Help My Unbelief

Belief System

The host introduces this topic with the statement, "Your belief system will always navigate you back home." What exactly is a belief system? How does it navigate us? A belief is anything you accept to be true while a system is an organized method or practice. Essentially, your belief system is the structure of who you are, or how you're wired. It is the principal element of why you walk, talk, eat, sleep, think, and feel the way you do. Your beliefs shape the way you see yourself, others, and the world around you. Not only do your beliefs shape you, they also define you. Stephen encourages us to challenge our belief system in order to change. After all, as said in the opening episode, challenge is the first step toward change.

Defining Yourself

The top ambition of every person is a need to be consistent in the way in which they define themselves. How you define yourself is not determined by what others say about you, but by what you believe to be true about yourself, the values you hold, and the morals you practice. This generation in American culture is currently plagued with the most controversial issue of self-identification, gender fluidity and sexuality. Don't worry, that's not where we're going with this.



Alternatively, we'll address this topic of self-identification from the standpoint of addiction. I use this example often, simply because it is the most relatable to my own life. As an illustration, when defining yourself, if you continue to identify yourself as an addict, though you're in the process of recovery, it is because you internally believe that addiction makes up the core of who you are. The same is true of depression, anxiety, or any other mental illness. Each morning you awake, you are immediately met with your dis-eases because you believe yourself to be diseased. As someone who has been set free from addiction and depression by the power of the living Messiah, I no longer claim addiction or depression as part of my character. Instead, I believe myself to be a rehabilitated, equipped soldier in the army of God, having experienced the gift of deliverance. With that being said, if you deem yourself to be a believer, why don't you believe?

Belief vs. Unbelief

Stephen goes on to acknowledge the difference between believing and wanting to believe. Hebrews 11:6 says in order to come to God, we must first believe He exists, and He rewards those who are diligently seeking Him. Though you may be desperately pleading for God to hear you and respond, your disbelief that He will is forfeiting your deliverance. All of your hoping and wishing is wrapped in unbelief. Belief is substantiated by action. It produces something. It changes you. You must be willing to stretch out your hand, to take up your bed and walk, to go and sin no more. We do not serve a powerless God. There must be a confidence within that undoubtedly trusts Him as the only One who can do the impossible. He did it for me, why don't you believe He can do it for you?

Bulletproof

Your belief system is bulletproof. So much so that even you will have a difficult time penetrating it. This is the reason you start a new diet and do well for a few days but revert back. It's the reason you can stay sober for a week or two, but as soon as something challenging happens, you find yourself relapsing again. Many of us were raised with the mindset of "You are who you hang with." Your belief system has much to do with who you surround yourself with. As an addict who is trying to recover, it's illogical to spend your time associating with others who are actively using.

In order to penetrate the core of your beliefs, you must initiate a change by doing something new. Once again, we are creatures of habit. Forming new tiny habits can greatly impact the larger habits. I saw a testimony recently of a man who weaned himself off of cocaine by taking cold baths. Sounds crazy, however, the cold baths released the same amount of dopamine as the cocaine. He exchanged a bad habit for one that produced healthy benefits. As you initiate a change in your habits, you will begin to see results. The results of that small change will fuel your belief system. Even more so, when others recognize the change being produced within you, it creates a drive to approach change even more aggressively. The key is to believe internally in order to see the results of change outwardly.

Habitual Emotions

Often times, we're making decisions based strictly on the way we feel in that moment. This becomes the most dangerous way to live. Our nervous systems scientifically mirror the nervous systems of those around us. This is why we will cry while watching a movie or hearing a song. Your emotions will deceive you.

Emotion is created based on the movement of thought. If you're someone who perpetually thinks negatively, you're creating a habit within your brain of negativity. This in turn will manifest negative emotions such as sadness, despair, anger, or frustration. However, if you set your mind on positive thoughts, you can manifest the emotion you desire.

Focus

Believe it or not, you've been given the authority to control your focus. Whatever you set your focus on is what you will see. In July of 2022, I lost my mother to a fentanyl overdose. I'd be lying if I said the thought and image of her last moments in the hospital didn't visit me often. However, those thoughts no longer visit me daily. This is because I've learned to control my focus, daily practicing the ability to shift my mind to think on something else, something positive. I've chosen to not be led by the emotion of pain that is associated with my past, but rather to be led by the Spirit of God, who gives unspeakable joy.

Everyone has experienced some sort of trauma in their life. That trauma could be abuse, neglect, domestic violence, addiction, divorce, or loss. For some, it may be all of the above. Your trauma does not define who you will be. If you spend all of your time meditating on painful experiences you've encountered, you will live your life in agonizing pain and suffering. There is healing and recovery. There is restoration in the Messiah. Learn to set your mind on Him, and He will keep you in perfect peace. Stephen encourages us to practice forward thinking in order to control our focus.

Contemporary Speaks, a weekly Saturday morning podcast, is rapidly gaining traction in the mental health awareness category. The host, Stephen, is unfailingly bringing deeper insight into who we are as human-beings while providing applicable tools to fortify our mental and spiritual welfare. In Episode 6 of Something Has to Change, he helps us to identify the true nature of our core beliefs as well as how to change our habits and control our focus. Let’s dive in!

If your focus is off:

1. Think about one thing that makes you happy.

2. Think about one thing you're grateful for.

3. Think about something you're looking forward to.

Deliberately create self-value:

1. Be on time.

2. Be reliable.

3. Be a critical thinker.

Something Has to Change

The “something” that has to change in us is our belief system. As mentioned previously, it won't be easy. Change is never easy. It's difficult and it's challenging. Learn to ask the right questions. Instead of Why is it so hard for me to change?, ask yourself: What are some feasible steps I can implement to produce change? Believe that you are capable. As said in the "You're Going to Make It | Grab the Rope" motivational video, "Everything you need to succeed is already in you. All you have to do is cultivate it."

Want to dive deeper?

Watch the full episode