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Unity
and Prosperity
2008
January
Prosperity's Ten Commandments
Webster's defines prosperity as: the condition of being successful or thriving and Catherine Ponder shares that we are always prosperous to the degree that we are expressing love, joy, health, and abundance in our lives.
The Power of Prosperity x 12 is now 2 years old and over 2,000 subscribers strong. We also have a new look with the launching of our new web page. Check it out at
www.unity.org.
Before we launch into our next topic, we thought we would review where we've been. The first year we studied Edwene Gaines'
The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity. These are very basic laws with definite practices to unblock and create prosperity in our lives. We looked at tithing from a different perspective and why it is a part of our spiritual growth. We set clear cut and tangible goals to see prosperity unfold in our lives. We looked at the biggest block to prosperity by not forgiving ourselves and others. And lastly we looked at our purpose and how a life lived on purpose is a prosperous life.
This past year we looked with Charles Fillmore, Catherine Ponder, and many other prosperity teachers about how our twelve powers affect our prosperity. These attributes of God that are within each of us have a definite and divine link to our prosperity. We learned that prosperity shows up in many ways other than money.
At www.unity.org, click on adults and then prosperity to find all of the past Power of Prosperity x 12 issues. You can also download for free the workbook to go along with
The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity.
This next year we will journey with Georgiana Tree West's Prosperity's Ten
Commandments. We will see how this timeless treasure will take the Ten Commandments to a deeper level of spiritual growth.
What Georgiana says:
"Truth is capable of limitless expansion. For this reason we find the essential truth embodied in the Ten Commandments is not only the basis of right spiritual and moral
conduct, but also the basis for establishing permanent prosperity."
Prosperity's Ten
Commandments, Chap 1
"All the laws of the mental realm are called into operation until eventually the pattern is given concrete form. If we have thoughts of lack, we form many mental images around it and see ourselves poor and in difficulty."
Chap 2
"...wealth is the outpicturing of the state of mind. The earnestly striving person whose efforts are not richly compensated may have a poverty consciousness."
Chap 8
What the Bible says:
"...If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall overtake the vintage, and the vintage shall overtake the sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and live securely in your land."
Lev 26:3-5
"Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time."
De 4:40
"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love."
John 15:10
"Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Mt 22:37-40
For practice:
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Reread the Ten Commandments (Ex 20) and see how they apply to your prosperity. If there are questions write them down and as we go through this year see how they are answered. |
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Spend time in mediation on the Ten Commandments. Take them deep inside and see what they are saying to you. Spend time with your journal on each of the commandments. |
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Consider Jesus' statement about the greatest commandments. How do the Ten Commandments fulfill these two? What would your life look like if you lived by the two greatest commandments? How would you prosper? Meditate on these ideas, journal your thoughts, and create a picture in your mind. Try to incorporate all your senses in the image you have of this ideal life. |
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Get a copy of Georgiana's book through your local church,
www.unityonline.org, or www.half.com. Study along with your prayer triad and discuss thoughts that come up. |
Top
Back to Say
a Prayer
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February,
2008
Prosperity's Ten Commandments
First Commandment:
"Thou shalt look to no other source but God for thy supply"
We begin a new theme for prosperity, based on Georgiana Tree West's Prosperity's Ten Commandments. The first of the Ten Commandments in the Bible says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
In this commandment we find the only sound basis for manifesting permanent prosperity. Jesus tells us to seek God first, and that all things will be given to us. When we place God first in our lives, we acknowledge that there is no other source of life, love, wisdom, and power except God. God is the source of all. Our businesses, our employer, our paychecks, investments, and even the lottery are only small channels for God to use but they are not the source. God is.
This commandment requires us to exercise our faith in God. Faith is the first step in bringing our prosperity into manifestation. Everything we could ever want or need is already there, in God's spiritual realm. We have the power within us to bring it into the physical form. Truly believing this takes a strong unrelenting faith in God as the source of all.
As we take our faith in hand we must have vision. Lack of vision limits our prosperity. If we cannot state clearly what we want or what our intension is, how can we expect to have it come into our life? Without a strong faith and clear vision limited thoughts and fears can creep into our mind. Add emotion around these limited thoughts and fears, and limitation is what manifests. Have faith in God's love for you, and move forward into your vision knowing that God will provide.
What the Bible says:
"God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good."
Ge 1:31
"And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work."
2 Co 9:8
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Lu 12:32
"For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
John 6:33
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Mt 6:33
What Unity says:
"God is the origin of all, and from him, in orderly steps through his perfect idea (Son) and his wise builder (Holy Ghost) all creation proceeds."
Charles Fillmore,
Talks on Truth
"God is the source of all that we are, hence the source of life, substance, and intelligence. The one and only substance out of which all things are formed is right here at all times, awaiting our recognition of it in its spiritual freedom."
Charles and Cora Fillmore,
Teach Us to Pray
"Both science and religion agree on the fundamental fact that God is the source of all creation."
Charles Fillmore,
Atom Smashing Power
"Prosperity is the consciousness of God present everywhere."
Edwene Gaines, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity
"...God is responsible for all that is real."
Myrtle Fillmore,
How to Let God Help You
"God is also substance, the essence from which all things come."
