Psalm 46:10 is a verse in the OT of the Bible that was impressed upon me many years ago, as a thought provoking verse, but of late, even more than ever before, I am impressed with the simple depth of the language.
To me, now, it paints a picture of sitting on a stone in the midst of the trees of a forest and letting the mind melt into utter silence, (your living room is fine, but alone is best) no thought of past or future or worry or strife. As the silence falls upon the mind, the first distant utterance of a small animal can be heard, then another, closer, perhaps in response, don't try to understand, and don't picture the creature that uttered it. Simply hear, no... Listen, focus on each sound.
God is in the smallest creature, the most beautiful flower, the moist raindrop, the brook dancing by in the distance. To know that He is God, is not an intellectual exercise, and to know this now, in this moment, does not require a command of the scriptures, or the skills of discourse or debate.
To know God is, and that He is in all these things, is to feel His presence in each wave of sound that touches your senses, each color that is perceived, each scent that wafts by on the light breeze. Don't think too hard on these things, but feel the presence of God in all these ways, and know, without words, that He is with you, there in the forest, in your mind, wherever you may be, lost in the quiet stillness of pondering.
To be still and know, is not hard to do, unless we see to it that we are safely surrounded with reassuring noise and the clatter of civilization. Let yourself occasionally, if not constantly, be encircled about in the arms of His love, and feel His peace, stilling your soul, giving you the peace you are only capable of when you stop and let Him fill your mind, and your being, with His presence. Be still, and know. He is God
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Think on These Things
In the Secret, we are taught to keep our minds clear of the troubling thoughts that would negate our efforts to move in a certain direction. To some, such an action may seem at best difficult, to most, impossible, because they are not accustomed to going a different direction with their thoughts than that which carries them throughout the day, as a current, moved on by the noise around them confirming the worst in most cases.
Unless and until we learn to make our mind subject to our desires, and not run on autopilot, being fed by the white noise around us, we may never know the joy that can be felt by simply being still and seeing God in the little things around us.
In Phillipians I found a passage that jumped out at me this time around because it tells me just what this is trying to say.
Philip. 4: 6-8
6 aBe bcareful for nothing; but in every thing by cprayer and supplication with dthanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the apeace of God, which passeth all bunderstanding, shall ckeep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are atrue, whatsoever things are bhonest, whatsoever things are cjust, whatsoever things are dpure, whatsoever things are elovely, fwhatsoever things are of good report; if there be any gvirtue, and if there be any praise, hthink on these things.
See the good around you, think on these things, and while there will persist in the background, things that might be objectionable, know this; that you can do more to help those around you by maintaining a clear vision of the good and showing them the way, than by seeing things as they see them, and getting caught up in the fear of daily drudgery.
There is no way to solve a problem, any problem, on the same level of thinking that created that problem. Remembering that God is abundant, and that by giving thanks in all things, we begin to see the hand of God in all things, allows us to see that the fear that most feel is only one possible response to a world as ready to bless the lives of all as to take from them.
I see that now, and shake my head in bewilderment that it took so long for me.
Unless and until we learn to make our mind subject to our desires, and not run on autopilot, being fed by the white noise around us, we may never know the joy that can be felt by simply being still and seeing God in the little things around us.
In Phillipians I found a passage that jumped out at me this time around because it tells me just what this is trying to say.
Philip. 4: 6-8
6 aBe bcareful for nothing; but in every thing by cprayer and supplication with dthanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the apeace of God, which passeth all bunderstanding, shall ckeep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are atrue, whatsoever things are bhonest, whatsoever things are cjust, whatsoever things are dpure, whatsoever things are elovely, fwhatsoever things are of good report; if there be any gvirtue, and if there be any praise, hthink on these things.
See the good around you, think on these things, and while there will persist in the background, things that might be objectionable, know this; that you can do more to help those around you by maintaining a clear vision of the good and showing them the way, than by seeing things as they see them, and getting caught up in the fear of daily drudgery.
There is no way to solve a problem, any problem, on the same level of thinking that created that problem. Remembering that God is abundant, and that by giving thanks in all things, we begin to see the hand of God in all things, allows us to see that the fear that most feel is only one possible response to a world as ready to bless the lives of all as to take from them.
I see that now, and shake my head in bewilderment that it took so long for me.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Pray Without Ceasing
In 1st Thessalonians 5:17-18 it says in the King James version,
17 aPray without ceasing.
17 aPray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give athanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Those two phrases, Pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks, have taken on a whole larger meaning for me in my recent studies of the Law of Attraction and "The Secret". In the movie, "The Secret" Rhonda Byrne and other masters of LOA, teach that gratitude is the single most powerful element in the successful practice of the Law of Attraction methodology. To be grateful for what we will receive, or to be grateful even for what we now have, is extolled repeatedly as the secret to gaining our desires, and vibrating in synch with that which will give us more.
