Spiritual Development Article

"The Power of Faith"
by Karen Barnes

Etymology: Middle English feith, from Old French feid, foi, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust -Date: 13th century

Among the several definitions for this word some of the following are prominent in my belief system: (1): fidelity to one's promises (2): sincerity of intentions, (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust, 3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction; - in faith: without doubt or question.

Many times in my life I have been in situations that I felt totally out of control as to the outcome. In these situations I found I have two choices, I can live in fear and all the emotions that come with fear. Or I can live with faith. Faith seems to require only two things, a belief in something that cannot be proven and trust. Belief is possibly the most powerful thing we are capable of, it has been said many times and by many people that what you believe is what you create.

To believe in something that cannot be proven calls upon us to have courage, and to step out of our five senses reality into a reality of possibility. It carries us to a place of pure potential, where almost anything is possible using the power of imagination, intent, and attention. Many physicists today believe in a theory they call “string theory” it is a purely mathematical equation, that brings the four forces of our universe into one explanation of how our cosmos works.

This theory has been sought after since the time of Einstein. It is important to have this unified theory because without it we get stuck in answering more questions we have about how our universe was brought to existence, and how it is now working. 

The amazing thing about this theory is, that at this time it is improvable, there are no experiments that can be done to prove it. On the one hand it is very safe because it cannot be refuted, on the other hand it requires an amount of faith to keep it in working existence. 

This unified theory came from the imaginations of physicists, with the intent to answer questions, and it requires the full attention of those who seek its manifestation. One day we may be able to test this theory and it is believed it will hold strong. Scientists and astronomers’ alike work with this theory in their searches of deep outer space, the explanation of black holes and more. 

All this is based on the belief that this is the answer to the problem of the unified field theory, the belief in something that is not yet proven. All throughout the history of our species, we can find such beliefs, that only when people opened up and stepped out of that which that can physically experience did they manifest the answers to their questions, and create forward motion in their lives, and the lives of many others. 

Belief is the essence of manifestation. It is the building blocks of experience. We have many beliefs we carry with us from earlier experiences in our lives. These beliefs are deeply imbedded in our psyche, for instance, what we believe to be true about ourselves, people in our families, and the world outside of us. Political beliefs, beliefs about relationships, and on and on. 

Some of our beliefs hold us back; they create an experience of lack, fear, anger, resentment, jealousy, low self-esteem, and a sense of not trusting. (To name a few) The first step in building strong faith is examining our beliefs, the thoughts and feelings we have about these beliefs, and then asking the questions: Is
this working for me? What am I creating with this belief?
If the answers are copasetic to the life you want, then by
all means embrace those beliefs. 

However, if you find that there are negative feelings, and thoughts around any belief, that is the time to be open to the choice you have to change it. It is not the thing you believe in that carries you forward, but simply your belief in it that carries you forward. For example, if we think of trials in medicine,
some are given what is called a placebo and there are a
percentage of people who benefit from these fake medicines
as much as those who take the real medications. 

What causes this? Belief. These people believe they are going to get better, and that what ever it is will help them. These
examples, “string theory” and “the placebo effect” are only
two of many that show the power of belief. 

The second requirement of faith is: trust. The experience of
trusting is also very powerful. What seems to happen around
trusting is that at some time in our lives we have an experience that causes us pain, someone betrays us, something that we expected would happen didn’t, or vise versa, and from that moment on mistrust is born. 

Again this is something that we may carry deep in our psyche and may not even be aware of. On one level we may say we trust yet on a deeper level the trust is not there. We want to trust  people and situations, because this brings inner peace. We want to know that things are going to be all right. 

There are so many levels to not trusting. We don’t trust people,
we don’t trust God, and sometimes we don’t trust our senses.
Sometimes mistrust is handed down to us from our parents,
who project their experiences of pain onto us. As good
parents do, they want to keep us from the pain they have
been through. Not trusting is born from fear. 

Fear is a good thing in that it keeps us safe from physical harm. It allows us to take time in making decisions on actions taken. It is a sign telling us to stop and examine what is going on inside us, and outside as well. It is only when we allow our actions to stem from that fear without examining and questioning our fears that things seem to go in the wrong direction. 

So, in essence one can even trust their fear, if they will allow what is, become the observer of their emotions and where they come from. We can work through pain without carrying fear and mistrust. We can learn for instance that sticking our finger into a flame of fire will hurt, without being forever afraid of fire. It is about action and consequence, not fear and mistrust. We can know from experience that if we stick our finger in the flame we
will get burnt, but we then don’t necessarily have to put out every flame we see. 

When we trust, we allow what is, and with that, we release
fear and anxiety around situations. Perhaps the strongest trust is simply that things are happening just the way they
are suppose to in any given moment, with this one trusting,
we can bring an experience of peace even in the worst of
situations. 

To achieve this ultimate trust again we must begin to examine our thoughts and our emotions. To ask ourselves, do I truly trust what is happening? At the deepest level we often don’t trust ourselves, and if this is so, how can we trust anything or anyone else? I offer you to examine what in life you trust and where could you use more trust in the universe? 

Faith is an amazing experience on so many levels. It gives us a peaceful heart, and opens the doors to new things and
boundless love. With faith we move mountains and move ourselves into harmony with the flow of life. 

So give yourself the gift of faith, in God, or in humanity, in love,
and most of all in yourself. Make an intention to trust and put your attention on what is going on inside. From a point of faith you can manifest anything. 

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Karen Barnes is a teacher of universal spiritual philosophy and a certified Integrative Coach, through the Debbie Ford Institute for Integrative Coaching, through which she is able to help people create their dreams. 
E-mail: ikando2000@yahoo.com

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