William Earle Cameron, "The One Good God," in
Keys to the Kingdom
For practice:
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Reread the creation story in Genesis. Imagine being there and watching as each new creation came into being. Imagine yourself as Creator. How do you feel? What do you want most? Journal your thoughts and feelings. |
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Take some time in quiet contemplation to think about what you have considered to be your sources. Make a list of them. Where is God in relationship to them? How would you like to see them differently? Have you ever had an unexpected good in your life that you really could relate to God as the source? |
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Placing God first in life seems to be a matter of constant vigilance. Consider the place of God in your life. In your thoughts, words and deeds, what place does God have? Think about ways that you could place God first. In thought, how can you love and trust God more than anything else? In word, how can you instill the habit of praying throughout the day? In deed, how would you act differently if God were first? Journal about how you might feel and act differently. How would this affect your faith? What is your vision of a life lived with God at the center? |
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Using our first basic principle, "There is only one presence" and this first commandment, discuss with your triad. Create affirmations that you can use to support your change in thinking about your source. Ex. There is only one presence so there can only be one source, God. |
Top
Back to Say
a Prayer
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March, 2008
Prosperity's Ten Commandments
Second Commandment: “Thou shalt make no mental images of lack.”
This is like the 2nd commandment where we are instructed not to make any “graven images.” A graven image is any thing or idea that takes our attention away from God or the good that God has for us.
We are constantly making mental images in connection with the thoughts we hold in mind. Mental images bring with them different emotions, and the emotions are what put energy into motion. Positive mental images put out positive energy and draw more positive to us. But negativity works the same way. Georgiana tells us,” Every thought of poverty, fear, limitation, worry, doubt is a false image, and every thought word, and act of ours motivated by such thinking constitutes the bowing down to ‘graven images’ and serving them.”
The truth in the commandment is that we are not to create and serve false ideas. Any idea that is not in total alignment with “God as our source” is a graven image. God may have many channels of delivery but we mustn’t confuse the channels with the source. There is not now, never was, nor will there ever be lack of good things or ideas in God.
Jesus told us we could not serve two masters. We cannot live and have our being in an unlimited universe if we are holding mental images of lack. Thoughts and ideas are unlimited in the mind of God and available to us when we don’t allow thought of lack to take hold and manifest in our lives.
Sometimes it is a real exercise of our faith not to create mental images of lack. In these times, calling on our twelve powers can be of real support. Use your imagination to see an unlimited image. Use your power of wisdom to see all mental images with right judgment and elimination to get rid of all thoughts that do not serve your highest and best.
What the Bible says:
“The land is broad—God has indeed given it into your hands—a place where there is no lack of anything on earth.”
Jud 18:10
“He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘No, not a thing.’”
Lu 22:35
“My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; or the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
James 1:2-12
What Unity says:
“Whenever we give power to anything but God, we are making that thing into a graven image.”
The Ten Commandments: the Master Key to
Life, by Emmet Fox
“God can only do for you what He/She can do through you, by means of your thoughts and ideas which lead to your reactions.”
The Dynamic Laws of
Prosperity, by Catherine Ponder
“In the great Mind of God there is no thought of lack, and such a thought has no rightful place in your mind.”
Prosperity, by Charles Fillmore
“Every thought seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.”
As a Man
Thinketh, by James Allen
For practice:
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Take some time in quiet contemplation or meditation using a good prosperity affirmation. Try the following affirmation provided by Phillip Smedstad in his book Real Wealth, create one of your own, or use one of the quotes above. Use it like a mantra as you go into meditation and journal your thoughts and feelings. How do you feel knowing these affirmations are true? Would you behave differently in your everyday life? What would that look like? Write about this in your journal.
“The divine plan that God has for my life is now manifesting, and I see it.” |
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Another idea for your journal is to record your thoughts at the end of every day. In what ways did you demonstrate the truth of these ideas? In what ways would you like to think or behave differently next time? |
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Sometimes it helps to train the mental mind by having physical reminders as to what we want in out lives. Try treasure mapping. Gather magazines, favorite affirmations and pictures. Cut and paste onto poster board a collage of these items. Cut phrases or print in large print, “These are my mental images of abundance. Thank you God.” You can make more than one map and focus on a particular idea on each one. |
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Using our third basic principle, “Thought held in mind” and this second commandment, discuss with your triad how powerful you really are. Ask each other for support to keep from speaking a lack statement. |
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Back to Say
a Prayer
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April 2008
Prosperity’s Ten Commandments
Third Commandment: “Thou shalt not speak the word of lack or limitation.”
One translation of the original commandment, to not take the Lord’s name in vain, reads as follows: “You shall not use the name of the Eternal, your God, profanely, for the Eternal will never acquit anyone who uses His name profanely.”
Webster’s dictionary gives the following meaning to the word
profane: “To debase by a wrong, unworthy or vulgar use; to profane or defile that which is holy.” To understand how we constantly violate this third commandment we must consider the name of God revealed to Moses: I AM. I AM is the name of that living, loving, wise power which is pure being, the reality of all that is. This is the God essence which is within each one of us, our Christ spirit.
When we speak using “I am” with anything less than the absolute best we are speaking in the voice of lack or limitation. We are identifying God with something less than perfect or whole. Example: I am tired, I am sick. God is never tired or sick. Every destructive word is a libel against God, because it is a denial of His presence.
