3 questions to strengthen your faith

02 Dec 2021

Spiritual work is futile unless we have a coherent personal faith.

I don’t tend to make such bold claims, but I’m not tenderising this one.

Most of you are part of this community because you desire a life of spiritual connection, abundance, rich in meaning and purpose; a life that flows with ease. But what can’t be stressed enough is that for your spiritual practices to work, you need to know (within yourself) what it is that you are actually connecting to? How do you conceptualise the unseen forces at play in your life? Does your understanding of Spirit hold up equally when life is easy as it does when life is challenging? Do you forget all about your faith when the chips are down and cry “why me!?” Is your spirituality limited to specific times and places in your life, or is it in everything you do and everywhere you go?

As long as spirituality is sectioned off into one corner of our life, our spiritual practices are going to be limited in their effect.

I often receive messages along the lines of “What spiritual practices can I use to break X bad habit, or manifest Y in my life?”, and my response is first and foremost: Before you throw another practice into your schedule, how strong is your connection to Spirit? Work on this first.

For example, Body Peace, my spiritual course in liberating your self from body shame and diet culture, teaches you how to cultivate a holy relationship with your body by calling on your connection to Spirit. There are practical tools in there that can work for anyone, but the potency of the program comes down to how strong your personal faith is, and how fully you can call upon that faith. You can get so far being carried in the container of my faith, but ultimately the power of your prayers, devotions and surrenderings is up to you.

Simply: if you don't believe it's going to work, it won't work.

A THREE-PART YES-OR-NO ENQUIRY INTO OUR BELIEFS ABOUT LIFE

If you’re getting stuck in your practices or perhaps feeling (believing) “these teachings just don’t work for me”, my invitation is to get back to basics and explore the foundations of your faith.

Consider these 3 questions if your faith is feeling a little wobbly.

1. My life is

(a) inherently meaningful; or

(b) simply a random occurrence

2. I believe life is

(a) benevolent and yielding; or

(b) cruel and rigid

3. I believe life is mostly governed by

(a) a universal intelligence (pattern and attraction); or

(b) luck and chance


If you responded (b) to any of the above, reflect on how compatible that belief is with your desire to feel more spiritually connected.

Try writing or repeating out loud these affirmations:

  • My life is inherently meaningful

  • The world I live in is benevolent and yielding

  • I co-create my reality with the intelligence of the universe

Create a list of ‘evidence’ supporting these beliefs - examples from your past that affirm your spiritual beliefs. They can be simple, ‘small’ things, or big things that have had a longer lasting impact on your life. Be as specific as you can.

For example:

I know my life is inherently meaningful because when I listen to my intuition I experience so many coincidences and synchronicities in my life. This last year has revealed to me the pay off of consistently showing up as authentically as possible. I find myself in a genuine community of like-minded people and I can trust in that because I have actually let them see and know the real me.

I know the world I live in is benevolent and yielding because when I pray heartfelt prayers calling in support, that support always arrives. Like the time I trusted that I would be able to replace all of my possessions that were stolen, and as if by magic I received the exact amount of money I needed from an unexpected stream of income.

I know that I co-create my reality with the universe because when I work on strengthening my vibration and feeling connected, my life flows more easily. Like how on the days when I start my morning doing activities that connect me to Spirit, even just a few breaths of intentional devotion and remembering, the rest of my day unfolds so much more effortlessly.

EVERYTHING I DO NOT KNOW

My book Everything I Do Not Know is a must-read for anyone longing to deepen their connection to Spirit; it invites us to become curious about the ways we've turned away from faith and offers a renewed understanding of contemporary faith and spirituality in the modern world. You can pre-order your copy here for arrival in time for Christmas.