God as the universe as it is and as it operates. Or define God as the type of energy that is aware.

The entirety of Hebrews 11 is a discourse on faith. It begins by giving the familiar definition of faith…..”Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”. What we miss is the time table for this certainty. Believe what you want….it may or may not happen in this lifetime. Did the belief of the victims of the Holocaust that they would survive come true ? Does your belief that you will not get cancer protect you ? The time table for faith is eternal life. If one desires a foolproof belief let it be belief in eternal life….and rather than being a ‘belief’ this is actually faith. The chapter concludes with verses 39-40….”These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

Positive thinking is wonderful productive and helpful until it is not. In regards to our present life one can be prepared to accept fate…..:). For me it is not realistic that we can guarantee a good life by having nice beliefs….but faith is not constricted by time IMO……