|
Atom-Smashing Power of Mind Chapter 9
[<- Go back to Chapter 8]
[Atom-Smashing Power of Mind]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
Demonstrating Christ Thought by Thought
Chapter IX
Behold, what God hath wrought!
An ideal man, a mighty man--
A man supreme, who thought by thought
Must demonstrate what God hath wrought.
--CHARLES FILLMORE
MANIFEST MAN, personal man, began evolving the ideal man,
that is, "putting on Christ," ages and aeons ago. We are
now nearly midway in this evolution. The age of this
evolution might be determined if we could count the
trillions of cells in our body where are inscribed the
experiences we had in the ages we have lived. However we
know by inspiration and analogy that our conscious creation
began with this earth. If science says the earth has been
two billion years in evolving, that is our age. When the
morning stars were forming we were here.
He who reads the "signs of the times" discerns spiritually
that we are now in the midst of a race transition in which
we are taking a very pronounced upward swing in the
development of the ideal man implanted in us in the
beginning. A new concept of God, man, and the universe is
upon us. We must realize all this and go upward with the
mighty urge
Page 71
for higher things. Will God take us up to an imaginary
heaven in a chariot of fire, or do we use our mind to lift
ourselves heavenward? "God helps those who help themselves"
holds good in the heavens as in the earth. We begin right
where we are to bring forth the kingdom of God within us.
Every problem of life can be successfully solved if we
begin with the use of the I AM on the various planes of
mind. It is not we alone; it is when we realize that we can
connect ourselves with the Father-Mind and prove what Jesus
said--"I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in
me doeth his works"--that our potential almightiness begins
to appear.
If you are given to worry and anxiety, think about the
fearless confidence and trust of the Spirit. This will at
once relieve your mind of the thoughts that have stirred
you, and the power of the Spirit will begin its work of
straightening out your affairs. If you are overwhelmed with
material work and the call of the outer world, stop and
concentrate in the I AM and say: "I am Spirit. I do not
believe in matter or material conditions. I have power,
because I know that all power is in Divine Mind. Divine
Mind now sets my thoughts and all my affairs in divine
order, and I rest in the confidence and peace of the
kingdom within."
You can have a well body, but you must begin to build it
with your word. Instead of laying up weak and sick words in
your body, begin now to
Page 72
speak words of strength and health--and keep at it. Do not
look at what has been. Lot's wife tried that, and she never
got beyond the past. Clear out of your mind all rubbish
about disease, and you will find that none has any lodgment
in your body. The thought makes the body and determines the
condition it lives in. Thoughts of health are living,
eternal things, and they work with the irresistible power
of almightiness to tone up the organism to their own high
state of harmony and capability.
There is but one way to establish harmony in the home, and
that is to establish it first in the individual. It is the
law of Spirit that we must be that which we would draw to
us. If we would draw to us love, we must be love, be loving
and kind; if we would have peace and harmony in our
environment, we must establish it within ourselves. We must
faithfully and persistently deny the appearance of that
which seems to be inharmonious and silently and faithfully
affirm the omnipresent peace, love, and harmony that we
want to see manifested. That which we hold in consciousness
will be made manifest for us, therefore we should not hold
the thought of anything that we do not want to see appear.
There is a relation between thinking and eating, and as you
grow spiritually the character of your food and all that
pertains to eating may have to be changed in conformity
with the new order of things. If you will leave meat and
all animal products out of
Page 73
your food you will see a change for the better. But above
all, keep your thought mastery and do not be controlled by
appetite. Do not fear to eat. Eat with thanksgiving and
bless your food.
If you are looking to mental science alone for help you are
certain to be disappointed; "for neither is there any other
name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must
be saved" than the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus' teaching is
something deeper and farther reaching than mere mental
science. It is not something that works things out for us
in the personal but is a power that transforms the whole
man.
Here is what Judge Troward said on this subject:
I have studied the subject (mental science) now for several
years, and have a general acquaintance with the leading
features of most of the systems which unfortunately occupy
attention in many circles at the present time, and I have
no hesitation in saying that to the best of my judgment all
sorts and descriptions of so-called occult study are in
direct opposition to the real life-giving Truth.
We hear a great deal in these days about "initiation," but
believe me, the more you try to become a so-called
"initiate," the further you will put yourself from living
life. I speak after many years of careful study and
consideration when I say that the Bible and its revelation
of Christ is the one thing really worth studying, and it is
a subject large enough in all conscience, embracing as it
does our outward life of everyday concerns, and also the
inner springs of our life and all that we can in general
terms conceive of as life.
Just in proportion as a person yields willingly and
obediently to the transforming process does he
Page 74
demonstrate the Truth. All that pertains to self must be
put away as fast as it is revealed, and that which is of
the universal, the Christ, must take its place.
Be still and witness the salvation of the Lord. You
doubtless fully know that this stillness in the secret
place of the Most High is not mental torpor, but a quiet
tranquillity that holds itself in an equipoise of spiritual
security. You have done your part when your true word has
gone forth. Now rest at the center and say: "It is well;
Thy work is sure; I am satisfied." Do not argue with
anyone, nor discuss the matters that you have submitted to
Spirit; simply say, "All is well; it is finished."
Every man who accomplishes things sees first in his mind
what he wishes to do. He puts away all doubt. It makes no
difference how small or how large the thing you want to do
may be; if you have an unlimited confidence in your ability
to do it, you will do it. Nothing can in any way impede or
defeat you. Faith is the highest expression of belief or
confidence. It is that something in man which says: "I
believe in the possibilities of things that I cannot see. I
believe in the possibility of Divine Mind doing in this
age, right now, everything that was ever done in any age."