In Unity we talk a lot about the power of the spoken word. Mystically speaking, the word is the idea generated in mind, a word spoken or written is a symbol of an idea. Every spoken word launches some idea into the realm of form. It starts the idea on its way to manifestation. Every created thing comes into existence through the word, which is always an expression of an idea. Speaking a word of lack or limitation puts it into motion and into form in your life. This is a false image of God.
Georgiana tells us, “When we have the idea of omnipresent Spirit as our unlimited source of supply, we are inspired to make mental images of the fulfillment of our need according to God’s good will, in spite of all appearances. But every word of lack is the indication of a false image and is imbued with the creative power of mind through our persistent thought. As long as our words express these images we are condemned to lack and limitation.”
What the Bible says:
“I tell you, on the day of judgment, you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Matt 12:36
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Joh 1:1
“Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”
Job 22:28
Unity says:
“The mind moves upon ideas; ideas are made visible through words.”
Talks on Truth, by Charles Fillmore
“This is exactly what the Word is—the working power of God.”
Talks on Truth, by Charles Fillmore
“Whatever we do heartily and sincerely in the name of Christ or the I AM, carries with it the power of the I AM to accomplish—a power from a higher source.”
How I Used Truth, by Emily Cady
“Never underestimate the power of words. You make your world with your words, as did Jehovah in the beginning. But if you do not like the world you have previously made with words of discord, lack, limitation and hard times, you can begin building a new world of limitless good and prosperity by changing your words of command and decree.”
The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity, by Catherine Ponder
“As we learn to use the power of the word we discover that we no longer have to beg for that which we think we need and that which satisfies our longings. We find that when we have put away all that hinders us, we are led into our good; it is ours; God gives it to us.”
How to Let God Help You, by Myrtle Fillmore
For practice:
Take some time in quiet contemplation or meditation using I AM as a mantra. Saying it over and over out loud or in your mind. Be aware of the vibration and how it is changing in your body. Feel the excitement as your connection with God resonates throughout your body.
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Another idea for your journal is to record your thoughts at the end of every day. To what negative thoughts did you give power? Write down how you reformed those thoughts to become positive and powerful. |
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Take some time to create a set of affirmations and denials to use in your daily routine. Pin them up where you can see them often to remind you that the appearance of lack has no power over you and that you affirm only abundance. |
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Using our fifth basic principle, “You must live the truth you know” and this third commandment, discuss with your triad how your words are creating your world. Ask each other for support to keep from speaking a lack statement. |
Where can you see the desert from a hot air balloon, enjoy Native American art and find forgiveness? Find out!
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Back to Say
a Prayer
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May 2008
Prosperity’s Ten Commandments
Georgiana Tree West
Fourth Commandment:“Thou shalt let go and let God do it.”
The 4th commandment says “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” To understand this better we have to understand the word Sabbath. The Webster dictionary says it is, “a time of rest or repose; intermission of effort.” Sabbath is a time to cease doing, a time to relax and gather strength and power for the next cycle of activity; a time to quietly rely completely on God. It is the perfect time to exercise faith. It is a time to let go and “let God do it.”
Jesus modeled this commandment by going apart to pray before an intense activity of teaching and healing, and then going apart again for a time of prayer and rest. This was his time to connect to his Father, God.
When we are having difficulty in demonstrating or manifesting prosperity it is because the personal self, ego, insists on doing it all. This does not leave room for God to work. It is only in that quiet time that we can hear and understand the still small voice that gives us the answer. In Lowell Fillmore’s poem, “The Answer,” he says, “And I had knocked and asked and knocked and asked again. And all my fervor and persistence brought no hope, I paused to give my weary brain a rest and ceased my anxious human cry. In that still moment, after self had tried and failed, there came a glorious vision of God’s power, and, lo, my prayer was answered in that hour.”
Charles Fillmore at 94 said, “I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm and spring forth with a mighty faith to do that which ought to be done by me.” He is affirming here to do only what ought to be done by him.
It is necessary to gain a feeling of partnership with God. That way we can be open to knowing that we don’t have to do it all. We never know exactly the channels in which God will use us. Every person who contacts your life is a potential instrument of God’s action in manifesting your good.
So let go of any idea that you are in control or that you have to do or know it all. Just remember that God is in charge and God is our source.
What the Bible says:
“Rest assured, do not be afraid; your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks for you…”
Gen 43:23
“Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised; not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he uttered by Moses his servant.”
Kin 8:56
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God's rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:9-12
What Unity says:
“Let me see how plain I can make this. First we withdraw ourselves bodily and mentally from the outside world. Then be still, absolutely still. Relax every part of your being and believe that it is being done. The divine substance flows in at the center and out into the visible world every moment you
wait….”
Lessons in Truth by H. Emily Cady
“Do not try to do too much; leave something for God to do.”
How to Let God Help You by Myrtle Fillmore
“The true Sabbath is that state of spiritual attainment where man ceases from all personal effort and all belief in his own work, and rests in the consciousness that ‘The Father abiding in me doeth his works.’”
The Revealing Word by Charles Fillmore, quoting from John 14:10
“The Lord will bring good to pass in ways that you may least expect, when you let go and rest in the assurance that the Divine Law is working.”
