How To Have More Faith

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"The whole of things goes to teach us Faith." -- Emerson

As time goes by, I increasingly realize the importance of Faith. In fact, it may be the most important lesson of life. I'm convinced that the reason more people aren't able to have a strong Faith, and therefore aren't able to realize their prayers and dreams, is because they don't understand what Faith really is. It is much more than a belief in something.

The best explanation I've ever read was written by H. Emilie Cady in "Lessons in Truth." This little book was written over 100 years ago, and is truly a gem. Here is what Ms. Cady, one of the founders of New Thought, says about the two types of faith.

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Excerpt about Faith from Lessons In Truth , by H. Emilie Cady:

There is a blind faith, to be sure. (Someone has truthfully said that blind faith is better than none at all ...) But there is also an understanding faith. Blind faith is an instinctive trust in a power higher than ourselves. Understanding faith is based on immutable principle.

Faith does not depend on physical facts, or on the evidence of the senses, because it is born of intuition, or the Spirit of Truth ever living at the center of our being. Its action is infinitely higher than that of intellectual conclusions; it is founded on Truth ...

Blind faith is based on Truth, but a Truth of which everyone is not at the time conscious. Even this kind of faith will, if persisted in, bring results.

What is Understanding Faith? There are some things that God has so indissolubly joined together that it is impossible for even Him to put them asunder. They are bound together by fixed, immutable laws; if we have one of them, we must have the other.

This is illustrated by the laws of geometry... Our knowing it or not knowing it does not change the truth. Only in proportion as we come to know it as an eternal truth, can we be benefited by it.

It is also a simple truth that one plus one equals two; it is an eternal truth. You cannot put one and one together without two resulting. You may believe it or not; that does not alter the truth. But unless you do put the one and one together you do not produce the two, for each is eternally dependent on the other.

The mental and spiritual world or realms are governed by laws that are just as real and unfailing as the laws that govern the natural world. Certain conditions of mind are so connected with certain results that the two are inseparable. If we have the one, we must have the other, as surely as the night follows the day--not because we believe some wise person's testimony that such is the case, not even because the voice of intuition tells us that it is so, but because the whole matter is based on laws that can neither fail nor be broken.

When we know something of these laws, we can know positively beforehand just what results will follow certain mental states.

God, the one creative cause of all things, is Spirit, and visible to spiritual consciousness ... There is no good that you can desire in your life which, at its center, is not God. God is the substance of all things--the real thing within every visible form of good.

God, the invisible substance out of which all visible things are formed, is all around us, waiting to come forth into manifestation.

This good substance all about us is unlimited, and is itself the supply of every demand that can be made; of every need that exists in the visible or natural world.

One of the unerring truths in the universe (by "universe" I mean the spiritual and natural worlds combined) is that there is already provided a lavish abundance for every human want. In other words, the supply of every good always awaits the demand. Another truth is that the demand must be made before the supply can come forth to fill it. To recognize these two statements of Truth and to affirm them are the whole secret of understanding faith--faith based on principle...

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Faith takes hold of the substance of the thing hoped for, and brings into evidence, or visibility, the things not seen ...

The Nazarene recognized the unchangeable truth that, in the unseen, the supply of every want awaits demand. When he said, "Ask, and ye shall receive" He was simply stating an unalterable truth. He knew that the instant we ask or desire (for asking is desire expressed) we touch a secret spring which starts on its way toward us the good we want. He knew that there need not be any coaxing or pleading about it; that our asking is simply our complying with an unfailing law which is bound to work; there is no escape from it. Asking and receiving are the two ends of the same thing. There is a very close connection between them.

Asking springs from desire to possess some good. What is desire? Desire in the heart is always God tapping at the door of your consciousness with His infinite supply--a supply that is forever useless unless there be demand for it. "Before they call, I will answer" (Isa. 65:24). Before ever you are conscious of any lack, of any desire for more happiness ... the great Father-Mother heart has desired them for you. It is He in you desiring them that you feel... With God the desire to give, and the giving, are one and the same thing.

Someone has said, "Desire for anything is the thing itself in incipiency"; ...it has already been started toward you out of the heart of God; and it is the first approach of the thing itself striking you that makes you desire it, or even think of it at all ... He wants you to be a strong, self-efficient man or woman ... so He quietly and silently pushes a little more of Himself, His desire, into the center of your being. He enlarges, so to speak, your Real Self, and at once you become conscious of a new desire to be bigger, grander, stronger.