I believe that true prayer is not the words that we utter, but is in fact, the feeling of gratitude we have in our heart for the laws of God enacted in our lives, for the things we have and for the processes we are involved in. To be in an attitude of prayer without ceasing, I believe we have to be in a mode of gratitude for the smallest things in our lives. It is how we begin to see the hand of God in all things, and are able to feel he is in fact unfolding marvelous things in our lives.
To pray without ceasing does not require us at all to be uttering or even thinking words, and certainly is not about asking Him for anything, but merely requires us to be mindful of His presence and His majesty in all that surrounds us. It is an attitude that sees God in the smallest of His creations, and in the brother or sister who might not even acknowledge His existence.
To give thanks in everything means that we learn to see all things, good or bad, as part of the flowing picture of life, and we begin to understand that what we see as good or bad, God sees as part of the flow of all things as one great whole. We can then understand that death, and pain and all forms of hurt are as necessary as the joy and the beauty that we see, and that without one we can never appreciate its opposite. Being grateful in all things begins to consume our thoughts and we stop having negating thoughts or accepting them for very long.
That to me is how the scriptures teach a very important principle of gratitude being so important to the attainment of all we desire. We must begin by trusting in God's plan for our happiness.
Those two phrases, Pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks, have taken on a whole larger meaning for me in my recent studies of the Law of Attraction and "The Secret". In the movie, "The Secret" Rhonda Byrne and other masters of LOA, teach that gratitude is the single most powerful element in the successful practice of the Law of Attraction methodology. To be grateful for what we will receive, or to be grateful even for what we now have, is extolled repeatedly as the secret to gaining our desires, and vibrating in synch with that which will give us more.
I believe that true prayer is not the words that we utter, but is in fact, the feeling of gratitude we have in our heart for the laws of God enacted in our lives, for the things we have and for the processes we are involved in. To be in an attitude of prayer without ceasing, I believe we have to be in a mode of gratitude for the smallest things in our lives. It is how we begin to see the hand of God in all things, and are able to feel he is in fact unfolding marvelous things in our lives.
To pray without ceasing does not require us at all to be uttering or even thinking words, and certainly is not about asking Him for anything, but merely requires us to be mindful of His presence and His majesty in all that surrounds us. It is an attitude that sees God in the smallest of His creations, and in the brother or sister who might not even acknowledge His existence.
To give thanks in everything means that we learn to see all things, good or bad, as part of the flowing picture of life, and we begin to understand that what we see as good or bad, God sees as part of the flow of all things as one great whole. We can then understand that death, and pain and all forms of hurt are as necessary as the joy and the beauty that we see, and that without one we can never appreciate its opposite. Being grateful in all things begins to consume our thoughts and we stop having negating thoughts or accepting them for very long.
That to me is how the scriptures teach a very important principle of gratitude being so important to the attainment of all we desire. We must begin by trusting in God's plan for our happiness.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Faith as a Principle of Motivation and of Creation
Faith is often spoken up as a religious principle, and this almost exclusively. The meaning of the word faith however, takes it much further than merely religious in nature, and I will venture to say that there is no area of life that is not affected by faith as a motivating principle of action and of creation in our lives.
Jesus in the New Testament often reminded people that it was not by his own power, or that alone that they were healed, but by their faith were they healed, as in the following from Luke:
Luke 8: 43-48
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Often he said things that were hard to understand regarding faith, such as later in Luke when the Apostles asked for their faith to be increased:
Luke 17: 5-6
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this Sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
As misunderstood as faith is, it becomes central to our understanding of creation as we endeavor to make pronounced changes in our lives, or to live the Law of Attraction. When people try to apply any principle of change half-heartedly, they are in essence demonstrating their lack of faith in the process. In "The Secret" Rhonda Byrne explained at some point it is necessary for us to clear things out to make way to receive that which is on its way.
When we ask for something, we need only ask once, and then we must begin the process of receiving, which is a process imbued with faith, if it is to produce the desired result. There is no room in the process for doubt, or it gets hung up at that point, and the test becomes a miserable failure, thereby cementing in the doubt of the unbeliever, and proving their point that nothing was going to happen.
Too many times I have witnessed exactly such lack of faith applied to a test of the Law to see if it would work, and each time, the Lord's quote comes back, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you."
To whomever among us that believes, all things are possible, and I have seen that if we have Faith, nothing wavering, we can see miracles. The "nothing wavering" part is what separates so many of us from the few who will see the miracle. It is possible, and we have only to seriously put his word to the test.