How to Let God Help You by Myrtle Fillmore
Practices
Georgiana gives us a four step formula for demonstration, and we added one. Spend time with this formula, taking it deep into your being. Try one step a day:
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“Have faith in Omnipresence with this affirmation: You created me and You sustain me and You can handle my
affairs. |
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“Have faith in God’s good will for you. Affirm: I accept this desired good. I am alert and receptive to all that you would have me do in bringing it to pass. “Think, speak, and act in accordance with your desire, and do whatever you feel guided to do in the realm of the outer to bring it to pass. |
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“Rest from the idea of demonstration you wish to make. Keep your mind busy with something else that is constructive, creative, or recreational in nature.” |
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Become grateful. Gratitude is the quickest way to eliminate blocks to manifestation. Do this by taking on the feelings of what it will be like when your desires are complete. Know and be thankful that God is our source.
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As you work through this process, keep your journal nearby. Make notes on what comes up for you in each step. Ask God to give you rest and clarity on what is yours to do.
Plan a day or half day of Sabbath rest from the media. Put away all electronic devices: your cell phone, your computer, electronic games, movies, television, and so on. Go away from your home, if you can. In our over-stimulated world, we never have the chance to just be. Plan outdoor recreation, fellowship with others, quiet reading, journaling, or prayer—whatever takes you away from the constant stimulus of the electronic world and into experience of God and loved ones. What is the experience like for you? Write about it during or after your Sabbath time. Was it difficult, easy, joyful, anxious? Affirm that God is in charge and allow your feelings to be whatever they are.
Discuss with your triad the entries in your journal. Ask for prayer support. And be willing to do the same for them.
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Back to Say
a Prayer
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June 2008
Prosperity’s Ten Commandments
Georgiana Tree West
Fifth Commandment: Right Actions
“Thou shalt deal honorably with God and with all human instruments through whom God’s good is manifest for you.”
The 5th commandment says “Honor your father and your mother.” This commandment deals with right actions. It begins with our earthly parents, for they are the first instruments that God uses to bring us our good. As we learn and express right actions of justice, honesty, and cooperation with our parents we then grow to express right actions with our fellow man, ourselves and, above all, with God.
One definition in the Webster dictionary defines honor as: accepting and paying when due. This definition brings the Law of Compensation into play. This law teaches us to return full value for that which we have received. Compensation keeps our lives and the universe in balance and establishes ethical conduct. For example, the electric company provides you with electricity before you pay for it. At the end of the month, they expect a return of full value in the form of your payment. The cycle of giving and receiving stays in balance and flow. One of the necessary ways to establish ethical conduct and balance with God is the practice of tithing.
Rightly understood, tithing is a form of worship. The surest way to acknowledge God as the source of our supply is to give back a portion of all that we receive to God. We may acknowledge God in silence and in words but until we actually put tithing into practice, we have not shown our faith in God. The fifth basic principle says: “Through thought, words and action we live the Truth we know.” Tithing is our faith in action.
Georgiana tells us, “All religious work should be supported by the tithes of those who receive its blessings.” Just as God has channels to send us His good, He has channels to receive a portion of that good back. These channels are our spiritual homes expressed as churches, centers, and organizations or individuals who have spiritually enriched our lives. Organizations such as your local region, your Association of Unity Churches International, Silent Unity or Unity institute are channels of God’s good to you. These are separate from “gifts of charity” that are to be above and beyond our tithes. Tithing as a spiritual practice blesses not only the receiver but the giver.
So we have this commandment which teaches us to deal honorably with others, to do justice and cooperate with others. This leads us to the core of tithing, which keeps our relationship with our heavenly Mother/Father in balance and puts our faith into action. God’s good flows through us and back to others to express this principle in tangible form.
What the Bible says:
“You shall speak to the Levites, saying: When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you from them for your portion, you shall set apart an offering from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe.”
Nu 18:26
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”
Mal 3:10
“And Jesus answering said unto them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.’ And they marveled at him.
Mr 12:17
“Freely ye received, freely give.”
Matt 10:8
What Unity says:
“The purpose of the tithe is not to build churches or to pay minister’s salaries, although tithes do help to do these and other good things. The real purpose of the tithe is to acknowledge that God is the source of our good and that we are aware and grateful for the good in our lives.”
The Four Spiritual Laws of
Prosperity, by Edwene Gaines
“Tithing is an act of faith that moves on the rich substance of the universe to prosper you mightily, and to expand your world within and without in ways you would not have dreamed possible.”
The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity, by Catherine Ponder
“Honesty: the divine law in action, which reveals that man must give an equivalent (equal value) for everything he gets.”
The Revealing Word, by Charles Fillmore
“The great promise of prosperity is that if men seek God and his righteousness first, then all shall be added unto them. One of the most practical and sensible ways of seeking God’s kingdom first is to be a tither, to put God first in finances.”
Prosperity, by Charles Fillmore
Practices
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Take time apart and consider how you are honoring God. Ask yourself: Does my life feel balanced? What am I doing to cooperate with God? Is God first in my life? As you work through this process keep your journal close. Make notes on what comes up for you. |
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Find a class on prosperity in your area. Many Unity churches offer Stretton Smith’s “4T’s” or Edwene Gaines’ “The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity.” To find a Unity church in your area, go to
www.unity.org/directory. |
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Start a tithing plan for yourself. Think about the channels or instruments God is using to give you the good He has for you. Make an honest effort to tithe regularly. If this is not possible, start yourself on a percentage giving program, even if it begins at 1%. Make plans for the future to increase the percentage as the increase comes to you. If you are already tithing, consider prayerfully the idea of raising your percentage. |
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Discuss with your triad the entries in your journal. Ask for prayer support. Be willing to do the same for them.
