You better believe it!

     We've all heard the saying. So what's to it? Just a catchy saying? Some religious fanaticism? Why do people at baseball games hold up signs that say it? Is there anything at all to it?

     You better believe it!
     There is magic in belief. I don't care who you are. Buddhist. Born-again Christian. Muslim. Stone-cold atheist. It doesn't matter— the truth is the truth. And the truth is there is magic in believing. It's just a reality of our world. And the reality applies to everybody. Unless, of course, you don't believe.
     No deep spiritual or theological arguments need prove the point. Just take something as simple as the placebo effect. Nobody argues that the placebo effect doesn't exist. And its effect is huge.
     For those of you who need a quick refresher on what the placebo effect is, this from

http://arthritis.about.com/od/arthritistreatments/g/placebo.htm

Definition:

A placebo, as used in research, is an inactive substance or procedure used as a control in an experiment. The placebo effect is the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health not attributable to an actual treatment.

When a treatment is based on a known inactive substance like a sugar pill, distilled water, or saline solution rather than having real medical value, a patient may still improve merely because their expectation to do so is so strong. To eliminate the effect of positive thinking on clinical trials, researchers often run double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.  

     So how can this be? The power of the unaided human mind to cure disease? The power of God supernaturally intervening? The question I would ask is: who cares how it works, just take advantage of it!  
     You probably have your own stories about how believing worked in your life. I know I've got mine. And this is not some untrue stuff. This is real. I heard of a guy in an emergency room. The man was terribly injured and knew it. The doctors had written him off as not going to survive. The man was going in and out of consciousness, and he caught the tail end of what the doctors said.
     What the doctors said was: 'This patient will never make it. It's not like he's going to get out of here and get back to his life.'
     And only catching the tail end the patient heard 'he's going to get out of here and get back to his life.' And so the patient thought, 'Well, I know I'm in bad shape, but if the doctors think I'm going to make it, well, then I'm going to make it.' And he did.
     What sort of brick wall are you facing in your life? Do you believe you can break through it? If you don't, start believing.