Along the same lines of laying hold on every good thing I have been thinking more and more about how to acquire a strong faith that is similar to the faith that is talked about in the scriptures.  I realize that we talk about faith so much in church yet I feel like I don't really live as if I have a strong faith.  Yes, I go to church,  pay tithes,and pray.  But, I don't know if I have the "and ll things are possible to him that believes" kind of faith that is talked about in the scriptures.  If I I don't have that kind of faith it makes me wonder if I am missing the point.  Especially, when I look around and see people who don't even believe in the same God that I believe in doing some very miraculous things.

Not that I believe that my faith and religion should have a corner on the miracles market,  but I believe I should be equipped to experience as much or more in the way of miracles than pretty much any other belief system.  But, when I look around I don't see this as being the case. If I have faith shouldn't I be able to do great things but it seems as though in reality I struggle doing even small things.  If I had faith everything I touched would turn to gold.  I would be like President Monson and would be able to say just a few words to people and would be able to help change the course of their life.  I would be able to find the time to big time magnify my calling and make a difference at church.  One way of describing it is that I would be living an elevated life dealing with bigger ideas.

So, I am searching for a deeper understanding on what faith is and how to transform my life with it.  It seems that the deepest discussion we end up having on faith at church is that it is a muscle and we have to exercise it and that we exercise it by getting out of our comfort zone.  

So, in my effort to learn more about faith I have opened myself up to learn from all reasonable sources.  Lately, I have been fixated on the concept that if you can see your desired future state very clearly in your mind it will become reality.  I have known about this concept for awhile and for some reason feel like it is true, an d lately this thought has hit me with more force. One scripture says that faith is the substance of things hoped for which seems to suggest that faith is a substance or perhaps it is the seed of faith developing first in your mind and then manifesting in reality...    

I guess you could say that it is similar to the concept taught in the book 'the secret'.  It is that you visualize your future, which is in line with God's will, and you affirm it, and you just simply believe it will come to pass and it happens.  You just tell yourself over and over again in the present tense what your future is and things end up lining in place until it happens.  

I have been asking myself is this the practical explanation of what faith really is?  Is it that simple or am I veering from the scriptures and getting a little too new agey?  

It makes me think of miracles mentioned from the scriptures and how they I know I cut this short but I will have to continue later.

Next time I want to discuss who can I look to right now as an example of the kind of faith that I want to have.  Also, is faith really just a firm belief that something in God's will and my will, will happen in the future and so the trick is to just get that future image firmly implanted in my mind?  I know this question seems random but how does quantum physics fit into this?  

I have a lot to learn...