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Back to Say
a Prayer
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Prosperity
Teachings
Rev. Edwene Gaines
 This
year, people in Unity all over the world will be studying
monthly prosperity lessons from the Association of Unity
Churches International. Each lesson is based on the book Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity
by Rev. Edwene Gaines, the premier prosperity teacher in the Unity
movement, who spoke at our church recently. Each lesson also includes
related Bible passages, Unity teachings and ideas for putting
prosperity principles to work in your life.
These lessons will be posted monthly as they are received.
2007
Power
of Prosperity X 12
January:
Faith
Faith is the acceptance by the intellect of the good God has in mind for
each of us as it expresses through our Christ within. Catherine Ponders
says, “Faith is a mind power and you are using it all the time. It
constantly affects your health, wealth and happiness.” The extent to
which you express health, wealth and happiness is Catherine’s definition
of prosperity.
Faith is a deep conviction, a state of certainty, and a state of total
assurance. Faith moves ideas in mind and causes them to express in our
outer world. Jesus talked about faith and attributed the healings that he
performed to the person’s faith. Jesus had unshakable faith in God and
in man.
Sometimes our lack feels as though it is as solid as a mountain. Yet Jesus
said we can move mountains with our faith. Charles Fillmore says; “Faith
is the perceiving power of the mind with the power to shape substance. It
is the magnetic substance that draws unto us our hearts desire from the
invisible spiritual substance. Faith is a deep inner knowing that which is
sought is already ours for the taking.
”
Where do we place our faith? We use it every moment of everyday whether we
are conscious of it or not. Are you placing your faith in lack, ill health
or doom? How do you develop faith? Faith is the result of training your
mind to think in a way it never has before. The best way to do this is
through affirming and affirming only the positive.
Listen to what you
are repeatedly saying to yourself and others. (I am tired. I never have
enough. It is cold season.) Now is the time to take a conscious inventory
at the beginning of this new year and see where you have put your faith.
What the Bible says:
“Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it
be done to you.’”
Matt 9:29
“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I tell you, if you have faith and do not
doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even
if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
it will be done.”
Matt 21:21
“Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”
Matt 21:22
“He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in
peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Mark 5:34
“So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers
daily.”
Acts 16:5
“So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the
word of Christ.”
Rom. 10:17
“…so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power
of God.”
1Cor 2:5
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things not seen.”
Heb 11:1
What Unity says:
“Faith ceases to be the vague, illusive quality which traditional
Christianity theorizes about, and that takes on a strong tangibility.”
Myrtle Fillmore, in How to Let God Help You “Faith does not depend on
physical facts, or on the evidence of the senses, because it is born on
intuition or the Spirit of truth ever living at the center of our being.”
Emily Cady, in Lessons in
Truth: “Faith in the reality of the invisible builds a real,
abiding substance in mind and in body. All kinds
of ideas grow quickly when planted in this rich substance of the mind.”
Ideas for practice:
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Take some time
in mediation and think about the prosperity you want in your life.
Visualize it with all the vivid details you can think of. Create seven
affirmations that will support and bring that into your life. Start
them with an “I am” statement, such as “I am growing in faith
every day.” Place them all around you where you can see them, on the
mirror, on your computer, on the dashboard of your card. When you see
them, say them out loud. Your word has power and it will affirm your
faith to the universe for what you want. Take one for each day of the
week, praying it on your way to work or at breakfast, setting the
consciousness for the day. Select a quote from above that seems to
have special meaning and use it as an affirmation. Take it into your
prayer time as a meditation. |
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Use the idea
of lectio divina: 1) repeat the phrase or word that has energy for
you, 2) what does it mean in your life for today? 3) talk to
your Christ within, pouring out your feelings about this, and 4) take
time to rest in the mystery, the quietness of the moment.
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Discuss your
faith with your prayer triad. Pray with each other about your
ever-strengthening faith. Try the Mastermind process with the topic of
building your faith. Remember that faith is a gift, and give thanks
for the faith you have, “even as a tiny mustard seed." |
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a Prayer **************
February: Love
It often seems as if there is not much love “around,” but the innate
power of love is always there. Love is not just another emotion, a
shifting mood, something we fall into or out of.
Love is an inner quality that sees good everywhere and in everybody. It
insists that all is good, and by refusing to see anything but good it
causes that quality finally to appear uppermost in itself, and in all
things.
Love expressing through us identifies us as children of one Father God.
Love is an inherent power that, if expressed in one’s life, will
transform every in-harmony, heal every dis-ease, change every negative
condition and eliminate lack in our finances and in our lives everywhere.
It is the magnet of the Universe. It draws to us all that we need to
fulfill our mission of manifesting of his Divine Nature.
Love is the great harmonizer. When called upon, it can adjust all
misunderstandings and make our life and affairs healthy, happy,
harmonious, and free. Love is the greatest worker and will accomplish more
for our happiness than all other faculties combined.
