Faith Converting Belief into an Unstoppable Super Power

Hello, and welcome to The Hope Station Podcast. This is your host, Diane Belz.

This episode officially marks the one-year mark of podcasting.

52 episodes of delivering hope through 39 remarkable heroes and their stories.

And 13 episodes of me speaking on topics that are important in bringing hope.

And hopefully, help to make my listeners believers in the power of hope.

I call my guests heroes because each one has an amazing story of transformation, or today I’m going to call their conversion stories.

They rose from the depths of despair and pain. From challenges and problems that appeared insurmountable.

They stepped out of the darkness to bring light, hope, and truth to our conversation.

They took control of the direction their lives were going, changed their story, and they changed their lives.

Over the next four weeks, I will be diving into what I believe are the characteristics that gave my guests superhuman powers. Power to battle what they were going through and land safely on the other side.

Last week, I spoke about forgiveness.

I believe forgiveness is superhuman. It’s not always natural and certainly not easy. When you become a forgiver, you are, in my opinion, a hero.

Forgiving set them free, and now through their conversion are setting others free.

And you can listen to episode 51 on forgiveness.

Today, the topic is Faith.

Why faith?

Each one of my guests were converted through an act of faith.

To make the point of faith in these heroes journeys, I want to first define the word convert.

They converted from one way of thinking, believing, being, and living to another.

How does Webster define convert?

• Convert – to bring over from one belief or view to another.

o They believed they were hopeless.

o They believed they couldn’t be healed,

o They believed they couldn’t live a productive life.

o And some believed that their life wasn’t worth living.

To escape the pain, to transform their lives, they had to start believing something different, having faith in something greater than themselves.

Tammy Doering had faith in experts to heal her painful psoriasis until they wanted to stick needles into her scalp.

She prayed that there had to be a better way. A non-invasive and healthier way to heal. And that belief moved her to find, through the grace and direction of God, to discover that better way. And now Tammy’s healed, and she is healing others. What changed? Who she had faith in.

Convert - To change from one form or function to another.

o Moving from one type of career or role into another

o Changed their story from abused to an advocate.

o Changed their story from struggling to free.

o Changed their story from challenged to a change maker.

o Changed their story from desperation to restoration.

o Changed their story from sick to healed and a healer.

o Changed from failing to succeeding.

Starr Loutiss was broken from drug abuse and addiction. To get her through painful times to reach her goal of one year without abuse, she utilized a gift that she had – writing. Writing every day to get her to her goal.

Writing changed her story from abuser to drug-free.

Writing also changed her career.

Starr has helped 24 writers reach best-seller status on Amazon.

She was taking all that she learned in the dark times to bring light to others who have a brighter future.

Convert - To alter for more effective utilization.

o You are a much more compassionate and effective healer when you know pain.

o You are a more effective teacher when you know the shame of failure.

o You are more effective in showing a way to a better future when your past is full of mistakes.

My guest, J Haleem, was a drug dealer and convicted felon.

J Haleem was desperate to pay bills. Keep his apartment and his car.

He wanted to support his family. His reliance on himself and the old ways of providing wasn’t working.

He converted because several people of faith spoke into his life.

Showing him by their faith in him that there was a different way, a better way, and that way was God’s way of doing life.

He is now a successful business owner and business coach. He stopped selling drugs and started selling hope. He told his story of doing it the wrong way and the consequences so he could show them a better way.

Their brokenness and pain became their superpower! Their hopelessness became their strength.

They are more effective because of what they’ve been through and who they’ve become than they were in their former way of being.

And that should give hope to you. No matter where you are in life, you can be a superhero as well.

I know it gives me hope to use my pain and struggles, my successes and failures, for a purpose.

So how does conversion tie into faith? Faith is an act of conversion.

My guests moved from one way of believing, one way of doing life, one way of functioning, one way of being utilized to another.

And they did that by faith.

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, and to be certain of the things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1

They could not see their recovery.

They could not see their success.

They could not see the impact their lives and stories would have on anybody else.

They have faith that allows them to hope for their recovery and success even when they cannot SEE it!

I’m amazed by faith. Aren’t you?

The faith you have to do simple things. The greater faith you need to do amazing things.

We all have faith. You just might call it something different.

Let me share an example of faith. I want to have faith for a safe journey to North Carolina for vacation. My car has 150,000 miles. So, I need faith that my car is going to get me there and back.

Something put my faith in my car at risk an oil change. With that oil change, I received information that my brakes needed to be replaced.

But I want to have faith that my brakes will get me there and back without a replacement. The cost of new brakes has a thousand-dollar price tag.

Who or what should I have faith in?

My mechanic

Myself

My brakes

What do brakes have to do with faith?

Everything!

Do you tailgate?

Drive up real close to the car in front of you?

Then you’re a brake believer!

You believe in your brakes.

You wouldn’t drive that close to someone if you didn’t believe in your brakes working. Especially if the driver in front of you suddenly slams on their brakes. You’re hoping and maybe praying your brakes work to avoid an accident.

When I realized that I’m not a brake believer, I opted to get my brakes fixed this week.

I’m such a non-believer in my brakes that I’m skipping golf this week to get it done before my journey north.

Faith Defined:

Faith is an allegiance to a duty or a person.

Back to the brakes!

When I lived in New Jersey, I had total allegiance to my buddy and Joe’s bestie, Chip.

If he told me I needed new brakes, I would not have hesitated or questioned him.

I have an allegiance to Chip because he has one for me. He has proven to be trustworthy.

The new guy I don’t have a relationship with yet, and therefore no allegiance, and therefore limited FAITH!

My guests, before they converted, had faith in several things:

• Themselves

• Experts

• Close advisors

Relying on or having faith in any of these people is fragile because we are all fallible.

We have all made decisions that, in hindsight or clear sight right was not a good decision.

Experts don’t have all the answers.

Your closest advisors might be too close to help you.

They have their own agenda and their own goals, and those feelings might alter their advice to serve them and not always serve you.

1. Faith – the firm belief in something for which there is no proof.

Tammy – Is a perfect example of being a convert. She first had faith that her medical conditions would be healed by medical experts.

She was doing everything they told her until she lost faith in them and converted to faith in God.

And when she converted to a new kind of faith, God had an answer to healing her, and then she could heal others.

Skincare products are all-natural, and she believes her formulas are heaven-sent.

Tammy invested her life, her savings, her everything into finding an answer for her to help you.

J Haleem had faith that picking up a camera could turn his life around. That he could support his family by doing work that was legal and honorable. How could he see it without faith?

Starr wasn’t sure she could her herself. And when she saw that she could succeed in living free from drugs. She had faith in herself to help others be successful in what was their heart's desire – to be a best-selling author.

Without faith, it is impossible to believe that your life can be better.

Without faith, it is impossible to believe that you can have a purposeful, joyful, productive, and impactful life when all you’ve experienced is pain and suffering for so long.

What are you putting your faith in?

What are you hoping for right now?

Have you tried faith? Am I moving from hoping to seeing?

My hope is that this podcast will help you to convert and have a deeper, richer, and faith-filled life.

Next week, I will be speaking on the superpower of Resilience.

Until then, my hope is that you have a blessed and beautiful week.