When we believe this and hold to it, putting aside all
doubt and whatever suggests failure, the thoughts of faith
begin to accumulate substance, and fulfillment follows.
In order to realize Truth and to demonstrate it
Page 75
you must live it. If anyone appears careless, simply deny
it and affirm order and harmony. Allow nothing in the
external to disturb your poise and dominion. That is the
way of love. When you refuse to see negative things they
will disappear, and you will be surprised to see how you
will change. Your mind, body, and affairs are the
expression of your thoughts, so if you are not happy,
change your mental habits. This may not seem practical to
you at first, but if you will faithfully practice the
Golden Rule and send only thoughts of love to everyone, you
will witness practical results. You can cultivate the habit
of seeing the good, the true, the bright side of every
subject, and then with your friends you can bring this side
out in conversation, thus keeping yourself positive and
poised, and at the same time sowing the seed of Truth in
the minds of others.
The "leading of the Spirit" is not something mysterious.
When you open your mind to the wisdom of God in the
silence, you should claim in faith that you have received,
and trust that the Spirit does guide you. "Christ Jesus . .
. was made unto us wisdom"; and the more you affirm that
Christ is your wisdom the more you will realize the order
and harmony that result from the directing power of divine
wisdom. But do not be surprised and disappointed if
everything does not work out according to your old ideas.
The all-seeing Mind should not be judged by the dim and
short vision of the mortal. What may
Page 76
at first seem to you failure may prove to be a clearing
away of rubbish that will open the way in mind to a larger
life.
Jesus showed by His life and teachings that it is the will
of God for men to be well. A clear understanding of this is
necessary if one wants to demonstrate health. Where there
is a belief that God wills sickness and suffering, His love
and power are shut out of consciousness. Spiritual healing
depends on faith, and there cannot be faith while the mind
is holding thoughts directly opposed to the possibility of
healing. It is therefore very necessary to dwell much on
the love and power of God so that a steady, unwavering
faith may be established.
The subconscious realm of mind is the realm that contains
all past thoughts. First, we think consciously and this
thought becomes subconscious, carrying on its work of
building up or tearing down, according to its character.
The subconscious mind cannot take the initiative, but
depends on the conscious mind for direction. When one is
quickened of Spirit, one's true thoughts are set to work
and the subconscious states of error are broken up and
dissolved. In one's daily silence and communion with God,
thoughts from the subconsciousness come into the conscious
realm of mind to be forgiven and redeemed. Flesh heredity
is denied and inheritance from God affirmed, which enables
man consciously to draw divine ideas from the one Mind.
These ideas are established
Page 77
in consciousness and the whole mentality is at one with
Christ, the divine-man idea.
All wisdom is implanted in us by divine intelligence, which
is another name for God. In the degree that we awaken to
the consciousness of our inherent wisdom, in that degree we
are responsible to the Father and are required to render
unto Him the fruitage of our wisdom. All of us unfold
according to our understanding and realization. Whether our
understanding is small or large, we must measure up to or
demonstrate that which has been given us. "To whomsoever
much is given, of him shall much be required."
The phrase "body of Christ" has a threefold significance.
First, as regards its application to the body of Jesus, in
Matthew 26:26, 27 Jesus called the bread He had blessed His
body and the wine His blood. Out of this came the symbolic
rite of the Lord's Supper. All symbols are useful to the
extent that they point man to the realities for which they
stand. When this reality is discerned the symbols are
understood. Jesus dwelt continually in the consciousness of
being the very substance and life of God. "He that hath
seen me hath seen the Father." Through the conscious
realization of His oneness with God His body became a "body
of life," spiritual substance, His blood the life of God.
This is the body and blood He gave as a "ransom for many";
the understanding that the Christ body comes not by the
Page 78
grave but through our daily realization of the omnipresence
of substance and life and our union with it.
Secondly, the words "body of Christ" refer to man's
spiritual body. "Until Christ be formed in you." When we
appropriate words of Truth, "eat them," so to speak, we
partake of the substance and life of Spirit and build the
Christ body. This is partaking of the body and blood of
Jesus Christ, the true sacrament that vitalizes the body by
renewing the mind. Every student of Truth builds the Christ
body as he constantly abides in the Christ Mind through
daily meditation upon words of Truth.
Thirdly, the phrase "body of Christ" applies to the group
of people who find perfect unity in Spirit, free from all
the limitations and authority of creed. Such a group is
free from bondage to the letter and subject only to the
Spirit of truth. Jesus Christ is the head of this body, and
its members are joined through a recognition of universal
Spirit. This "body of Christ" is sometimes referred to as
the "church of Christ." This latter term is commonly
misunderstood in that many sects call themselves the
"church of Christ," each believing they are the chosen of
God. God is not partial and does not choose. Man exercises
that privilege, and if he chooses to conform to the "law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" he becomes a member of
the church of Christ and is recognized by the Father. There
is unity only in Spirit, and "God is Spirit." All personal
opinions upon which
Page 79
creeds are based disappear before the spiritual
understanding that the only real unity is the body of
Christ, His church. All who measure up to the Christ
standard, forsaking everything pertaining to the personal,
limited self, bringing forth the unlimited fruits of the
Spirit, are members of this body, the "body of Christ."
Through this body is to come the "restoration of all
things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets
that have been from of old."
Page 80
[Go forward to Chapter 10 ->]
[Atom-Smashing Power of Mind]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
|