Love in us enables us to practice the presence of God within, therefore
“casting out” fears, which contribute to poverty, lack, ill health and
adverse conditions. Love brings God closer and closer in our everyday
life. We see life as it is truly meant to be lived.
What the Bible says:
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.”
Rom 8:28
“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves
another has fulfilled the law.”
Rom 13:8
“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or
arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable
or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the
truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things.”
1 Cor 13:4-7
What Unity says:
“To release your prospering power of love put God first in your finances
and do it with love.”
Catherine
Ponder,
The Prospering Power of Love
“Love those
about you in a practical way; pay no attention to what others are
doing, in so far as to make comparisons. Bring forth your own joyous
world. There is within you the God given intelligence to build such a
world.”
Myrtle Fillmore, How to Let God Help You
“Love is one of the ideas that provide a key to the infinite
storehouse of abundance.”
Charles Fillmore, Prosperity
“It is the law of love that we have whatsoever we desire. As a
father gives his children gifts, so the Lord gives to us, because of
love.”
Charles
Fillmore,
Prosperity
Ideas for
practice:
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Take time to
journal about love. Psychiatrist Gerald May identified 4 basic types
as narcissistic, erotic, filial and agape—you may have more ideas to
add. All are important and serve a function. What are the kinds of
love in your life right now? Where do these types of love come from,
if you trace them all back to their ultimate source? Sit in silence,
with that source, feeling the love emanating through you. What is that
love like from the ultimate source? Get in touch with how it feels. |
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Can you
remember a time when you felt most loved? What were the circumstances?
How was God’s presence with you then? What was your sense of
prosperity? Journal on these questions. |
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What is going
on in your life right now? If there are areas that are issues for you,
take them into your prayer time. The best way to love is to let
something be just as it is. Can you sit in prayer with that area of
your life, and just hold it as it is? Don’t try to change it or fix
it, just let it be for a time. Allow yourself to feel the feelings you
have about it and let them be. Let the power of love heal that area
for you, even if it is only for a time. Every time we can do this, the
grip of dis-ease is loosened. |
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Sometimes it
is difficult for us to sense God as love for us. Many Old Testament
verses speak to this as God, a person, who loves us. These can be good
ways to get in touch with an intimate sense of that love. |
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Some verses
for meditation: Is 54:10, Is 43:1-4, Hos 11:3, Zeph 3: 14, 17, 20,
Song 4:19-20. |
Discuss this month’s
ideas and practices with your prayer triad. Share your experiences and
support one another on the journey.
Top
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a Prayer
**************
March: Strength
The word strength means “to persist,” “to endure.” Strength is
threefold. On the physical plane strength is power, energy and freedom
from weakness in the body. On the mental plane, strength is the ability to
achieve, lead, or to be an expert in one’s work. On the spiritual plane,
strength is steadfastness to the belief in good. Spiritual strength
persists in expecting good and refuses to settle for less than the very
best in life.
Strength is related to substance. When challenges present themselves,
whether in health, finances, love or joy they can be very draining on our
physical and mental strength. But in affirming that we have the strength
to meet them victoriously we call it into play. We persist in thought,
word, and deed, in faith that good will manifest in our life and we settle
for no less. Even when we feel that we are out of strength, we know the
Source of all strength resides in us, only waiting for us to step
forth.
Remember that the hardest challenges and the heaviest burdens are our own
negative thoughts. All strength originates in Spirit. Strength is
developed through a sustained effort and comes from meditating on strength
and affirming strength silently and aloud. The thought and the word “strength”
spiritually expressed bring the manifestation of prosperity into our
lives.
Accept and embrace the strength that is within you. It is yours to
discover, to develop and to enjoy. After all, it is a gift and power of
God.
What the Bible says:
“The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt
him.”
Ex 15:2
“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually!”
1Chr 16:11
“And he
answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and
your neighbor as yourself.’”
Lk 10:27
“I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service.”
1Tim 1:12
What Unity says:
“Strength is the energy of God.” Charles Fillmore, The Revealing Word
“Supreme strength as demonstrated by Jesus can be attained by one who
trusts in Spirit and conserves his vital substance.”
Charles
Fillmore,
Keep a True Lent
“We cannot walk
on the waves of life in our own personal strength. If we remember to call
on the strength of Christ we are sustained by unlimited power.”
Charles Fillmore Mysteries of John
Ideas for practice:
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Take time to
meditate on strength. Imagine the feeling of strength in your lower
back, or wherever it makes sense to you, but locate it in your body.
Where is the real source of this strength for you? Can you feel it?
Now take that feeling with you into a challenging situation. Visualize
yourself there, with your strength. How does it feel in your body?
What do you see? Hear? Write about this imagery and these questions in
your journal. What surprises did you get in the experience? |
|
Dr. Bernie
Siegel, in
New Thought for a New Millennium, says we should find strength
in our brokenness. He says, “Becoming stronger is not about finding
easy solutions to every difficulty or cures for every illness. It is
about facing difficulties with grace and presence.” Sit quietly and
get in touch with what you consider in yourself to be broken. Know
that it is OK to sit with the brokenness for a while—allow yourself
to feel it without pushing away. What happens as you do this? Now find
the strength within to walk through it—notice how you feel as you
walk through it. Allow whatever is, to be. Are you ready to release
it? It may take a few times of this practice, so be patient with
yourself. |
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Can you
remember a time when you felt the loss of strength? What were the
circumstances? How was God’s presence with you then? Do you have a
strong sense of prosperity? How do the two intersect in your life?