Jesus in the New Testament often reminded people that it was not by his own power, or that alone that they were healed, but by their faith were they healed, as in the following from Luke:
Luke 8: 43-48
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Often he said things that were hard to understand regarding faith, such as later in Luke when the Apostles asked for their faith to be increased:
Luke 17: 5-6
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this Sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
As misunderstood as faith is, it becomes central to our understanding of creation as we endeavor to make pronounced changes in our lives, or to live the Law of Attraction. When people try to apply any principle of change half-heartedly, they are in essence demonstrating their lack of faith in the process. In "The Secret" Rhonda Byrne explained at some point it is necessary for us to clear things out to make way to receive that which is on its way.
When we ask for something, we need only ask once, and then we must begin the process of receiving, which is a process imbued with faith, if it is to produce the desired result. There is no room in the process for doubt, or it gets hung up at that point, and the test becomes a miserable failure, thereby cementing in the doubt of the unbeliever, and proving their point that nothing was going to happen.
Too many times I have witnessed exactly such lack of faith applied to a test of the Law to see if it would work, and each time, the Lord's quote comes back, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you."
To whomever among us that believes, all things are possible, and I have seen that if we have Faith, nothing wavering, we can see miracles. The "nothing wavering" part is what separates so many of us from the few who will see the miracle. It is possible, and we have only to seriously put his word to the test.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Walking on Water
There are many people who scoff outright at the implications of The Law of Attraction as stated in The Secret or The Science of Getting Rich. To them I say, you get what you believe you deserve, no matter what.
Most who scoff at the Law of Attraction start off with disbelief in anything that does not require them to suffer for the prize they get. To them there is no real joy in life, except for the fleeting moments after we win a prize, but then someone tries to snatch it and the struggle begins anew.
Why is it not believable that if we change the way we think, not just short-term but long-term, that it will not only change the things we see, but will change the things that come our way? Perhaps the way Rhonda portrays it in the book and the movie make it seem a little fanciful for the average pragmatist, but in my opinion, it doesn't take much to see through to the meat of it.
The Secret, and The Science of Getting Rich are books about long-term committed change in our thought patterns, not about short bursts of positive thoughts in a sea of crappy attitude. It is impossible to see the truth about the Law of Attraction without putting it to a real test. By "real test" I merely mean that we have to do more than follow the daily routine of chanting certain positive phrases, or paste a few pictures on our mirror or on a cardboard poster.
It took me a few weeks of catching myself about to engage in the same old negative self-talk that has kept me behind, and start to replace it with a positive image of having accomplished the thing I once thought was impossible. I have begun to see this everywhere I look. A recent example in the scriptures in Matthew 14:22-33 when Peter asked the Lord to bid him come walk on the water with him, he did, and for a few moments, Peter had the faith it took to walk on water. There is no indication in the scriptures that Jesus sustained him on the water while he walked successfully, but there is plenty in other verses that indicate that it was usually the faith of the individual that caused the miracle, not merely an act of Jesus, but the faith of the person being healed, or in this case, walking on water. It was only when Peter looked around and lost the vision in his own mind that he could do it, and replaced it instead with fear again of the waves, that he began to sink and had to be lifted up, after which the Lord again remarked about the lack of faith being the thing that held so many back.
Faith is no simple matter and can only be obtained in a moment, if the proper path is followed and the proper image realized.
Most who scoff at the Law of Attraction start off with disbelief in anything that does not require them to suffer for the prize they get. To them there is no real joy in life, except for the fleeting moments after we win a prize, but then someone tries to snatch it and the struggle begins anew.
Why is it not believable that if we change the way we think, not just short-term but long-term, that it will not only change the things we see, but will change the things that come our way? Perhaps the way Rhonda portrays it in the book and the movie make it seem a little fanciful for the average pragmatist, but in my opinion, it doesn't take much to see through to the meat of it.
The Secret, and The Science of Getting Rich are books about long-term committed change in our thought patterns, not about short bursts of positive thoughts in a sea of crappy attitude. It is impossible to see the truth about the Law of Attraction without putting it to a real test. By "real test" I merely mean that we have to do more than follow the daily routine of chanting certain positive phrases, or paste a few pictures on our mirror or on a cardboard poster.
It took me a few weeks of catching myself about to engage in the same old negative self-talk that has kept me behind, and start to replace it with a positive image of having accomplished the thing I once thought was impossible. I have begun to see this everywhere I look. A recent example in the scriptures in Matthew 14:22-33 when Peter asked the Lord to bid him come walk on the water with him, he did, and for a few moments, Peter had the faith it took to walk on water. There is no indication in the scriptures that Jesus sustained him on the water while he walked successfully, but there is plenty in other verses that indicate that it was usually the faith of the individual that caused the miracle, not merely an act of Jesus, but the faith of the person being healed, or in this case, walking on water. It was only when Peter looked around and lost the vision in his own mind that he could do it, and replaced it instead with fear again of the waves, that he began to sink and had to be lifted up, after which the Lord again remarked about the lack of faith being the thing that held so many back.
Faith is no simple matter and can only be obtained in a moment, if the proper path is followed and the proper image realized.
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