Month: July 2016

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. {6} Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” (The Message Bible)

The Apostle John in his Gospel records the words of Jesus in John 16:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (1984 Edition NIV)

This inner voice or process of keeping us on track might be described in many ways, but there are those who would identify it as the Holy Spirit’s leading, intuition or gut feeling. It is important that we listen to and follow closely the guidance given.

Joseph Murphy, in his book, “Secrets of the I Ching” wrote, You must sincerely believe and not just pretend to believe that Infinite Intelligence is guiding and directing you in all ways and in all your thoughts, words and deeds; then you will be led along the right road. Artists, poets, writers, and inventors listen to the still small voice of intuition . . . . The word ‘intuition’ means ‘taught from within.’ It also means ‘inner hearing.’ The oldest word for ‘revelation’ means ‘that which is heard.’ This means the Supreme Intelligence within you responds as a feeling, an awareness, an overpowering hunch, bringing intimations and monitions to which you listen and obey. Sometimes intuition comes as a sudden flash or idea to your mind; oftentimes you ‘hear the voice.’ Many times it is a voice whose texture, colour, and substance you can hear as plainly as a voice over the radio or in the next room.” The Spirit of truth who will guide you into all truth should be listened to. But, there are those who would argue from fear, “what if it is some other spirit?” In such a case you have demonstrated the possibility by your lack of faith, or a subconscious limiting belief. From such a question comes the potential for a belief which declares, “I am not sure of my commitment to God, or the possibility that the presence and leadership of the Holy Spirit within me is adequate to really guide my thoughts, words and deeds above the noise of other voices.”

When we live our lives from that weaken position we close the door to living our lives to its greatest and fullest potential. Our thoughts, beliefs, words and intentions really do matter, best they impact our actions which determine the outcomes in our life.

In our area we have had an overabundance of precipitation the last several years. In fact the farmer’s field has been so wet that the soy bean crop could not be harvested the last two years. This summer has been different, while there has been enough water for the crops in our area, things are dry. Many parts of our province though are on high alert for fires due to the very dry conditions. Many locations have water restrictions.

I found it interesting that in the face of such shortages that internet polls, not specifically scientific, are finding almost 25% of those who participated claimed they had no intention of cutting back on their usage. Such an attitude is really reflecting the underlying motivation of their heart which declares, “I am going to do what I want regardless of what anyone else says, or how it impacts the life of anyone else.” When such a self-centred response is expressed in the face of immediate community need, it is no surprise that there would be the same kind of response to God and His Word when He calls for moral restraint and self discipline.

Power outages caused by overheated and overtaxed electrical systems effect everyone as does low water reserves. In the same way those who refuse to follow the principles of honesty, integrity, morality, and love as outlined by God in the Bible bring upon everyone significant consequences. Proverbs 14:34 declares that, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” The choices you make in your life do have far reaching consequences. The attitudes we express, the words that come out of our mouths, and the things which we do are not insignificant. These things ripple their influence into the lives of our families, our neighbours, our community, and even our nation either in a positive or a negative way. What we do with our life will either make our world a better place for those around us or a little bit worse. When we take the self-centred, “me first” approach to life it will not result in a better world for others. Jesus Christ summed it up for us in Matthew 7:12 when He said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” This attitude and lifestyle fulfills God’s righteous requirements for living out our lives in relation to others in this world. The question remains, “Will we do it?”

The last two days I have shared with you the 14 points about how to demonstrate faith as suggested by Napoleon Hill in his book, “The Master Key To Riches.” We know from Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Napoleon Hill in the previously mentioned book also writes about the ten fundamentals of faith. These are “the fundamentals which prepare the mind for the expression of Faith. Their application calls for no degree of superiority, but application does call for intelligence and a keen thirst for truth and justice.”

I list these ten fundamentals for your consideration:
1. Definiteness of purpose supported by personal initiative or action.
2. The habit of GOING THE EXTRA MILE in all human relationships.
3. A Master Mind alliance with one or more people who radiate courage based on Faith, and suited spiritually and mentally to one’s needs in carrying out a given purpose.
4. A positive mind, free from all negatives, such as fear, envy greed, hatred, jealously and superstition. (A positive mental attitude is the first and the most important of the Twelve Riches.)
5. Recognition of the truth that every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit; that temporary defeat is not failure until it has been accepted as such.
6. The habit of affirming one’s Definite Major Purpose in life, in a ceremony of meditation, at least once daily.
7. Recognition of the existence of Infinite Intelligence which gives orderliness to the universe; that all individuals are minute expressions of this Intelligence, and as such the individual mind has no limitations except those which are accepted and set up by the individual in his own mind.
8. A careful inventory (in retrospect) of one’s past defeats and adversities, which will reveal the truth that all such experiences carry the seed of an equivalent benefit.
9. Self-respect expressed through harmony with one’s own conscience.
10. Recognition of the oneness of all mankind.