Journal on these questions. |
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What is going
on in your life right now? Are there areas for which you don’t feel
you have the strength? Now is the time to call on that spiritual
strength within. Call the disciple Andrew (or the Christ or other
teacher) to come sit beside you so you can feel strength all around
you. Andrew was one of the first disciples to believe in Jesus, and to
introduce him to Peter. His strength of faith is what brought him to
introduce the boy with his meager lunch to Jesus, resulting in feeding
the multitudes with only 5 loaves and 3 fishes. Can you feel that
strength and faith flowing through your body now? Take time to get in
touch with that silent, but sure, strength. |
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Put strength
in your prayers as you let your life become the prayer that God prays
through your talents, through your faith, and through all the
faculties of being. When do you feel strongest, bravest and most
courageous in your life? Offer those moments to God, remembering the
ultimate Source of your strength with gratitude. |
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Strength is a
stabilizer. |
Discuss this
month’s ideas and practices with your prayer triad. Be the strength for
each other in those weak moments. Let them hold with you the idea of
spiritual strength. Know it for each other.
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a Prayer
**************
April: Judgment/Wisdom
Charles Fillmore used these two words interchangeably when describing this
deep inner power. From the Webster’s Dictionary, judgment is defined as
the process of forming an opinion by discerning and comparing. But we
often do more comparing than discerning which can lead to condemnation.
When we attach a condemnation thought to this power we must remember that
we experience the results of those judgments.
Webster also defines wisdom as the ability to discern inner qualities and
relationships, a wise attitude or course of action. Wisdom is not to be
confused with knowledge for “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.”
Lord Alfred Tennyson
The keyword in both definitions is discernment. This power is how we
discern good from evil, but only for ourselves. When we try to discern
what is right or wrong for someone else, or when we condemn someone else,
we are not using “right judgment.” Right judgment is only what is
right for us personally.
In applying judgment/wisdom to the idea of prosperity it is also a
discernment process. When life is not showing up the way we would like we
must ask ourselves, “Am I using ‘right judgment,’ and am I accessing
divine wisdom within me to meet this prosperity challenge?”
Sometimes we think prosperity is only about finances or money. This is
very limited wisdom. Prosperity shows up in many different forms; health,
love, joy and peace. And if we judge money as the only form of prosperity
we shut off the flow to these other forms.
What the Bible says:
“The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of
God was upon him.”
Luke 2:40
“For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is
stronger than human strength…”
1Corinthians 1:25
“He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom
from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…”
1 Corinthians 1:30
“If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all
generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.”
James 1:5
“For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you
give will be the measure you get…”
Matthew 7:2
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."
John 7:24
What Unity says:
“The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. When we
call this right judgment into action, we may find our standards of right
and wrong undergoing rapid changes and we shall be lead into
righteousness.”
Charles Fillmore, The Twelve Powers of Man
“Judgment is spiritual discernment: the inner voice through whose
expression we come into a larger realization of ourselves.”
Charles
Fillmore,
Revealing Word
“All the wisdom
and intelligence that we see in the universe is God. Wisdom is projected
through the visible form. God as infinite wisdom lies within every human
being, waiting to be lead forth into manifestation. This is true
education.” Emily Cady, Lessons in Truth
Ideas for practice:
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Take time to
meditate on judgment/wisdom. Imagine the solar plexus, and feel that
place of wisdom and right judgment. Can you feel that connection to
your own divine wisdom? What does it feel like? If you are tempted to
wrong judgment, what does that feel like in your “gut?” Ask
yourself, “How can I reframe this judgment and use wisdom now?”
What happens in that same area of your body? Write about this in your
journal. |
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Try this
constructive use of judgment/wisdom exercise. Use “I” statements
instead of “you” statements. It will shift your thinking and
feelings about the matter at hand. |
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Examples: |
YOU “You did
it again - you dumbbell – you went off and left all the lights in the
house on again.”
“I” “It bothers me when the lights are left on in the house when
no one is here. I wish they would be turned out every time someone
leaves the house.”
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Can you
remember a time when you felt judged by someone else? What were the
circumstances? How did that feel? How was God’s wisdom with you
then? Do you use good judgment and wisdom when dealing with your own
prosperity? How can you change how you look at your life and change
your prosperity? Journal on these questions. |
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What is going
on in your life right now? Are there areas for which you have made
poor judgment or forgot to connect with your inner wisdom? Now is the
time to call on that wisdom. Call the disciple James to come sit in
your inner circle so you can feel wisdom all around you. James was one
of the disciples that went with Jesus to the garden to pray; he was
one who fell asleep. Has your wisdom fallen asleep? Just as James did
not leave Jesus, he just fell asleep, your wisdom has not left you,
but you may have allowed it to fall asleep. Call to it to “Wake up.”
In your journal, have a dialogue with wisdom about any event that
presents itself to you from your own life. |
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Ask for wisdom
in your prayers as you let your life manifest in prosperous ways.