You think that you want better health, more love, a brighter more cheerful home all your very own; in short, you want less evil (or no evil) and more good in your life. This is only God pushing at the inner door of your being, as if He were saying: "My child, let Me in; I want to give you all good, that you may be more comfortable and happy." "Behold, my servants shall eat ... behold, my servants shall drink ... behold my servants shall rejoice ... behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart... And they shall build houses, and inhabit them" (Isa. 65:13, 14, 21).

Remember this: Desire in the heart for anything is God's sure promise sent beforehand to indicate that it is yours already in the limitless realm of supply, and whatever you want you can have for the taking.

Taking is simply recognizing the law of supply and demand (even if you cannot see a sign of the supply any more than Elijah did when he had affirmed for rain, and not a cloud even so big as a man's hand was for a long time to be seen). Affirm your possession of the good that you desire; have faith in it, because you are working with divine law and cannot fail; do not be argued off your basic principle by anyone...

"All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24) ...

Take right hold of God with an unwavering faith. Begin and continue to rejoice, and thank God that you have (not will have) the desires of your heart, never losing sight of the fact that the desire is the thing itself in incipiency. If the good were not already yours in the invisible realm of supply, you could not, by any possibility, desire it ... You do not and cannot, by any possibility desire that which belongs to another...you may desire what is represented by them ... If you desire something to fill your heart's craving for love, Affirm that there is for you a rightful and an overflowing supply, and claim its manifestation. It will surely come...

You do not in reality desire anything that belongs to another. You want the equivalent of that for which his possessions stand. You want your own. There is today an unlimited supply of all good provided in the unseen for every human being. No man must needs have less that another may have more. Your very own awaits you. Your understanding faith, or trust, is the power that will bring it to you.

Knowing divine law and obeying it, we can forever rest from all anxiety and fear, for "Thou openest they hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing" (Psalms 145:15).

The preceding excerpt is from Lessons In Truth, by H. Emilie Cady

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Understanding the concepts above is paramount to letting in your Heart's desires by having faith that your prayers and requests will be answered...indeed, are already answered. The following will also help you allow more Good into your life:

- Remember that what you focus on expands. Focus on what you DO want, not what you don't want. Visualize yourself in your perfect life. FEEL it with happiness in your heart. Make it as real as you can and you will be a magnet pulling it into manifestation. The more you focus, in a happy way, on your dreams and goals, the better! Make sure you are FEELING POSITIVE when you think about your dreams and goals.

- Do not tell others about your Dreams unless you absolutely trust them to be fully supportive of your Dreams. It's usually best to keep silent, and keep the magic between you and Spirit.

- Have positive expectations that your requests will be answered.

- Be consistent in your knowing. Reread the above until you can fully let in the Truth of these statements. This will help you release fear, and allow Faith. The Universe responds to how you FEEL. If you ask, and then doubt or fear, your requests will not be answered. Instead you will attract something to be doubtful or fearful about.

- The 3 parts of manifestation are: Ask, ALLOW, and Receive. Positive Expectation and FAITH allow your Good to flow to you easily. If you doubt or feel resistance to your Good (usually due to mistaken beliefs and old programming), it can have a very hard time coming to you! If you feel any resistance to your requests, then try rewording them. Abraham-Hicks suggests saying something like, "Wouldn't it be nice if [such and such.]" Try it and see if you feel less resistance. The goal is to release all resistance and FEEL strong positive emotions as you imagine your dreams being true.

- Negative thoughts and feelings act as barriers that can block your Good from flowing to you. If you find that you have a lot of negative or fear-based thoughts, then do your best to Forgive as much as possible. Forgive them, forgive yourself, and forgive God, too. Forgive everyone and everything that can possibly need forgiveness, and then allow yourself -- and them -- to be free. We came to Earth to experience many things. No matter what you have been through, perhaps you can begin to view it through the Eyes of Compassion, realizing that we all make mistakes. And then let it go.

- After you make your request, be open to any intuitive guidance, and follow it.

- Feed your dream by having positive visualizations about it every day.

- Make this fun! See your prayers as orders being given to the most powerful force in Heaven--it is! It is already yours in the unmanifested realms. Now, have FAITH that it will be delivered into this one. The delivery truck is on its way. Smile!!!