While these fundamentals are important to faith. The implementation of action is a necessary step all along the way, but it is crucial in the beginning. Faith and action are partners in the achievement of bringing desire and intention into reality in this physical world.

If you want to be the best version of yourself possible you will need to develop a deeper understanding of faith while at the same time having that childlike trust in its power and transformational capacity.

Yesterday I shared the first seven points about how to demonstrate faith as mentioned by Napoleon Hill in his book, “The Master Key To Riches.” Today I would like to introduce you to the last seven points.
8. Write out a list of all the benefits and advantages you expect to derive from the attainment of the object of your Definite Major Purpose, and call these into your mind many times daily, thereby making your mind ‘success conscious.’ (This is commonly called auto-suggestion.)
9. Associate yourself, as far as possible, with people who are in sympathy with your Definite Major Purpose; people who are in harmony with you, and inspire them to encourage you in every way possible.
10. Let not a single day pass without making at least one definite move toward the attainment of your Definite Major Purpose. Remember, ‘Faith without works is dead.’
11. Choose some prosperous person of self-reliance and courage as your ‘pace-maker,’ and make up your mind not only to keep up with that person, but to excel him. Do this silently, without mentioning your plan to anyone. (Boastfulness will be fatal to success, as Faith has nothing in common with vanity or self-love.)
12. Surround yourself with books, pictures, wall mottoes and other suggestive reminders of self-reliance founded upon Faith as it has been demonstrated by other people, thus building around yourself an atmosphere of prosperity and achievement. This habit will be fruitful of stupendous results.
13. Adopt a policy of never evading or running away from unpleasant circumstances, but recognize such circumstances and build a counter-fire against them right where they overtake you. You will discover that recognition of such circumstances, without fear of their consequence, is nine-tenths of the battle mastering them.
14. Recognize the truth that everything worth having has a definite price. The price of Faith, among other things, is eternal vigilance in carrying out these simple instructions. Your watchword must be PERSISTENCE!

Napoleon Hill continues, “These are the steps that lead to the development and the maintenance of a positive mental attitude, the only one in which Faith will abide. They are the steps that lead to riches of both mind and spirit as well as riches of the purse. Fill your mind with this kind of mental food.”

I would suggest as you work your way through these fourteen points on how to demonstrate faith, you look for any areas where you might be experiencing a sense of resistence. Being aware of this situation is a good place to be, because once identified you can begin to address the cause. There may be programs running in your subconscious mind which are not congruent with these key points of faith.

Hebrews 12:1-3 reminds us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. {2} Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. {3} Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

The removal and replacement of “everything which hinders us” is key to having the faith to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Change the programs and you change the outcomes. Whether you use tapping (TFT or EFT), I-Ching Systems instruments, “The One Command”®, or a variety of other energetic clearing options, make the decision to eliminate any hindrances or limiting beliefs to faith. This is the path to living life to its full potential.

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Napoleon Hill in his book, “The Master Key To Riches” wrote, “If you would have Faith, keep your mind on that which you desire. And remember that there is no such reality as a ‘blanket’ faith, for faith is the outward demonstration of definiteness of purpose.

Faith is guidance from within! The guiding force is Infinite Intelligence (God) directed to definite ends. It will not bring that which one desires, but it will guide one to the attainment of the object of desire.” The Apostle James wrote in James 2:17-18, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. {18} But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

Napoleon Hill in the book mentioned above, responds with 14 points about how to demonstrate faith.

1. Know what you want and determine what you have to give in return for it.

2. When you affirm the objects of your desires, through prayer, inspire your imagination to see yourself already in possession of them, and act precisely as if you were in the physical possession thereof. (Remember the possession of anything first takes place mentally, in the mind.)

3. Keep the mind open at all times for guidance from within, and when you are inspired by ‘hunches’ to modify your plans or to move to a new plan, move without hesitancy or doubt.

4. When overtaken by temporary defeat, as you may be overtaken many times, remember that man’s Faith is tested in many ways, and your defeat may be only one of your ‘testing periods.’ Therefore accept defeat as an inspiration to greater effort and carry on with belief that you will succeed.

5. Any negative state of mind will destroy the capacity for Faith and result in a negative climax of any affirmation you may express. Your state of mind is everything; therefore take possession of your mind and clear it completely of all the unwanted interlopers that are unfriendly to Faith, and keep it cleared, no matter what may be the cost in effort.

6. Learn to give expression to your power of Faith by writing out a clear description of your Definite Major Purpose in life and using it as a basis of your daily meditation.

7. Associate with your Definite Major Purpose as many as possible of the nine basic motives.

The 9 motivators of life according to Napoleon Hill:
Expression of love
Desire for sex
Desire for material gain
Desire for self preservation
Desire for freedom of body and mind
Desire for self expression
Desire for life after death
Emotion of anger
Emotion of fear

I will share with you tomorrow the other seven how to’s of demonstrating faith. May the benefits and blessings of faith be manifested in your life throughout the coming week.