Apply good judgment to your financial and spiritual affairs and watch
how life starts changing. Thank God that your wisdom has come forth
and your life is more balanced. |
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Good Judgment
guided by divine wisdom can be so empowering. |
Discuss this month’s
ideas and practices with your prayer triad. Ask each other, “How have
you been empowered by wisdom?”
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a Prayer
**************
May: Power
All the power in the universe is God-power and humanity is the power of
God in action. The mind, body, and especially the spoken word have power
to transform energy from one plane of consciousness to another. This is
the power and dominion implanted in humanity from the beginning.
Charles Fillmore tells us that our "power center' is based in our
throat. This means the words we speak are charged with power. Words are
the open door between the formless and the formed worlds. Jesus said the
words he spoke were Spirit (formless) and Life (formed) and they went
forth to do what they were sent to do_ Charles Fillmore also tells us,
"Power is essential to the work that Jesus Christ expects His
followers to do in the great field of humanity."
God spoke the universe into existence. First was the thought, then the
words resulting in manifestation. And even if we don't consciously
recognize it, we are doing the same thing every day of our lives. We are
ever co-creating our own world with our words.
Science has now proven that every word man utters makes an imprint in the
astral ethers, and when there is consciousness of God-life in the mind of
the speaker; all her words become living identities and are perpetuated.
Therefore, when facing the appearance of lack, speak words of prosperity
whether for finances, health, joy or love in our lives. Take on the
feelings and emotions that you would have had it already been done.
Because it is just a word away from being so.
What the Bible says:
In the first chapter of Genesis, every act of creation begins with
"God said." Let there be light, let there be firmament, let
there be water, let there be earth.
"And now, therefore, let the power of the Lord be great in the way
that you promised when you
spoke..."
Num 14:17
"But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to
get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your
ancestors, as he is doing
today."
Deut 8:18
"Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God;
whoever serves must do so with the strength that God
supplies..."
1 Pet 4:11
What Unity
says:
"Power is released by merely stating words of life, health, vitality.
The body can be renewed, even transformed through the spoken word. Owing
to the vibratory power of words, whatever man decrees, that he releases
within himself and within his world."
Catherine
Ponder,
The Healing Secrets of the Ages
"As we
realize we are God's children, that we have power and authority to think
and speak the good and true and to have it manifest in harmonious
relations and pleasant surroundings, we no longer invite or submit to in
harmony, misunderstandings or limitations."
Myrtle Fillmore,
How to Let God Help You
"The command
is: Go to every nation and preach the gospel. Man should apply the power
of the word to his individual redemption, and he should speak the
redeeming word of Spirit to the multitudinous thought people of his own
soul and body."
Charles
Fillmore,
The Twelve Powers of Man
Ideas for
practice:
|
Have you ever
felt powerless? Think of a time when this has happened to you and take
time to observe where it shows up in your body. When we allow the
feelings to be there as pure feelings without thoughts, and without
resisting them, we often remove the energy from them. Catherine Ponder
reminds us that when we feel powerless it is just a feeling and to
remind yourself that strong, firmly held thoughts in your mind
actually change your body's chemistry. Take note of this in your
journal. |
|
Pure power is
silence. Power comes into action in stages. 1. Silence 2. Thought 3.
Word 4. Manifestation. Meditate on these stages of power in action
around prosperity in your life. Imagine being in total and absolute
silence. What prosperity thoughts come forth? What words would give
prosperity power to these thoughts? How will this manifest? Write
about this in your journal so that you can hear, smell, taste, touch
and see the prosperity manifesting clearly. |
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What is going
on in your life right now? Are there areas of your life where you feel
powerless? In these moments speak out loud positive and strong
affirmations of power. The word "utter" and
"outer" have the same root meaning. So remember: What you
"utter" becomes your "outer" in your body and
affairs.
There is a mighty power stored up in the atoms and cells of the body
awaiting liberation. Concentrating upon the word "power helps to
liberate this mighty force, so that it may do its perfect work in the
mind and body of man. Speaking it out loud to yourself in a mirror
will help you feel how powerful you are. Try using, "Prosperity
is now mine." Can you feel the power? |
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Choose a
passage from the Bible or Unity given above, one that resonates in
you. Take this passage into prayer, repeating it, "chewing"
on it until it becomes part of your consciousness. How is God's voice
present in this passage? What is God saying to you for today? Write
about this in your journal.
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Discuss these
practices and any new ideas with your prayer triad. In what ways can you
offer support for one another as you study power? Pray with each other for
the month.
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a Prayer
**************
June: Imagination
Your imagination is among your most creative mind powers. You are always
creating through your imaging faculty. By deliberately directing your
imagination towards what you want you can begin to transform your life.
Through your thinking, you accumulate a mass of ideas and with your
imagination you make them come into a definite form of prosperity.
Charles Fillmore tells us that, “With our imagination we lay hold of
ideas and clothe them in substance.” Through our imagination we behold
things in spiritual essence, in true perfection. The imagination is the
universal language as it pertains to a language of pictures. A picture of
a cup of water is understood by people of every language. How are you
clothing your prosperity? With lack or abundance?
There are two basic uses of imagination—conditioned and open-ended.
Conditioned imagination concentrates on what you want. Seeing it, speaking
it, imagine yourself with it. This can work in quick and spectacular ways
but it can be limiting. Getting a lot of what
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