Our emotional load-bearing capacity  is largely determined by the strength of our beliefs. One of the strategies to strengthen our beliefs in our upcoming online Transformational Mind Renewal Course is morning and evening belief workouts. It starts on September 12. This blog gives a foundational understanding for belief workouts. 
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“But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

One of the main ways to exercise ourselves toward godliness is to “work out” our beliefs. We do this by having a plan to renew our minds. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). The renewing of the mind does not happen simply through Bible reading or church attendance, but it results from a deliberate plan to think about and believe truth instead of lies. This deliberate mind renewal is like a beliefs training program. 

One of my dreams is that beliefs training will become more popular than physical fitness training. As a major step toward this, Igniting Hope ministries began certifying Beliefs Trainers a year and a half ago, and we have had many participate in personal or online sessions with them. After all, nobody wants flabby beliefs. And as Paul tells Timothy, exercising toward godliness has a greater benefit than bodily exercise, so let’s get our beliefs in shape together.

Those who do the Intensive level of our Transformational Mind Renewal Course will receive three online Beliefs Training sessions as part of their class. Also, the Intensive level is necessary for those who want to apply to be an Igniting Hope Certified Beliefs Trainer. 

Yes, nobody wants flabby beliefs. We want toned and strong beliefs which overcome life’s challenges and create a positively transformed future for us, and for the people in our lives. With this in mind, here are five ways not to have flabby beliefs: 

1. 
   Understand the Five Main Areas of Our Beliefs – We have beliefs about God, ourselves, others, circumstances, and the decisions we have made or are making. We are regularly renewing our minds with a belief (whether true or not) about these five areas. 
2. Use Our Hope Level as the Indicator of Whether We Are Believing Lies or Truth – “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Wherever there is a lack of hope (the confident, joyful expectation of good is coming), then we cannot trust the belief we have in that area of our life. 
3. Value the Joy of the Lord – “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (Psalm 2:4). God is laughing at what His enemies are saying and planning. Laughter is a powerful spiritual weapon that is part of the process of disempowering the lies we believe. To laugh, we have to let go of something. As we are able to laugh at the lies fueling our negative strongholds and embrace the joy of celebrating progress instead of perfection, we will find strength and healing flow increasingly into our lives. 
4. Fight With the Promises God Makes Real to You – “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). The quality of our lives depends on identifying what God has said to us. “Take up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). We are to kill negative mindsets and negative belief systems with these words. In 1 Timothy 1:18 Paul tells Timothy to “war” with the prophetic words he has received. We are to do the same. 
5. Meditate On and Declare These 25 Declarations Regularly – They are key areas of life to strengthen our beliefs about. Why don’t you do an experiment and say these every day for a month and see what happens. 

“Exercise yourself toward godliness . . . having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” The above five steps will help you overcome flabby beliefs by exercising and strengthening them in great ways. It will benefit you in this life and throughout eternity.